Bursera Trail

The Bursera Trail provides you with the great scenery of Phoenix’s South Mountain Preserve along with a fun treat for the plat-inclined, a bursera, or elephant tree. Expect a good workout with some steep climbs, a breezy ridge walk, and a steep descent. Hiking this trail in the winter usually leads to more wildlife sightings and more manageable temperatures, so that’s what we recommend.

You can decide to follow this loop either way. Our route goes clockwise, so reverse your route if you want to get the climbing out of the way first and have a more gradual descent. Our route has a more gradual climb and a steeper descent.

From the trailhead, take Pyramid Trail to the junction and keep right. Once you reach the fork of Bursera Trail and Pyramid Trail, stay left onto Bursera Trail. You’ll climb up the ridgeline, a steep effort. Enjoy a more laidback stroll across the rest of the ridge. Stay right at the fork and then right again to descend through a set of switchbacks into the valley. The route heads southeast back to the trail fork, from where you’ll retrace your steps.