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Sunrise Mountain (Peoria)

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Sunrise mountain trail marker
Sunrise mountain trails
Sunrise mountain
Hiker on Sunrise mountain
Elevation plot: Sunrise mountain
map: Sunrise mountain

Location

How to Get There
To get to the trailhead: from the Phoenix area, take I-17 North to the HWY-101 loop. Take the HWY-101 loop West to the 75th avenue exit. Go right (North) on 75th Avenue to Deer Valley Road. Turn left onto Deer Valley Road and then make a right onto 83rd Avenue. Take 83rd Avenue North and drive until the street changes names to Westwing Parkway. Continue until you see the Westwing Elementary school on your left at the intersection of Westwing Parkway and High Desert Drive. Just so you don't get confused, High Desert Drive crosses Westwing Parkway at two locations, so you want the intersection that has the elementary school on the corner. Park at the West end of the school.
city
peoria
state
az
Region
Phoenix Area and Central Arizona

Hike details

Distance
4.00 [Miles] Total
Hike Distance- Details
The loop hike described is 4.0 miles.
Time
2.00 [Hours]
Time-details
It took us two hours of hiking.
Elevation Change
600 Total gain/loss [Feet]
Elevation Gain
300 Total Elevation Gain [Feet]
Elevation Details
about 300 ft gain with a good bit of up and down
Hike Trail Type
Lollypop Loop

Season

Best Season
  • March
  • April
  • October
  • November
  • December
Worst Season
July
Season Details
All year. Recommended after a rain in the spring for the wildflowers. (hike only during the cooler parts of the day in Summer)
Date Hike completed
January 02, 2011

Solitude

Solitude
Low
Solitude Details
Not here. Expect to share the trails with 20-30 other hikers.

Difficulty

Difficulty Rating
Easy
difficulty detail
It was a pleasant enough walk with a unique mixture of desert and urban feeling. This hike is rated Easy.

Permits

Permit Info
none.
Be Aware of
Access to this area from the Elementary school only on weekends. Access the trail on weekdays from the nearby Westwing park.

Hike Sunrise mountain in Peoria, Arizona.

We were looking for a lazy Saturday hike in the winter and really enjoyed the two hours it took to hike the Sunrise Mountain trail. This trail is in the Peoria area, not to be confused with Sunrise Peak hike in Scottsdale.

The trailhead is easy enough to find. Park in the school parking lot, towards the West side. There is a signed break in the fence that allows access to the trail. There are several loops that can be made with the different trail junctions. We took the trail that the city of Peoria describes as the "Advanced" trail. Really, it's still an easy trail for the fit hiker.

Navigation can be a bit confusing at times, but at each of the junctions, there is a small trail marker with a "you are here" arrow to keep you headed in the correct direction. To take the "Advanced" trail, simply take a right at every trail junction. When possible, we took the spur trails that lead over the top of the peaks for additional views (and exercise).

Even though the surrounding views are a mixture of mountains and fancy houses, it's still an enjoyable view and worth the effort.  

Map

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