Piestewa Peak

Piestewa Peak is the summit Phoenicians climb for exercise, for the view and for bragging rights, and for visitors it is a slightly easier, easier-to-park alternative to Camelback with views that are just as good. Rising to 2,610 feet in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, a few miles north of the Biltmore district, it is the second-highest point in the Phoenix Mountains after Camelback. The Summit Trail, a National Recreation Trail, gains about 1,208 feet in roughly 1.2 miles, almost all of it on rock steps and switchbacks, and most fit hikers reach the top in 25 to 60 minutes. The reward is a full 360-degree panorama: Camelback to the southeast, downtown's towers and South Mountain to the south, and the whole grid of the Valley spreading toward the Superstitions and Four Peaks. The trail has no water and is harder than it looks, so treat it seriously. For a gentler outing, the Freedom Trail circles the base of the peak for about four miles at a moderate grade, with desert scenery and a fraction of the summit traffic, and the wider preserve links to dozens of other routes, including Trail 100, which runs about eleven miles across the mountains, and summit hikes on Lookout, North and Shadow mountains. The peak carries a story worth knowing. Long known by a name many considered offensive, it was renamed in 2003 to honor Army Specialist Lori Piestewa, a Hopi soldier from Tuba City who was the first known Native American woman to die in combat in the U.S. military, killed in Iraq that year; federal approval of the name followed in 2008. Its traditional Pima name is Vainom Do'ag.

Practical planning makes the difference. Parking lots line the park road, and the main Summit Trail lots fill early on winter weekends, so arrive at first light or come on a weekday. Many locals hike in the cool of the evening, too, and the trail is popular after dark with headlamps. In summer the City of Phoenix closes certain trails, including the Piestewa summit route, during the hottest hours on excessive-heat warning days, and the closures are enforced; outside those days, aim to be off the mountain by mid-morning. Carry at least a liter of water per person even for a short climb, wear shoes with good grip for the polished rock, and yield to faster hikers on the narrow switchbacks.

Choose your hike by goal. For the classic summit, start from the main Summit Trail lot and climb steadily, pausing at the saddle for views before the final scramble. For a longer, less crowded workout, combine the Freedom Trail loop with a summit push. For an easy family walk, use the Nature Trail near the lower lots or the flatter sections of the Dreamy Draw area to the north, where trails are gentler and more spread out. Early spring brings brittlebush and poppies to the lower slopes.

Fit: hikers who want a real summit without Camelback's parking battles, first-time visitors staying in central Phoenix, the Biltmore or Arcadia, and couples or friends looking for a sunrise challenge. Pair it with breakfast in the Biltmore area, a pool afternoon at your resort, or the Heard Museum in the cooler part of the day.