Lookout Mountain doesn't get the attention that Camelback or Piestewa Peak do. It's a squat little peak in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve on the north side of the city, and it's short: just over a mile round trip and a few hundred feet of climbing, though the trail gets steep and loose underfoot near the summit. This is the hike locals do on repeat, not the one tourists drive across town for. It fits in a weekday morning, it still makes you work a little, and outside of sunrise and sunset you can usually have the peak mostly to yourself. At those hours, the small parking lot fills up fast.

From the top you get a full sweep of the Valley, with the rest of the preserve's peaks lined up on one side and the Phoenix grid rolling out flat on the other. The way up has plenty to look at, too: barrel cacti wedged into the rock in little clusters, a hedgehog cactus gone the color of cotton candy where its spines catch the light, and saguaros standing around like they're supervising. I caught it under a heavier sky than Phoenix usually advertises, with clouds stacked over the mountains instead of the postcard blue, and I'm not complaining about how the photos came out. If you want a lot more climbing and some actual scrambling, try Flatiron via Siphon Draw out in the Superstitions.

For a different desert altogether, Euri and I also visited Joshua Tree National Park.

Trail details

Distance: about 1.2 miles round trip on the Summit Trail (#150)
Elevation gain: about 474 feet
Trailhead: Lookout Mountain trailhead at 15600 N. 16th St.; start on the Circumference Trail (#308) and turn left onto the Summit Trail
Hours: parking from sunrise until 7 p.m. or sunset, whichever comes first; the trail itself is open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Facilities: a water fountain but no restrooms at the 16th Street lot
Difficulty: moderate to difficult for its size, steep and loose near the top
Source: City of Phoenix (checked October 2026)