★★★★★ Moderate / Phoenix Area:

Skirting Saguaro Lake, a stunningly beautiful desert gem, the Butcher Jones Hiking Trail crosses a sandy beach, intimate reed lined coves and high pinnacles with breathtaking views. The first half-mile is bustling with families and fishermen enjoying the lake. But after that the trail is completely hiker-centric.


TRAILHEAD: FR 166, Saguaro Lake, AZ    DIFFICULTY: MODERATE  •  DISTANCE: 2.5 MILES (5 MILES RT)  •  APPROX. TIME: 2.5-3 HOURS  •  ELEVATION GAIN: 600 FEET (43 STORIES)  •  APPROX. CALORIES BURNED: 750-520  •  BEST TIME OF YEAR: SEPT.-JUNE  •  PETS: YES •  KID FRIENDLY: YES please  •  FACILITIES: YES (BUT NO WATER)  •  FEES: $6 DAy use (or $85 Annual NATIONAL PARK PASS)

Landscape, View, Boat, Cliffs, Saguaro Lake, Perigrine Point, Butcher Jones Hiking Trail. Moderate Hikes. Phoenix Area Hikes. Family Friendly Hikes. Pet Friendly Hikes.Tucked into the foothills of the Mazatzal Wilderness, Saguaro Lake is a small but spectacular gem plopped mid-desert! The Butcher Jones Hiking Trail winds around the northern edge of the lake, passing through a surprising mix of terrains.

Landscape, View, Beach, Coves, Butcher Jones Recreational Area, Saguaro Lake, Arizona, Butcher Jones Hiking Trail. Moderate Hikes. Phoenix Area Hikes. Family Friendly Hikes. Pet Friendly Hikes. Starting at the Butcher Jones Recreational area, with its popular shaded picnic areas, sandy beach and cool, clear water, the Butcher Jones Hiking Trail first winds along the lake’s lower shoreline. Fishermen and families dot the water’s edge, while kayakers and paddle boarders float around the protected coves.

Landscape, View, Hikers, Cove, Butcher Jones Recreational Area, Saguaro Lake, Arizona, Butcher Jones Hiking Trail. Moderate Hikes. Phoenix Area Hikes. Family Friendly Hikes. Pet Friendly Hikes.The first stretch of the hike is mostly level, passing through dense groves of mesquite trees and then opening up onto nice views of a cove and the lake.

Landscape, View, Saguaro Lake, Arizona, Water, Coves, Boat, Cliffs, Razorback point, Perigrine Point, Butcher Jones Hiking Trail. Moderate Hikes. Phoenix Area Hikes. Family Friendly Hikes. Pet Friendly Hikes. After winding around a long cove, the Butcher Jones Hiking Trail steepens a little and heads up to Peregrine Point. The views from this spot are to die for! Miniature looking boats appear and disappear as they zoom between the cliffs of Razorback Point to the eastern portion of the lake. On the shoreline below lush, emerald green marshes line the lake.

Family, Fisherman, Boat, Cove, Reeds, Saguaro Lake, Arizona, Butcher Jones Hiking Trail. Moderate Hikes. Phoenix Area Hikes. Family Friendly Hikes. Pet Friendly Hikes. Past Peregrin Point, the trail descends once again. Small side trails lead out to the intimate reed lined coves, with their rocky shores, and cool lapping water, that were visible from above.

Landscape, View, Boats, Cliffs, Shiprock, Saguaro Lake, Arizona, Butcher Jones Hiking Trail. Moderate Hikes. Phoenix Area Hikes. Family Friendly Hikes. Pet Friendly Hikes.From here the Butcher Jones hiking trail heads inland for the next half-mile, crossing the barrier between the two main lake areas. Once across this dry desert swath, broad lake views appear once again. Shiprock protrudes from the water just outside the narrow pass below Razorback Point.

Landscape, View, Saguaro Lake, Arizona, Four Peaks Mountain, Matzazals, Reeds, Butcher Jones Hiking Trail, Moderate Hikes. Phoenix Area Hikes, Family Friendly Hikes, Pet Friendly HikesA side trail leads to the shore near Shiprock, while the Butcher Jones Hiking Trail veers left and heads down a hill to its end at Burro Cove. This last section gets less use and is a little overgrown. From the shore, views of the lake and Four Peaks Mountain in the distance are lovely.

Total Nerdery

According to state historian, Marshall Trimble, Butcher Jones was an influential surgeon and mine owner who sometimes performed operations on his dining room table. He lived in Arizona in the mid-1800s*. Guess that’s one way to have a trail named after you.    *azcentral

Resources

Click here to download a trail map. Trail is #463

Directions From the intersection of Shea Boulevard and AZ 89 drive north on AZ 89 for 9.88 miles to Bush Highway. Turn Right / east on Bush Highway and continue for 2.5 miles to Forest Road 166. Turn left on FR 166 and drive for 2 miles to the Butcher Jones Recreational Area Parking lot at the end of the road. The trail head is on the northern side of the beach.