As much as I love the convenience of Camelback or Piestewa Peak, hiking outside of the city is always my preference. One of my favorite, most peaceful hikes is just 45 minutes east of phoenix. It is called Butcher Jone’s trail and it is located at Saguaro Lake. An added bonus–the trail starts and ends at Butcher Jone’s Beach.
Getting There
Getting there is simple and takes about 45 minutes. The trail starts at Butcher Jone’s Recreation Area. If you find yourself at a marina, you are one road too far south. There is a park fee that costs $8 per vehicle at a self-service pay station. The parking lot has plenty of parking spots, but on a hot weekend day, expect them to be full. There are vault toilets in the day use area, but no water.
The Trail
The trail starts near the beach, right next to the dumpsters. It follows the water for most of the hike, slowly rising and falling with the landscape. The reason this is one of my favorite hikes is because it is very calm and peaceful. The first time I went there it was towards the end of the day and there was a super bloom. The mountain sides were glowing orange from the sun and the flowers were everywhere. There were also very few boats which contributed to the peace and quiet.
If you walk to the end of the trail you will end up doing 5 miles, out and back. The trail can get a little confusing at times because there are a lot of trails that people made to reach the water. No big deal if you end up on one, just back-track to the main trail. Towards the end you will have an option to go left or right. Both directions are roughly the same distance, just slightly different views. I usually head to the right–just my preference.
Other Activities:
There are so many activities you can do near Saguaro Lake. As I mentioned earlier, the trail begins and ends at the beach. On a hot day you can swim, paddle board, or kayak. Rentals are not offered at the beach or marina, so you will have to bring your own. I rented an inflatable kayak and launched it at the beach.
There’s also trails for dirt bikes and dune buggies, although I’m not yet sure how you rent one. I have browsed a few websites and a 2-person dune-buggy costs roughly $300 for 4 hours.
And lastly, just south of Saguaro lake is the Salt River, a very popular place for tubing and seeing wild horses!
If you enjoyed this hike and would like to read about other cool hikes near Phoenix I suggest reading my posts about The Wild Burro Trail, The Wave cave, and Fossil Creek.
If you have any questions about this post feel free to contact me.
