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| - I love the convenience of Piestewa Peak's location, and share the same views of the park with nearly everyone else so I won't rehash too much. Fun hikes, a good workout, great views, but damn it's crowded.
HOWEVER...I have a new-found love of the place because I found out about the 302 trail.
It's great. I like the summit trail, but only on a slow midweek afternoon or dusk in the summer when the crowds are light. My friend and I decided to do the summit a couple Sundays ago under beautiful sunny skies with highs in the 60s. So of course the summit trail was a glorified Disneyland ride line. About 1/4 of the way up the summit I suggested we split off and take a side trail I had always noticed but never ventured on. It was a revelation!
It's the 302 trail...Like I said, it's about a 1/4 way up the summit on your left side (or start at the far north parking lot and end up on the summit trail). You zig-zag down the side of the hill then head north, then cut east around the back of the summit. After getting around the summit, you can head back south and eventually it ends at the far north parking lot. It's a beautiful trail and offers views of the rocky mountainside that I never knew about. There's a few parts of the trail where you are completely surrounded by desert...no views of the freeway or houses. The elevation doesn't fluctuate too much (obviously not as much as the summit trail) but it's a great workout. It's longer than the summit trail...a good 75-90 minute hike. Plus there's still a few more adjoining trails that I need to check out.
And the best thing...No one is on the trail! I've done it three times now, and have yet to see more than 8 people the whole trail.
The summit is still fun, but I'm hooked on the 302 for now. There's some other side trails that aren't ever crowded, but are boring compared to the 302 and summit.
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