"A" Mountain Tempe — Attraction in Tempe

Christmas Day hike up “A” Mountain. For as long as we’ve been in Phoenix, this has been on our “list” so when we were looking for a quick hike on Christmas we decided to give it a try. I was surprised to see no free parking even on Christmas, though there was plenty of room in the lot. There’s also street parking with meter pay on Mill. It’s not quite clear where the start of the trail is from this location but we just started heading up and quickly found it. It’s relatively short - but steep. Quite the incline. The views along the way are worth the climb. The very peak is blocked with a gate but most visitors ignored it in order to reach the summit, obviously at your own risk. It is a long way down. All in all, a fun quick hike with an amazing view...

I've seen this place labeled as Tempe Butte, Hayden Butte, and A Mountain on Google Maps. For the sake of this review, I'm going to refer to top half of this butte's trails as "A" Mountain; in other words, the section after you climb up that huge concrete slope and the staircase trail starts. One things I'm hugely thankful for are the handrails for this staircase trail. Some of the stairs are quite steep or can be somewhat high to stand up on or down. For the most part, the rail is only one side, but it helps- especially when you go downhill! Climbing up to the top, you get a 360 bird's eye view of downtown Tempe and the Tempe Town Lake. The views are beautiful! If you want to avoid the crowds, either go in the early...

Mountain is a strong word. It's really more of a hill, mound, or rock pile. A butte, as some call it. Semantics aside, A Mountain is always a great hike, albeit an easy one. If it's fitness you're wanting, then plan on doing it a few times. If you just want a nice hike with a view, its awesome. Great for families with little kids. During the day, you might spot some rare wildlife including snakes, rabbits, coyotes, lizards, and yikes, bees! At night, you might spot college kids doing heaven knows what up there! Seeing the city lights during a night hike are well worth it! Ambient city light makes the trail barely hike-able without a flashlight, but flashlights make it much...