AZ Utopia: Arizona Hiking Blog

Arizona, Phoenix, Boulders, Camelback Mountain, Echo Canyon Hiking Trail.

October 24, 2015

Echo Canyon Hiking Trail, Camelback Mountain

★★★★★ Difficult / Phoenix: If there is one defining Phoenix hike, this is it! Camelback Mountain’s Echo Canyon Hiking Trail is a local favorite for multiple reasons. The hike is short, but high up there on the challenge scale. It’s located just steps from downtown. Plus it offers spectacular city views framed by rugged canyon walls and Saguaro Cacti. With its extreme popularity you’ll encounter local trail-runners making multiple…

October 7, 2015

Red Mountain Hiking Trail

★★★★★ Easy / Flagstaff Area: Hiking through this maze of colossal cones is kind of amazing (sorry). But it really is! Surrounded by cliffs and thousands of sky-high Cinder Cones, the Red Mountain Hiking Trail makes one feel a bit like an ant in a sprawling city of hyper-tall anthills. And kids will have so much fun climbing and playing on these oversized formations that…

Hiker, Arizona Hiking Trail, Tall Cliffs, Flagstaff, Arizona, Walnut Canyon, Sandys Canyon Hiking Trail

October 2, 2015

Sandys Canyon Hiking Trail to Walnut Canyon

★★★☆☆ Easy / Flagstaff Area: “Twisted” cliffs, punctuated with small caves, make hiking Walnut Canyon seem a bit surreal. Flanked by Dali-esque rock formations, the easy Sandys Canyon Hiking trail rambles along the base of a gentle canyon to Fisher Point. Here a bizarre 100 foot cliff looms, gnarled and frozen.

Father, Son, Hikers, Lynx Lake Recreation Hiking Trail, Prescott, Arizona

September 19, 2015

Lynx Lake Recreation Hiking Trail Loop

★★★☆☆ Easy / Prescott Area: Just a hop away from Phoenix or Flagstaff, this easy lakeside trail is miles from life’s hustle and bustle. Tucked into a cool and intimate mountain valley, Lynx Lake Hiking Trail is encased in scenic views of this tranquil little lake and its surrounding pine-filled mountains. And with its level trail half-paved, it is an easy stroll for hikers of every age…

September 12, 2015

Kendrick Mountain Hiking Trail

★★★★☆ Moderate / Flagstaff Area: For lots of elevation gain with very little pain – the Kendrick Mountain Hiking Trail is one of Arizona’s best! The trail’s extremely gentle incline, to an impressively high summit, zigzags along some of the most hyper-long switchbacks I’ve ever encountered – making it a breeze to hike. And the views from the top? “Wowza!” A hundred miles…

August 29, 2015

Bill Williams Hiking Trail

★★★☆☆ Moderate / Grand Canyon Area: Visible behind Williams’ charming historic sign, Bill Williams Mountain harbors a surprisingly fun and varied summit trail. As it ascends, the Bill Williams Hiking Trail gradually transforms from a somewhat arid hike into a lush one, lined with ferns, moss and Aspens. At the summit the views back over Williams (with its many fun restaurants and…

Portrait, Two Young Hikers, Flagstaff, Arizona, Kachina Hiking Trail

August 15, 2015

Hiking BFFs

Summer camp BFFs, Justine and Tyler, have fun hiking with each other and their families. Justine loves spending time outdoors with her friend. While Tyler also likes the exercise and how pretty the trails are. – Met on Flagstaff’s Kachina Trail.

August 15, 2015

Thumb Butte Loop Hike

★★☆☆☆ Moderate / Prescott Area: Pretty, paved, petite and with phenomenal views – the Thumb Butte Loop Hike, up Prescott’s defining natural landmark, is a prime day-hike. Clearly visible from downtown, the easily identifiable Thumb Butte is just a short jaunt from Prescott’s numerous in-town activities. Throw in a picnic in this lovely park, and you have the makings of an perfect day outdoors.

August 8, 2015

Inner Basin Hiking Trail

★★★★★ Moderate / Flagstaff Area: It’s impossible to describe the stunningly beautiful Inner Basin Hiking Trail without yelling “Wait! There’s more!” This gorgeous hike surrounds hikers with fields of summer sunflowers and endless fairytale-esque groves of Aspens. Expect to encounter a whack-a-doodle mix of elk grazing the meadows beside high-altitude runners in training. Indeed, every twist and turn of this Flagstaff hike is truly extra-ordinary.

Landscape, Flagstaff, Arizona, Kachina Trail, San Francisco Mountains, Wild Flowers, Grasses, Aspens

July 31, 2015

Kachina Hiking Trail

★★★★☆ Easy / Flagstaff Area: Almost overwhelming in its beauty, Flagstaff’s easy Kachina Hiking Trail envelopes hikers in acres-wide meadows of fragrant wildflowers and plush fern-gullies during Spring and Summer, or shimmering golden Aspens in Fall. It’s no wonder that it is a popular “go to” hiking trail for mini-mees to Grandpas, and every age between.