Piestewa Peak is located in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, northeast of Phoenix. It’s one of the most popular peak hikes in the area, with a steep and rugged stair stepping trail leading to the summit. And while this hike doesn’t offer up much in the way of solitude, it does offer up some fantastic views and a great workout.

After a fun adventure on Picacho Peak earlier in the day, I was looking to squeeze in another shorter hike in the evening. Piestewa Peak looked like a great option. In spite of it being 101’F at the parking lot for the ‘Summit Trail’, I figured I could muster the energy for this fairly short hike.

So up the trail I went, sharing the way with a few dozen other hikers, even on a hot evening. The trail climbed steeply, with a mixture of steps, rocks, and gravel. I was trying to keep a steady pace, but decided I better turn it down a notch after having to stop for a break due to being light headed. Probably caused by being a bit dehydrated from all the sweating I was doing.

The final climb to the summit was steep but fun, with a short scramble section right at the top. After some photos and a snack, it was time to head down. On the return the parking lot, I passed well over a hundred other hikers making their way up. Round trip was about 2.4 miles and 1200’ of elevation gain in a leisurely 90 minutes round trip.

Map of the route, just over 2 miles and 1200' gain round trip.	Cool rock steps.	Piestewa Peak summit view.	Huge lizard just below the summit.	Almost back down to the parking lot.
Map of the route, just over 2 miles and 1200' gain round trip.Typical trail conditions on the way up.Cool rock steps.Piestewa Peak summit view.Huge lizard just below the summit.Almost back down to the parking lot.