Lookout Mountain Preserve

Not only do I live on this mountain, I try to hike it every day! There are many different trails for the different moods I’m in. Sometimes I want to run around the base of the mountain and there’s a trail for that. Sometimes I want to have a good hard short hike, and there’s a great trail for that! And sometimes I want to hike while the sun rises behind me and make it to the top when the sun finally peaks over the valley and there’s a trail for that! All the trails are marked and are pretty smooth. It’s a a great mountain for beginners and experienced hikers

Fun hike with amazing 360 degree views! Not a very long hike but somewhat steep and rocky. You can make it as easy or as difficult as you chose. Loved it!

I really like this park. The trails are well marked, great views from the top, and you can switch up your hike every time you go. There are plenty of different routes to take. This mountain is dog friendly, so if you don’t like dogs I wouldn’t hike here. Rocco loves this park.

Aside from me making a wrong turn and taking longer than I should have, I do love this trail. I am surprised that I haven’t been more often (will have to change that stat) Once you get to the top of trail 150, it makes life so much better and you get your aha moment. Climbing down can be a bit tricky so please be careful. It is not to steep (only about .06 miles of it) but again once you reach the top it is worth it. Try not to get lost (like I did) but it made for a nice hike (although not as quickly as I planned)

Ok, clearly I’ve missed the facilities where I park at the North Side of the mountain at 16^th Street, South of Greenway. But starting there, although it’s a small lot, it’s almost always empty, so parking is a breeze. Trails are fairly clearly marked at the beginning, although I’ve only tried the Summit Trails. While it looks like a pretty «wussy» mountain, the incline and gravelly, rocky terrain gives it some oomph, which is great. Trails are never crowded, I maybe run into one or two hikers.
I will say that after you reach the saddle at the Summit Trail, the trail markings get a little wonkier so it’s best to follow the white /​pale powder blue paint splotches that someone kindly slashed along the rest of the way up. If you don’t, you won’t get lost or anything, but you might just go a little further around a few sections before you wind back — no biggie.
All around, fast, still a workout, easy to get to and park at, pretty scenery and view at the top. Worth checking out.

This is my backyard mountain and is perfect to get a good sweat. I prefer Echo Canyon, or Tom’s Thumb for more intensive hike, but with my little chihuahua its perfect and I don’t have to drive anywhere. This is a quick hike and has lot’s of dogs. Which might be a burden to some people. What also is neat is that it has smartphone maps through out the trail.

Fantastic views and beautiful desert scenery. A nice assortment of trails. Three summits some loops. The facilities are fantastic. The parking in the south side is fantastic. The drinking fountain at the restrooms is the coldest on earth. Or at least if feels that way when it touches your lips! If you have a smartphone you can get a barcode scanner they have barcodes on the trail posts which Pop up a handy map of the trail.

small, prison style bathrooms but clean this morning. small parking lot or park on the street.

Went hiking this morning at 5:45am. Got the last spot in the small parking lot. The hike was a pretty decent climb up but was doable. It seriously rained for about 3 minutes while we were on top of the mountain … I should have bought a lottery ticket that day!
Views are great … bring a camera and water!

I love this hike! It is long but you have options, you can take a shorter route or turn around sooner and the views are spectacular.
The paths are a bit rough and rocky so I would NOT recommend it for beginners. However kids seem to be the ones running up or down! It can be a bit bust but it’s not as bad as camelback mountain.
Dog friendly, if you don’t want to see a dog, don’t go. If you have a small dog though, they could tire out.

Made my way out here with my dog today.
Im a northeast native so Im used to hiking in NY, NJ and PA.
Im definitely an outdoor enthusiast and am in PHX for the spring and want to take it all i while Im here.
Now I like shade and trees. but I knew I wasnt getting that.
A windy day and 65 degrees was enough to get me out of the house.
I enjoyed this hike for the most part, the views at the peak are very nice. however its far from ideal for your dog. and definitely a dog under 20 pounds.
Also not ideal for most kids, its just a very rocky trail, especially going down.
Id recommend having hiking shoes, but definitely give this hike a shot!

Perfect for the dog & I! There are so many different
Trails that you don’t have to always go to the
Top. But when you do it’s fabulous!
Everyone’s friendly and even the out if shaper
Can do it!

Hiked during sunset and it was hands down, one of the best views of Arizona I’ve seen yet. Parking is limited and there are multiple trails to walk. The most «difficult» or steepest one leads to this amazing view. If you plan to hike at sunset, make sure you bring a flashlight! Or else it’s kind of creepy on the way down, friend and I basically reenacted a scene from paranormal activity… we survived, but just barely ;)

Excellent variety of trails. Easy/​moderate climbs to three summits and the circumferential trails are in such good shape I was able to run them.
I parked on the street near Coral Gables and 7^th Street. Four stars since there are no facilities. Great area though!

Great for a quick hike, the views are amazing.
You can continuously climb up over the rocks, and the higher you go, the better the view. I see a lot of families taking this hike together with their kids.
Even though part of this climb feels like its a direct incline, my 4.5 pound puppy was able to do it.
I’m definitely coming back to this one, especially since its so close to my house!
The parking can be difficult, but other reviewers are right, its not as difficult as camelback parking.
I also like that is less crowded than camelback.

Love love love it here!!! Especially at night/​dusk/​dawn. Careful of the spikes at night. Watch out for snakes! Bring water! This place makes for a great lunch while you hike!

Great hike! I went the hard route for my first ascent and it’s burns! Its almost straight up. The view made it worth it. There was no one there either. I like a little company when I hike. Maybe there will be more people this weekend. There’s plenty of easy hikes there as well. See ya at the top!

Looooved this hike! Preggo friend wanted to go for a hike but seeing as she’s extra delicate right now we didn’t want to have to deliver her baby on Camelback so we decided to find something a bit easier. This one seemed to be a good option plus it was closer to us than some other ones.
First of all the parking situation is MUCH better than Camelback. Even though the lot at the direct base of the trail was full, you can park within about ¼ mile of it rather than 2 miles down the road. The hike itself looked to not be too high so perfect for what we were looking for. Once we got started it was a bit tougher than we originally thought just due to the loose, rocky trail and steep incline but still definitely doable.
The view at the top is awesome because you get a 360 of the whole valley and can even see downtown Phoenix in the distance. We made it up and back down in probably about an hour and that was at a leisurely pace. I would say this is the perfect trail for people who want a hike that’s semi-​difficult but not something you dread doing. We’re already planning on doing it again next week!

The gates for Lookout Mountain Preserve will now be open only from 5 am to 7 pm, starting April 5, 2010 (
). But at least they’re not closing the preserve, so we can continue to enjoy this gem of a city mountain park. It’s still one of my favorite city mountains for hiking because it remains uncrowded.

I’m guessing Paul McCartney was singing about Lookout Mountain when he serenaded us with, «the long and winding road, that leads me to your summit». Well, it seems that The Walrus had a flair for exaggeration. While the path was truly winding, it really wasn’t that long.
Total time up and back was 29:18. Pretty easy hike. This was my first of four mountains, one Saturday in April.