★★★☆☆ Moderate / Phoenix Area

Choice views, varied terrain and a high traverse make the Pass Mountain Hiking Trail Loop a worthy day hike! Scrunched between the stunning Superstition & Mazatzal Ranges, this sweet 7.5-mile loop offers excellent views of each as it circles Usery Park’s main peak.

TRAILHEAD: 3939 N. Usery Pass Road, Mesa  •  DIFFICULTY: MODERATE  •  DISTANCE: 7.5 mile Loop  •  APPROX. TIME: 3.5 – 4.5 HOURS  •  ELEVATION GAIN: 730 FEET (52 STORIES)  •  APPROX. CALORIES BURNED: 1,125-1,300  •  BEST TIME OF YEAR: NOV. – March  •  PETS: yes  •  KID FRIENDLY: No  •  FACILITIES: YES  •  fees: $7 day or $85 annual maricopa county pass

A landscape view of Usery Mountain, with Saquaro Cacti in the foreground. Taken from Pass Mountain Loop Trail in Usery Park, outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix area hiking Trails. Moderate hiking trails. Copyright azutopia. No use without permission. Looping around Pass Mountain, this trail comes fully loaded with mixed desert landscapes and extra-long views. From the shared Wind Cave Trailhead, the trail rolls northwards through gigantic Saguaro fields, framed by the bright-green lichen covered cliffs of Pass Mountain.

A landscape view of Hikers on the Pass Mountain Hiking Trail Loop, in Usery Park, outside of Mesa Arizona. Phoenix area hikes. Moderate hikes. Copyright azutopia. No use without permission. As  the Pass Mountain Hiking Trail curves east, the Saguaro fields (and also the pop of gunfire from a nearby range) are replaced by a gently rambling, granite strewn path, that hugs the mountainside.

A landscape view of Four Peaks Mountain and the Matzazal Wilderness from Pass Mountain Hiking Trail Loop in Mesa, Arizona's Usery Park, with a field of Saguaros in the foreground. Phoenix area hiking trails. Moderate hiking trails. Copyright azutopia. No use without permission.Epic views get better and better as the trail slowly ascends! Miles-long expanses stretch to Saguaro Lake, Four Peaks Mountain in the Mazatzal Range and beyond.

A landscape view of hikers at the pass of Usery Park' Pass Mountain, with the town of Mesa below. From the Pass Mountain Hiking Trail Loop in Mesa, Arizona. Phoenix area hiking trails, Moderate hiking trails. Copyright azutopia. No use without permission. At  its highest point, the trail crosses the cliff lined pass the mountain is named for. From here southern views over Mesa’s sprawl fill the landscape. The shade under the cliffs creates a popular resting place for hikers and horseback riders making the loop.

A landscape view of the cliffs of Usery Park's Pass Mountain pass, with fields of Saguaros in the foreground. From the Pass Mountain Hiking Trail Loop near Mesa, Arizona. Phoenix area hiking trails. Moderate hiking trails. Copyright azutopia. No use without permission. Heading back down Pass Mountain, the trail reenters what seems like a wall-to-wall carpet of ancient Saguaros.

A landscape view of the Superstition Mountains with a field of Saguaros in the foreground. From Usery Park's Pass Mountain Hiking Trail Loop, outside of Mesa Arizona. Phoenix area hiking trails. Moderate hiking trails. Copyright azutopia. No use without permission. Ahead, the jagged, purple cliffs of the Superstitions frame the horizon.

Total Nerdery

Pass Mountain is also sometimes called “Scarface” – for the slash of cliff that runs along its western flank. Although the Pass Mountain Hiking Trail Loop starts in Usery Park, only the western fourth of the hike is actually within it. The remaining 3/4 of the trail passes through the Tonto National Forest.

Resources

Click here to download a trail map

Directions 

From the intersection of AZ-101 and AZ-202 (in Mesa), take AZ 202 east for 15.35 miles to exit 24 / McKellips Road. Turn left / east onto McKellips and drive 2.25 miles to Ellsworth Road / Usery Mountain Pass Road. Turn left / north onto Usery Mountain Pass Road and continue and drive for 2.7 miles to the entrance of Usery Park, on the right. Once in park drive for approximately 0.5 miles to the labeled parking area for the shared Wind Cave Hiking Trail.