November 11, 2017

Flatiron via Siphon Draw is the hike everyone in the Phoenix area seems to have on their list. It's a challenging six miles round trip with 2,600+ feet of gain, which sounds tame until the trail basically disappears and turns into a scramble up loose, slick rock and granite boulders. I love to scramble, so this is one of my favorite trails in the valley (sorry, Lookout Mountain). The trail begins as a meandering path through the desert, then climbs straight up a canyon full of Lost Dutchman's gold-mine legends before topping out on Flatiron's flat summit slab, where the 360-degree view makes the whole grind worth it.

Afterward, I hit up Goldfield Ghost Town for a steak to refuel after the strenuous hike.

Trail details

Distance: about 6 miles round trip
Elevation gain: 2,600+ feet, and SummitPost puts it just under 3,000, most of it in the last mile
High point: about 4,860 feet on the Flatiron
Trailhead: Siphon Draw trailhead inside Lost Dutchman State Park, off SR 88 northeast of Apache Junction; day-use gates are open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Fees: $10 per vehicle with one person, $20 with two to four people, $5 on foot or by bike
Time: about 4 to 5 hours
Difficulty: the maintained trail ends at the Siphon Draw basin, and lots of people turn around there; above it is unmaintained boulder scrambling with a short vertical step near the top
Heat: start early and carry plenty of water; this is a cool-season hike
Source: Arizona State Parks for fees and hours (checked October 2026), SummitPost for the route

Jagged rock cliffs rising above desert scrub at Lost Dutchman State Park, with a tall saguaro in front Smooth, sloping rock in the Siphon Draw canyon, with a tiny hiker far up between the cliffs Agave plants with tall dry flower stalks growing from bare rock under a blue sky Rounded granite boulders and rock towers above prickly pear and agave near the top of the climb Tall granite rock spires framing a view to the distant valley, with cactus and grass in the foreground Boulder-strewn high desert and distant mountain ranges seen from near the Flatiron A hiker doing a handstand on the rock at the top while other hikers stand near the cliffs behind View from the Flatiron over boulders and rugged ridges to the flat valley far below Diners on a patio with wagon-wheel railings at Goldfield Ghost Town, with horses, a guitarist and the cliffs behind

Good tools make hard work easy. Bad tools make easy work hard.