Marcos de Niza Trail
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Marcos de Niza Trail
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The Marcos de Niza Trail is a 1.8mi out and back hike in the South Mountain Preserve of Phoenix that sees heavy traffic. This hike is nice and short and it offers awesome views of the rest of the preserve and the city below. We don’t recommend it for small children because of the hands-on climbing required, but older kids and adventurous beginners should be able to enjoy it.
Getting there
The trailhead for the Marcos de Niza Trail is at the end of Pima Canyon Road.
About
| Backcountry Campground | No |
| When to do | October-May |
| Pets allowed | Yes - On Leash |
| Family friendly | Older Children only |
| Route Signage | Average |
| Crowd Levels | High |
| Route Type | Out and back |
Marcos de Niza Trail
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Marcos de Niza Trail Description
Marcos de Niza Trail is a hike in the northeastern end of the South Mountain Preserve in Phoenix. Enjoy wide-open city views and views of the rest of the preserve in front of you on this trail. The hike is short enough to complete when you’re in a time crunch, but it does include some sections that require hands-on climbing. Little kids will need help to get through these sections and hikers who won’t like scrambling may wish to skip this one altogether.
Make sure you bring water with you on this hike and try to finish your trail before the heat of the afternoon.
From the trailhead, go left onto Desert Classic Trail and then take an immediate right to hike up through a set of switchbacks onto the ridge. Traverse the ridge, which has the best views of the hike. You’ll head along the top of the ridgeline. The scrambling section has good handholds and footholds, but just take your time to be safe. Your outbound hike ends at the 4-way junction, where you’ll turn back and retrace your steps to the trailhead.
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