123 1 Day Treks to Explore in Arizona

This remote 37,030-acre wilderness is a 12-mile long stretch of the Grand Wash Cliffs. It encompasses escarpments, canyons, and sandstone buttes that make up the transition zone between the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range Province. Vegetation includes an assortment of Mojave Desert shrubs below the cliffs as well as a pinyon-juniper woodland above. Wildlife in the area include gila monsters, desert tortoise, and desert bighorn sheep.

Guthrie Peak is the highest point of the Black Hills, the northern extension of the Peloncillo Mountains in eastern Arizona. It isn’t a major Arizona summit. However, it does enjoy a prominence of over 2,000’, making it a worthwhile destination in its own right. Although it is far from any major Arizona cities. The summit is easily accessible because it starts right off US-191 and has a road to the top. For this reason, Guthrie Peak can be hiked any time of year.

The Hangman Trailhead & FR 86 provides access to this trail. This trail follows areas affected by the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski Fire.A very nice trail, at the beginning quite flowig, later steeper. In the first section there are two medium-sized ramps. Tehre are also so many things to see and do which is quiet interesting and also there are so many things to see also.

The 25,050-acre Harcuvar Mountains Wilderness is located about 82 miles northwest of Phoenix. A lot of Harcuvar Mountains Wilderness is prime real estate for desert bighorn sheep, mountain lion, bobcat, mule deer, Gila monster and desert tortoise, but there's also a 3,500-acre island of cut-off interior chaparral habitat on the north side of that upper ridge.

The 22,880-acre Harquahala Mountains Wilderness lies in Maricopa and La Paz counties, 80 miles northwest of Phoenix, Arizona. It contains part of one of western Arizona's largest desert mountain ranges. The 5,691-foot- high Harquahala Peak, the highest point in southwest Arizona, provides a breathtaking panorama of surrounding desert and distant mountain ranges. Hikers, backpackers, wildlife observers and photographers will find many recreation opportunities here.

Heliograph Peak is a subsidiary summit of Mount Graham in the Pinaleño Mountains. There is a good forest road to the top, and the peak is probably the best in the range for summit views, given that Mount Graham itself is off-limits and wooded, and the other high peaks are usually wooded too.

This very popular trail on the edge of Tonto National Forest leads to a beautiful valley with native hieroglyphs. Near Apache Junction, ArizonaIt rises 1.45 miles through a bajada into the mouth of Hieroglyphics Canyon, where several panels of well-preserved petrogylphs are located above seasonal pools. The basalt rock etchings were mistaken by early European settlers for Egyptian hieroglyphs, hence the erroneous name.

The Hualapai Mountains are a mountain range located in Mohave County, east of Kingman, Arizona. Rising up to 8,417 feet at its highest peak. The park encompasses over 2,300 acres and has has cabins, recreation areas, dry camping campsites, and hook-up spots for recreational vehicles, and is generally open year-round for camping and recreation.

Hualapai Peak is a 8,417-foot mountain summit in Mohave County, Arizona and is the highest point of the Hualapai Mountains. It is located about 15 miles southeast of Kingman in Hualapai Mountain County Park. The mountain is characterized by huge granite outcroppings and pillars, a result of its volcanic origin. Although trails lead to its base, a moderate scramble and climb is required to reach the summit.

This is a steep and strenuous route that leads to the top of the dramatic and interesting landmark of Picacho Peak. The trail utilizes steel cables, handrails, and railroad-tie steps to assist hikers in reaching the top of the peak.Views at the summit are exceptional though and worth the effort to get there. The hike is very exposed and should not be attempted during extremely hot temperatures or during other extreme weather conditions.

Josephine Saddle is a great stopping place for a hike going up Colby Canyon or to take a break for a longer hike. There are great views from the saddle, a pretty nice flat area. Also at the saddle area is the top of a water tank which provides a nice place to sit and dangle one’s legs while taking in the view.

The Kofa National Wildlife Refuge is located in Arizona, northeast of Yuma and southeast of Quartzsite. The refuge, established in 1939 to protect desert bighorn sheep, encompasses over 665,400 acres of the Yuma Desert region of the Sonoran Desert. Broad, gently sloping foothills as well as the sharp, needlepoint peaks of the Kofa Mountains are found in the rugged refuge. The small, widely scattered waterholes attract a surprising number of water birds for a desert area.

Ladybug Peak is a mountain in the Sierra Nevada in United States. This is a popular trail for hiking, mountain biking, and snowshoeing, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. There are so many things to see and do here.

The Las Cienegas National Conservation Area is a National Conservation Area of Arizona, located in the transitional zone between the Sonoran Desert and the Chihuahuan Desert. tMore han 45,000 acres of rolling grasslands and woodlands in Arizona’s Pima and Santa Cruz counties was protected as a National Conservation Area. The region’s rolling grasslands, oak-studded hills that connect several "sky island" mountain ranges, and lush riparian corridors attract both people and wildlife.

The Little Black Mountain Petroglyph site is located south of St. George on the Arizona Strip and features an easy hike around sandstone boulders covered in ancient petroglyphs. The site contains some outstanding rock art, representing 6,000 years of human habitation and use. The site has over 500 individual rock-art designs and elements on the cliffs and boulders surrounding the base of a 500-foot mesa. The hike is easy and short making it great for those who want to get out of the city.

The Little Harquahala Mountains are a small, arid, low-elevation mountain range of western-central Arizona, in the southeast of La Paz County.The region is in the Basin and Range and three mountain ranges are in a parallel, northwest-by-southeast-trending thrust belt, with two intervening valleys. The Little Harquahala Range borders the second valley and third mountain range, the McMullen Valley and Harquahala Mountains, on their southwest borders.

Long Logs Trail in Petrified Forest National Park has a few cool things to see. The first is a bunch of long petrified logs. It is one of the greatest concentrations of in-tact petrified logs in the Park. Trees over 100' long were stripped of their branches by ancient rivers and eventually came together within this vicinity.

Los Caballos is one of the longest trails in the White Mountain Trail System.The trail is generally along tall Ponderosa pine trees.This is a popular trail for backpacking, hiking, and horseback riding, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day.

Lost Goldmine is a mostly blue trail with some difficult ups/downs through arroyos. There are no man-made features, so enjoy the natural ones, including excellent up-close views of the Superstition Mountains. The trail features an abundant collection of cholla, ocotillo, barrel cactus, saguaro, palo verde and mesquite.