Picacho Peak Summit — Attraction in Eloy

I feel the "3 miles round trip" in the description for Hunter's Trail lulls people into a false sense of security with this hike. The rangers at the entrance do their best to emphasize this hike's challenge, estimating a 4 hour round trip and recommending 2+ liters of water as you enter the park. One would do well to heed their advice. There's also very little shade throughout the hike, so I would add sunscreen, a hat, and food to their recommendations.

The hike can be divided into two sections: Pre-Saddle and Post-Saddle. Pre-Saddle is a leisurely jaunt with some decent elevation gain but nothing technical.

Post-Saddle immediately drops half your elevation gain (my brain didn't want to initially accept this as being the right way) and squeezes you down a rock slide with only the cables between you and a sheer drop. Afterwards you are making up that elevation loss for the rest of the hike with several Class 3 and at least one Class 4 section climbs. Unless you have rock climbing experience, BRING GLOVES for two reasons, first in February the metal cables are freezing; and I imagine in the warmer months the metal could burn you. Second, gloves offer much better grip of the cables than bare hands. There are some sections where it is much easier to grip the cables than the rock face. Give yourself every advantage.

The summit offers an amazing view that lets you see for miles in every direction. The bigger the challenge to climb, the better the reward when you make it to the top and this summit does not disappoint. Take the hike seriously, come prepared and it will be an incredibly...

Not the trail for everyone... But is a dream trail for adrenaline junkies like myself. It borders on rock climbing at certain points. As a taller guy, the descent was harder and a bit more frightening at points than the ascent just because it’s hard to fight gravity! The view was phenomenal at the top and totally worth the effort. I highly recommend bringing a pair of light gloves and a pack with more water than you might normally think you’d need on a 6 mile round trip hike! (PS I took the sunset trail up and back, first two miles are nbd, third mile registered on my garmin as an avg of 18.3% grade, which I have to imagine some of the sections with the wires are nearly 80% grade, twas no...

We made our own loop by ascending via Sunset Valley Trail (longer and scenic), went the the peak (with AMAZING 360 degree views) and defended via Hunter Trail (shorter, steeper and two the point.) We then had to road walk 3 miles to get to the car but no biggie.

Gloves are a MUST, for there are several areas where you’ll have to hold onto a metal cord to boost yourself up/down. I did bring my trekking poles, which were helpful at parts, but I had to place them in my pack during some of the scrambles.

This is NOT a trail for young...