Pinnacle Peak Hike – Scottsdale, AZ

Hi friends, welcome back! Two months ago I headed to Scottsdale, Arizona to attend my best friend Beth’s bachelorette party. I had never been to Arizona before so I was excited that the agenda included a hike. As you can imagine, we were all nervous about the heat waves out west this summer, so we woke up by 4:30 am for our hike. Luckily most of us were on east coast or central time, so the early wake up didn’t feel so miserable. It impressed me how eleven of us actually got up and ready that early.

From our Airbnb, we drove about twenty-five minutes to the parking lot of Pinnacle Peak. As we arrived, the sun started to rise making for an absolutely gorgeous sunrise. Made waking up worth it for sure!

After applying my sunscreen, I set off in search of some views and cacti! A lady we passed warned us of a rattle snake she encountered, but luckily I didn’t cross paths with it.

Pinnacle Peak trail is a moderately rated, four mile out and back trail that gains just over 1,000 feet of elevation. This trail differs from many that I’ve done because it doesn’t really have a viewpoint you hike to. The trail goes up, down, up, and down until the very end, and then you turn around and do it in reverse. I’m used to going up until we reach the top, and then hiking back down.

I loved the juxtaposition between the lush, green golf course compared to the surrounding dessert. I’d hate to see the water bill but It looked like an absolutely beautiful course!

This trail was heavily trafficked and it seemed like a lot of locals run/hike this trail regularly. Everyone we passed was incredibly friendly and cheery, especially for such an early hike! We also saw a few other bachelor/bachelorette parties during our hike, I’d say Scottsdale must be in the top five places to have a bachelor/bachelorette party based on the amount we saw.

  

On our way back, the skies opened up and torrential rain pelted down on us. Eveyrone said this was incredibly rare, but it felt refreshingly great! After the rain passed about ten minutes later, the temperature dropped to 70*! None of us thought we’d be a little chilly on the hike, that’s for sure!

Group pictures – if you couldn’t tell, I’m the pale one ha!

The bride and I!

I’d say this hike felt relatively easy compared to a lot that I’ve done. There were definitely some steeper parts, but nothing crazy. I had so much fun chatting with everyone while we hiked and enjoyed a bit of a slower pace compared to when Jon and I hike. I also loved seeing a different landscape than I’m used to and I’m glad I woke up early to see the beautiful sunrise. If you’re in the area looking for a relatively easier and enjoyable hike, I’d highly recommend Pinnacle Peak!

 

 

 

16 thoughts on “Pinnacle Peak Hike – Scottsdale, AZ

  1. Spectacular scenery Lyssy and I am with you, the shower would be a bonus in that heat, not to mention a photo op. Did you come across any Cholla Ball cacti? I was jumped by one on our trip to Arizona. They seem to jump anyway. Apparently, locals carry a small pair of pliers, so they can pull out the spines. Thanks for sharing. Allan

    1. Thank you, Allan! I think I remember seeing the Cholla Ball cacti, but luckily we didn’t have any encounters with it. Reminds me of all the burs that got stuck in my Golden Retriever’s fur, but they look a lot more painful!

  2. It’s so cool to be able to get a view of places I’ll never really go, thanks to my geographical location (and now the pandemic). Lovely pics here. Thanks so much for taking me along!

  3. Normally I see the sunrises when I go to bed late and it makes me realise that I am missing out on some of the beauty of the day by not seeing much sunrise. Yours is beautifully taken.

    1. Thank you! I don’t think I’ve ever been up so late to see the sunrise, just the thought of it makes me tired 🙂

  4. It’s amazing – lovely scenery. And I can’t believe you got up at 4.30am on a hen do (that’s what we call bachelorette parties in the UK, I had to google it), that is commitment! 🙂

    1. Haha I’ve read quite a few books in the UK and that’s how I learned about the hen do. 4:30 is definitely a commitment!

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