HikeArizona.COM

Looking to go Camping and Hiking next weekend. Pinal Mountain Recreation Area seems close to Mesa and has a good deal of hikes.

I am looking for any campground recommendations or specific hikes in the area that my family would enjoy.

Upper & Lower Pinal CG are pretty nice.
Icehouse & Sixshooter are above average hikes & can be made into a loop.

The CG's have rest rooms & picnic tables and are free. They do not have "sites" as such, where they would be "numbered" at the lower - the upper, conversly, has numbered sites, but it is still rudimentary camping.

PINAL MOUNTAINS
This area is one of the "Islands in the Sky." Around this "island" at lower elevations are large areas of Interior Chaparral and Great Basin Montane Scrubland. Above this type of zone is a Ponderosa Pine forest, with some Douglas-fir. Gambel Oak and New-Mexican Locust are also common in some sites. A wide variety of flowers can be found in the spring and summer.

The "island" begins at an elevation of 4,000 ft. and peaks out at 7,800 ft. Much of this area is snowed in during the winter, but it is very pleasant in the spring and fall (and it is also fine during the summer at its high elevations). During the "monsoon season" in July and August, severe thunderstorms occur, sometimes causing potentially dangerous flash-flooding.


5500 Ft. Elevation

The following trails are in or adjacent to the Pinal Mountains Area:


Name Number Length Difficulty
Check Dam #190 2.1 Easiest
Telephone #192 5.0 MOST Difficult
Pineline #193 0.8 Easiest
Bobtail #194 3.3 MOST Difficult
Pioneer #196 2.3 More Difficult
Sixshooter #197 6.0 MOST Difficult
Icehouse #198 4.0 MOST Difficult
Tollroad #200 4.3 More Difficult
Una Del Oso #201 0.3 Easiest
Middle #202 0.6 Easiest
Ferndell #204 0.8 Easiest
East Mountain #214 4.0 More Difficult
Kellner #242 4.0 More Difficult

The area can also be quite warm this time of year, with temps in the 90's.

Note: This table (below) was compiled @ 5500'. Upper Pinal CG is at 7500'.