The Best Hikes in Scottsdale

Pinnacle Peak Trail (North Scottsdale) — 3.5 miles, moderate, iconic. The most photographed trail in Scottsdale for a reason.

Camelback Mountain — Echo Canyon or Cholla. Cholla is longer and more forgiving; Echo is steeper and technical near the top. Both punish anyone underestimating them.

Tom's Thumb (McDowell Sonoran Preserve) — 4.2 miles, big granite finish, arguably the best view in the valley.

Gateway Loop (McDowell Sonoran Preserve) — 4.5 miles, mostly flat, a great sunrise walk.

Sunrise Trail — 4 miles, gentle, saguaro-lined ridge.

Brown's Ranch (far north) — miles of flat, quiet desert. Bring a mountain bike.

Windgate Pass to Bell Pass Loop — 9 miles, a full morning, big-view saddle.

Superstition Wilderness (an hour east) — a different desert entirely.

Weaver's Needle via Peralta Trail — the most dramatic day hike in central Arizona.

Start at sunrise, every month, no exceptions.

One liter of water per hour of hiking. In summer, more.

Trail-runners' shoes over hiking boots on almost every Scottsdale trail — the terrain is rock, not mud.

Turn around at the halfway mark of your water, not the halfway mark of the trail.