Mojave Trail #200

The entrance for the Piestewa Peak area is located at 2701 E. Squaw Peak Drive. The Mojave Picnic Area & Trailhead is the first parking area on the right. This is a very popular trail when the outside temps drop a bit so get there early for sunset hikes to ease parking.

The trail begins on the north side of the Mojave parking area and heads east from there. After a short distance the trail bends slightly south and begins a moderate sloping climb.

At the mini saddle (.4 miles in), you will hit the junction for the Mojave Connector Trail veering off left. Taking this will connect you to another killer hike (Quartz Ridge) - from there, you can tie together an infinite amount of loops and twists.

For this hike, stay to the right, following the trail a sit traverses around the west side of a small prominence where it continues to climb toward a higher peak. The last section of this climb is a couple short but steep switchback leading to your summit view. This is an ideal spot to kick back and enjoy an Arizona sunset as it gives you 180 panoramic views of the entire city valley with South Mountain as a backdrop in front of you, and the expansive and beautiful Phoenix Mountain Preserve range behind you.

From here, you can either head back the way you hiked in, or continue down 200A which will lead you right back to the ramadas at the Mojave Picnic Area where your adventure began.

This is a perfect spot for trail running as the majority of the trail itself is relatively flat, except for the last bit before the summit.