Sunday Dreamy Draw Early Best Views Tour

Join us for a slightly difficult hike full of fun and adventure at Phoenix Mountains Preserve/Dreamy Draw! It is my personal favorite route and lets you see all the best views, hidden overlooks, and other little things people might miss at Dreamy Draw. By leaving at 6am, very large amounts of the ascent will be the shade as we'll be going over the western side of the Piestewa saddle.
The hike isn't recommended for beginner hikers but will be at a moderate pace (around 2 mph) where we take enough breaks to keep everyone together and in good condition! We always encourage you to meet interesting people from Phoenix and beyond!

We'll take DD Nature Trail to Perl Charles trail up to Irregular Link. We'll see some excellent views on our ascent including an overlook where you can see downtown. There, we'll have an optional short climb to make the view more panoramic. We'll continue on and hang a left onto Freedom Trail for a rocky ascent with many stone steps. We'll climb over the wall of Freedom trail to see great West valley views many people miss. We'll stop and rest at the top, in the saddle of Piestewa Peak. We'll check out great Preserve and mountain views! The descent down the east side of Freedom Trail has been significantly improved since many of the loose rocks were removed. We'll then take a left onto VoAZ trail for more views of the city and an old rattlesnake glyph from the Hohokam as we descend back to Perl Charles and come back down the mountain via Christiansen and Dreamy Draw Link. (If it's super hot that day, we might shorten the loop a little and reduce some sun exposure by coming back via Perl Charles! This would make the loop about a half mile shorter and reduce our time in the open desert!)

Distance: approx 4.2 miles in and out
Time: approx 2 hours +/- 15 min
Elevation gain: 1000ish ft (Alltrails says the top of Freedom Trail has 1092ft gain but fitness watches put the elevation gain in the mid 900s pretty consistently!)
Expected Temps: In the mid 80s

We’ll meet at the area by the water fountains, which are at the largest structure visible from the parking lot at 6:00 am. We'll leave at 6:05. The water fountains are not on the northwest side at the low point of the parking lot. They are on the east side. Keep climbing the stairs until you see the largest pavilion. You'll see bathrooms and outdoor sinks. If you see the trail maps, turn around and you're in the right spot. My phone is 303-596-0206 if you need to reach me.

Trail Composition: Dirt, loose rocks, gravel, with steep and narrow rocky sections.

Bring: WATER (2 liters), hats and sunscreen.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: The Dreamy Draw Recreation Area is located at the END of Northern, just East of SR-51. The park access gate closes promptly at 7:00 pm but the exit gate is always open. If you are coming either North or Southbound on SR-51, take exit # 7 (Northern).

Please understand, hiking has its dangers. By signing up and attending this, and any 3H events, you are responsible for your own safety, and organizers and their assistants cannot be held responsible for any injuries or other mishaps that may occur.