11 SHAW BUTTE TRAIL

KEY AT-A-GLANCE INFORMATION

LENGTH: 4.2 miles

ELEVATION GAIN: 800 feet

CONFIGURATION: Loop

DIFFICULTY: Moderate

SCENERY: Shaw Butte, Phoenix Mountains Preserve, city panorama, desert

EXPOSURE: Completely exposed

TRAFFIC: Moderate

TRAIL SURFACE: Gravel, pavement, packed dirt, rock

HIKING TIME: 2 hours

WATER REQUIREMENT: 2 quarts

SEASON: Year-round; hot in summer

ACCESS: April–September, 5 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; October–March, 6 a.m.–7 p.m.; free parking

MAPS: USGS Sunnyslope

FACILITIES: Water, no restrooms

DOGS: Yes, leashed at all times

COMMENTS: This scenic loop visits the top of Shaw Butte and yields impressive panoramas of north-central Phoenix. For more information, visit phoenix.gov/recreation/rec/parks/preserves/locations/north/index.html, or call (602) 495-5540.

GPS Trailhead Coordinates

UTM Zone 12S

Easting 0400389

Northing 3718542

Latitude N33°36.225'

Longitude W112°4.461'

Directions

From SR 51: Exit onto Cactus Road and follow it west 4 miles to Central Avenue. Note that past the Cave Creek Road intersection, Cactus Road becomes Thunderbird Road. Turn south onto Central Avenue and continue 0.3 miles to the trailhead parking area. If the parking lot is full, wait in line until a spot becomes available. Do not park in the nearby residential area.

From Interstate 17: Exit onto Thunderbird Road and drive east 2.5 miles to Central Avenue. Turn south on Central Avenue and drive 0.3 miles to the trailhead.

Note: Alternate access points are located at Mountain View Park on 7th Avenue, North Mountain Visitor Center on 7th Street, and at 15th Avenue and Yucca Street. However, they require additional connecting trails.

IN BRIEF

Shaw Butte Trail 306 may be the best all-around hike in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. It offers a challenging hike to the summit, a scenic loop through the desert floor, panoramic overlooks around nearly every turn, and fewer crowds than Piestewa Peak.

DESCRIPTION

Located at the northwestern corner of the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, Shaw Butte offers another popular and challenging hike in the heart of Phoenix. Its antenna-studded summit overlooks most of north and central Phoenix. Much like neighboring North Mountain, this well-established trail to the top of Shaw Butte is used by nearby residents for regular exercise. However, the 4-mile Shaw Butte Trail 306 is quite a bit longer than North Mountain National Trail and therefore caters to those in search of a longer excursion. It also tends to be less crowded than North Mountain and Piestewa Peak, adding to its appeal.

Panoramic views abound along the Shaw Butte Trail, and a new perspective opens around each bend. This scenic loop hike takes on many personalities. The most popular section climbs a paved road up the northeastern ridge of the mountain. Past the summit, the trail begins a steep and rugged descent. The loop around the base of the mountain provides a gentle stroll through a secluded basin. There’s something for everyone here, and the total distance is just right for a morning hike. For these reasons, the Shaw Butte Trail may be the best all-around hike in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve.

On most loop trails, hiking in one direction is easier than the other. For Shaw Butte Trail 306, the easier route is counterclockwise. From the rather small trailhead parking lot, begin by ascending an obvious and wide dirt road on the northeastern side of the mountain. This steep and rocky track passes a gate at 0.25 miles and then bends sharply uphill where sections of broken pavement remind you that this is a service road for the towers atop Shaw Butte. Attain the ridgeline at 0.4 miles with a good view of North Mountain and Piestewa Peak toward the southeast.

Turn southwest on top of the ridge with open views to either side. The towers at the summit still seem quite far. Continue following the wide road as it steadily climbs. The slope levels off as the trail passes a patch of fishhook barrel cacti and reaches a saddle point at 0.8 miles, which overlooks the wide basin between Shaw Butte and North Mountain and the Pointe Tapatio Cliffs Resort. To the east, outlines of the Superstition Mountains and Four Peaks guard the horizon. The trail resumes its climb toward the summit and reaches another saddle at 1 mile from the trailhead. This vista point provides a clear view down Seventh Avenue toward downtown. South Mountain and the Sierra Estrellas can be seen in the distance.

Finish the ascent on gravel, and pass another gate at 1.25 miles. Just beyond this gate, find an obvious trail junction where the service road continues toward the summit and Trail 306 heads downhill toward the west. Take the short detour along the service road to visit the 2,149-foot summit of Shaw Butte. Scenery from the top is impressive, as you might imagine, but numerous antennas strewn about the wide peak obscure your view. The constant buzz from transformers also detracts from the experience. Don’t worry; plenty of vistas await you farther along the trail, so return quickly to the trail junction just below the summit.

Many people turn around at the summit and head back to the trailhead, but they then sacrifice some of the finest views on the Shaw Butte Trail. If you have the time, I recommend you complete the loop. Turn west at the trail junction and descend an intensely steep hill down to a saddle point with views toward the southwest. A concrete service road heads west from this saddle to service antennas on a subpeak, which costs a half-mile detour to visit. Turn south at the saddle to continue hiking Trail 306.

The next trail section is relatively flat as it hugs the western side of Shaw Butte, with steep drop-offs to the right. At 1.9 miles, you’ll reach a trail junction and what appears to be a concrete bunker directly ahead. This is all that remains of Cloud Nine, a fancy restaurant and club that burned to the ground in 1964. Though most of the building is covered in graffiti and concrete rubble, the top of Cloud Nine commands an impressive panoramic view and is definitely worth a visit.

The trail is poorly marked here and can get confusing. Resist the temptation to descend to the west, and take the trail hugging the old foundations of Cloud Nine. Past the ruins, the trail descends to another vista point and then continues downhill on steep and scree-covered switchbacks where every turn offers a scenic perspective on the valley below. A quarter mile below Cloud Nine, you’ll reach a lookout where the trail splits again. Turn left down the smaller trail and you’ll soon see a trail marker confirming this is the correct route.

Descend the steep switchbacks toward the interior of the basin below. Pass two marked trail junctions in the basin, staying to the left and heading for a narrow gap on the hill flanked by rocky outcrops. Over this small saddle, the trail drops into the main drainage between Shaw Butte and North Mountain. Hikers who seek more of a challenge may choose to go clockwise and climb up these steep sections toward the summit.

The remainder of the hike is a warm-down for those hiking counterclockwise. Shaw Butte Trail 306 merges with Christiansen Memorial Trail 100 at the bottom of the basin, just past a dry wash. The combined trail turns left and heads northeast. A quarter mile farther the trail forks at an unsigned junction. Take the left fork to remain on the Shaw Butte Trail, which meanders through the scenic basin and crosses several washes. One mile beyond the fork, Trail 306 skirts a dirt berm and returns to the trailhead on Central Avenue.

NEARBY ACTIVITIES

The Phoenix Mountains Preserve encompasses many popular hiking trails including Piestewa Peak, North Mountain, Lookout Mountain, and Perl Charles. Camelback Mountain, another valley favorite, is southeast of the Phoenix Mountains Preserve.