Top Hikes in Arizona

1.Rim to Rim Trail (Grand Canyon)

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The ultimate Arizona bucket-list hike: a ~24-mile crossing of the Grand Canyon from rim to river to rim, passing Phantom Ranch and the Colorado. The state's most coveted trek.

2.Havasu Falls Trail

Havasupai Reservation, Arizona

A 10-mile trek to turquoise waterfalls cascading over red rock in a desert oasis. Permit-only, hard to reach, and one of the most photographed waterfalls on Earth.

3.The Wave (Coyote Buttes North)

Page, Arizona

Surreal swirling sandstone in striped red, orange and gold. A coveted lottery permit makes this one of the rarest, most iconic hikes anywhere in the world.

4.Bright Angel Trail to Plateau Point

Grand Canyon South Rim

The Canyon's most famous trail descending to a 6-mile spur with a jaw-dropping overlook of the Colorado River. The definitive Grand Canyon day hike.

5.South Kaibab Trail to Ooh-Aah Point

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

A short, steep descent to a panoramic ridge with sweeping, unobstructed canyon views. The best bang-for-effort viewpoint on the South Rim.

6.Humphreys Peak Summit Trail

Flagstaff, Arizona

Arizona's highest point at 12,633 feet, climbing through pine and alpine tundra. On a clear day you can see the Grand Canyon from the summit.

7.Cathedral Rock Trail

Sedona, Arizona

A short, steep scramble up one of Arizona's most photographed buttes. Towering red-rock spires and panoramic vortex views make it Sedona's signature climb.

8.Devil's Bridge Trail

Sedona, Arizona

Sedona's most iconic natural arch and the area's ultimate photo spot. The largest sandstone arch around, framing the red-rock landscape below.

9.Flatiron via Siphon Draw Trail

Apache Junction, Arizona

A relentless, rocky scramble gaining 2,000+ feet to a dramatic summit ledge. The Superstitions' most coveted and challenging bucket-list climb.

10.Camelback Mountain - Echo Canyon Trail

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix's quintessential summit challenge: a steep, rocky scramble to 360-degree city and desert views. The most iconic urban hike in Arizona.

11.Horseshoe Bend Trail

Page, Arizona

A short walk to a sweeping overlook of the Colorado River's dramatic 270-degree bend. One of the most recognizable views on the planet.

12.Antelope Canyon

Page, AZ

A guided walk through glowing slot-canyon corridors where light beams pierce sculpted sandstone. A photographer's dream and an Arizona must-see.

13.West Fork Oak Creek Trail

Sedona, Arizona

A lush, shaded canyon hike with creek crossings beneath towering walls. Arizona's most beloved fall-color trail and a refreshing red-rock escape.

14.Peralta Trail to Fremont Saddle

Apache Junction, Arizona

A classic desert canyon climb to a saddle with the definitive view of Weaver's Needle, the Superstitions' iconic 1,000-foot rock spire.

15.Buckskin Gulch via Wire Pass

Vermilion Cliffs

The longest hikeable slot canyon on Earth: deep, narrow sculpted walls stretching for miles. A world-class bucket-list adventure for serious hikers.

16.Boynton Canyon Trail with Subway Cave

Sedona, Arizona

A scenic red-rock canyon hike to a hidden cave with arched windows and ancient cliff dwellings. One of Sedona's most rewarding and mystical trails.

17.Soldier Pass Trail & Seven Sacred Pools

Sedona, Arizona

A packed Sedona trail past tiered rock pools, a giant sinkhole, and a hidden cave. Big red-rock scenery in a short, accessible package.

18.Wave Cave Trail

Gold Canyon, Arizona

A steep desert climb to a wave-shaped cave perfectly framing the valley below. One of Arizona's most photographed and Instagram-famous hikes.

19.South Kaibab Trail to Cedar Ridge

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

A bit deeper than Ooh-Aah Point, this turnaround delivers expansive ridge-top canyon panoramas without committing to the full descent. A perfect taste of the canyon.

20.Mount Wrightson Summit Trail

Tucson, Arizona

The highest peak near Tucson at 9,453 feet, a strenuous, scenic climb with a soaring hawk's-eye view across all of southeastern Arizona.

21.Chiricahua Echo Canyon to Heart of Rocks Loop

Chiricahua National Monument

A trail winding through the Apache 'Land of Standing-Up Rocks': towering hoodoos, balanced boulders, and pinnacle forests unlike anywhere else in Arizona.

22.White House Ruin Trail

Canyon de Chelly

The only self-guided trail into Canyon de Chelly, descending sheer red walls to a 1,000-year-old Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwelling. Profoundly historic and scenic.

23.Seven Falls Trail via Bear Canyon

Tucson, Arizona

A desert canyon hike with stream crossings leading to a tiered series of waterfalls and pools. Tucson's most beloved water-fed trail.

24.Bell Rock Pathway

Sedona, Arizona

An easy, family-friendly path circling one of Sedona's most famous formations and a renowned vortex site. Iconic red-rock views with optional scrambling.

