Hiking Phoenix: Favorite Day Hikes

Newest in a series of popular outdoor guides by Cosmic Ray, Hiking Phoenix details 50 of the best of the best day hikes in and around Phoenix. Clear, bold, easy-to-read and down-to-earth maps will connect you from freeway to trailhead and then guide you along the way as you explore the desert trails.

The hikes are for all levels of ability. The accompanying verbal descriptions include a quick view contour profile showing elevation change over distance so you can see what you are in for at a glance. Choose your hike with solid information about distance, time, difficulty, level of route finding skill, best season to hike, view wildflowers or whether to take along the family pooch.

There is a fun guide to the types of cactus found in this beautiful Sonoran desert, a chart depicting what to expect from the weather and a very helpful up-to-date overview map of the Phoenix freeway system.

Hikes range from urban trail areas like Camelback, Squaw (Piestewa) Peak, South Mountain, Pinnacle Peak and the Phoenix Mountains to trails all the way out in the White Tank, Usery and Superstition Mountains. To help you choose from so many hikes, there is a special icon used to depict a few certain trails that are super favorites, worth a far journey and not to be missed. There are also a half dozen cooler high country hikes with creeks and pools shown for when the Arizona desert gets cooking.

All in all, the book is done in a humorous, cartoony, entertaining style that will add to the enjoyment of any adventure. The bright attractive cover and rounded corners on this volume make it a perfect companion that fits in your pocket or pack, full of useful information on hiking in this most unique part of the planet.