25.Aravaipa Canyon

Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness

A permit-limited riparian paradise where you wade a creek through towering canyon walls. Only 50 people daily makes it one of Arizona's most pristine hikes.

26.Mooney Falls Trail

Havasupai Reservation

A thrilling descent via chains and ladders through travertine tunnels to the tallest waterfall on Havasu Creek. The dramatic companion to Havasu Falls.

27.Camelback Mountain - Cholla Trail

Phoenix, Arizona

Camelback's longer, ridgeline route to the summit with sweeping valley views. A steep, scrambling alternative to Echo Canyon and a Phoenix rite of passage.

28.Piestewa Peak Summit Trail

Phoenix, Arizona

A short, steep, relentlessly popular climb to a city-spanning summit view. Phoenix's go-to fitness summit alongside Camelback.

29.Birthing Cave Trail

Sedona, Arizona

A short hike to a naturally formed cave whose wide opening perfectly frames the desert below. A quieter, photogenic Sedona favorite.

30.Picacho Peak Summit Trail

Picacho Peak State Park, Arizona

A steep, cable-assisted scramble up a landmark volcanic spire visible for miles along I-10. A short but genuinely thrilling desert summit.

31.Wasson Peak via Hugh Norris Trail

Saguaro National Park

The highest point in the Tucson Mountains, climbing a ridgeline through dense saguaro forest to sweeping desert and city views. Quintessential Saguaro NP.

32.Vultee Arch Trail

Sedona, Arizona

A quiet, shaded forest walk to a graceful red sandstone arch tucked in the backcountry. A peaceful alternative to Sedona's crowded headline trails.

33.Sabino Canyon Trail

Tucson, Arizona

Tucson's signature desert oasis: a paved creekside path with bridges and year-round water beneath the Santa Catalinas. The city's most popular natural escape.

34.Lockett Meadow to Inner Basin Trail

Flagstaff, Arizona

A climb through aspen groves into the heart of an ancient volcano. Arizona's most celebrated fall-color hike when the leaves turn gold.

35.Rim Trail (Grand Canyon)

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

A mostly flat, accessible path tracing the canyon's edge past overlook after overlook. The easiest way to soak in the Grand Canyon's immensity.

36.Hieroglyphic Trail

Gold Canyon, Arizona

A family-friendly desert hike to ancient Hohokam petroglyphs and seasonal pools beneath towering Superstition cliffs. History and scenery in one short trek.

37.Tom's Thumb Trail

Scottsdale, Arizona

A steep climb to a giant granite thumb spire with panoramic Sonoran Desert views. The signature hike of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

38.Fossil Springs Trail

Strawberry, Arizona

A demanding canyon descent to crystal-clear, spring-fed turquoise swimming holes. A permit-limited desert oasis and a beloved summer escape.

39.South Mountain Park - National Trail

Phoenix, Arizona

The spine of one of America's largest urban parks, traversing desert ridgelines with sweeping valley views. Phoenix's premier long-distance desert trail.

40.Treasure Loop Trail

Apache Junction, Arizona

An accessible loop beneath the dramatic Superstition cliffs with saguaro-framed views. The best easy introduction to the Superstition Wilderness.

41.Usery Mountain - Wind Cave Trail

Usery Mountain Regional Park

A steady climb to a cliff-side alcove framing the valley below, lush with hanging desert plants. A rewarding, scenic East Valley favorite.

42.Fay Canyon Trail

Sedona

A short, easy red-rock canyon stroll with a hidden arch spur. One of Sedona's most relaxed yet scenic family-friendly trails.

43.Walnut Canyon Island Trail

Walnut Canyon National Monument

A one-mile loop descending past ancient cliff dwellings carved into a sheer limestone canyon. Flagstaff's most accessible archaeological hike.

44.Gateway Loop Trail

Scottsdale, Arizona

A flowing Sonoran Desert loop through saguaro stands with mountain backdrops. The most popular gateway hike in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

45.Papago Park - Hole-in-the-Rock Trail

Phoenix, Arizona

A quick scramble into a wind-carved sandstone opening framing the Phoenix skyline. A beloved sunset spot and easy family icon.

46.South Mountain Park - Dobbins Lookout Trail

Phoenix, Arizona

A hike to the highest accessible viewpoint in South Mountain Park, with stone-shelter panoramas over the entire Valley of the Sun.

47.Tanque Verde Ridge Trail

Tucson, Arizona

A long, steady ridgeline climb through saguaro forest into the Rincon Mountains, with ever-widening views over Tucson. A classic Saguaro NP ascent.

48.Brown's Peak (Four Peaks Wilderness)

Mesa, Arizona

The highest of the iconic Four Peaks visible from Phoenix, finishing with a steep chute scramble to sweeping central-Arizona summit views.

49.Window Trail (Chiricahua National Monument)

Chiricahua National Monument

A hike among soaring rock columns to a natural rock window in the Chiricahua sky-island, a quieter complement to the famous Heart of Rocks.