Bursera Canyon • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Lost Ranch Mine Trail

Cholla Flats Loop

Ranger Trail - South Mountain

Bajada Trail - South Mountain

Alta Trail

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Big Loop at south mountain. the wind for the first half was horrendous then it calmed down. great route and fun day out there seeing a bunch of new stuff

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hi

228698

Jan 08 2026

Guides 112
Routes 2,439
Photos 9,563
Triplogs 2,790

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Gila - Bursera Canyon loop, AZ

Hiking		Jan 08 2026
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,790

Hiking	3.80 Miles	805 AEG

Hiking	3.80 Miles	1 Hour 23 Mns	2.81 mph
	805 ft AEG	2 Mns Break

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linked

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Parked at Bursera trailhead and headed west on Gila. Tons of poppies on the east side of the saddle. Just before the saddle, Wyatt called to tell me he was sick and needing to leave school. Ugh, my planned 8 miles just got a lot shorter. At the saddle, I took the connector up to Bursera, west on Bursera, then down Bursera Canyon to complete a short loop. Nice temps and clouds, but too sunny by the finish.

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Stop crying and just go do the hike.

228600

Dec 28 2025

astrobrewer

Guides 1
Routes 235
Photos 1,321
Triplogs 222

male

Joined Mar 14 2015
Phoenix, AZ

Bursera Canyon

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 28 2025
		astrobrewer • Triplogs 222

Hiking	7.11 Miles	1,518 AEG

Hiking	7.11 Miles	2 Hrs 59 Mns	2.48 mph
	1,518 ft AEG	7 Mns Break

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Goat Hill Loop via Pyramid / Bursera

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

First hike since before Thanksgiving due to holiday busyness and houseguests. Got a late start because I was feeling a little under the weather, but was determined to hike. Started on Bursera Canyon Trail because it's been ages since I last hiked that trail. There were lots of purple scorpion weed flowers and rock daisies blooming. At the junction with Bursera Trail I headed downhill towards the west.

On the north-facing slopes there were yellow poppies in bloom. Lots of them. Entire hillsides were covered with bright yellow flowers. Absolutely beautiful and unexpected. The north-facing slopes were very lush and green and the bright yellow flowers really popped.

At the bottom of the hill I took the Gila Trail to the National Trail to the Bursera Trail, and then to the Gila Trail heading eastward. More poppies on bloom on the north-facing slopes below Bursera Trail on the downhill section of Gila.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Emorys Rock Daisy Mexican Gold Poppy Scorpionweed

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Painted Lady Butterfly

Wildflowers Observation Substantial
Poppies on bloom on north-facing slopes. Purple scorpion weed and rock daisies also blooming.

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228436

Dec 14 2025

pseudalpine

Guides 72
Routes 1,186
Photos 1,493
Triplogs 1,543

male

Joined Jan 01 2023
Arizona

Goat Hill Loop via Pyramid / Bursera

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 14 2025
		pseudalpine • Triplogs 1,543

Hiking	10.25 Miles	2,538 AEG

Hiking	10.25 Miles	3 Hrs 55 Mns	2.83 mph
	2,538 ft AEG	18 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Maricopa Trail - Guadalupe/South Mtn/Tres Rios

Pyramid Trail - South Mountain

Pyramid to Goat Hill

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none

no partners

Started off CW with Bursera Canyon just to switch it up. No sign of any collarless Heelers (which would be illegal) but we may have passed JJ descending the Pyramid Trail. Who knows... G.Hill today, G.Mountain tomorrow!?!

3 archives

228051

Dec 08 2025

Guides 112
Routes 2,439
Photos 9,563
Triplogs 2,790

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Gila - Bursera Canyon loop, AZ

Hiking		Dec 08 2025
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,790

Hiking	7.12 Miles	1,436 AEG

Hiking	7.12 Miles	2 Hrs 38 Mns	2.74 mph
	1,436 ft AEG	2 Mns Break

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linked

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partners

danielac

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Met up with Daniela at the Bursera trailhead and got started around 0750. West on Gila to its end, east on National, east on Bursera, finished on Bursera Canyon.

Comfortable temps in the shade, warm in the sun. Not many other hikers out. Good workout.

Wildflowers Observation Light
Lots of poppies along Gila, just west of Lost Ranch. Some also along Bursera. Random scorpionweed. Brittlebush.

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

227908

Sep 02 2025

Guides 112
Routes 2,439
Photos 9,563
Triplogs 2,790

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Gila - Bursera Canyon loop, AZ

Hiking		Sep 02 2025
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,790

Hiking	7.02 Miles	1,364 AEG

Hiking	7.02 Miles	2 Hrs 57 Mns	2.42 mph
	1,364 ft AEG	3 Mns Break

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linked

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Unfortunately, I’m back in AZ for a couple of weeks. I don’t like warm temps. I don’t like the high overhead angle of the sun. I don’t like cactus or thorns. I don’t like brown or dusty dirt. I don’t like arid climates. So I decided to go do a hike in all of those things.

Started around 0515 and headed west on Gila. Back east on National and Bursera. Finished up on Bursera Canyon. Only saw one other person. Heard some owls.

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sunrise

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Stop crying and just go do the hike.

1 archive

225680

Jun 29 2025

mt98dew

Guides 69
Routes 37
Photos 3,284
Triplogs 2,482

56 male

Joined Oct 24 2010
Phoenix,Az

Bursera Canyon

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jun 29 2025
		mt98dew • Triplogs 2,482

Hiking	4.06 Miles	1,022 AEG

Hiking	4.06 Miles	1 Hour 30 Mns	2.71 mph
	1,022 ft AEG

no routes

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no linked trail guides

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Short hike at SoMo. Decided to revisit Bursera Canyon. With the new TH there is a new connector trail that leads to the Bursera Canyon Trail. Took the BC up to the ridgeline where it connects to the Bursera Trail. Followed the Bursera along the ridgeline for a short ways until I came to a connector trail that ties into the Gila Trail. It had been awhile since I had done this short segment and I thought the Gila would give me a for more tenths of a mile. Took this back towards the TH, but turned off just prior and followed the rest of the Bursera Canyon Trail to complete the loop.

Looked like it was going to be pretty sunrise, but I lost most of it to South Mountain. Very windy out this morning. No wildlife. Encountered 1 jogger and three hikers. People seemed angry today. My hellos were met with a begrudging “hrrrmmh”.

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224372

May 20 2025

Guides 112
Routes 2,439
Photos 9,563
Triplogs 2,790

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Gila - Bursera loop, AZ

Hiking		May 20 2025
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,790

Hiking	5.24 Miles	978 AEG

Hiking	5.24 Miles	2 Hrs 1 Min	2.64 mph
	978 ft AEG	2 Mns Break

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linked

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partners

Tortoise_Hiker

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Met Denny at the Bursera trailhad at 0530. We made our way over to Gila, then west. Back east on Bursera, then finished on Bursera Canyon. Good workout loop, with a decent amount of early morning shade. Zero breeze though. Good to get a hike in with Denny, and always fun conversation!

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

223526

May 20 2025

Tortoise_Hiker

Guides 1
Routes 149
Photos 10,139
Triplogs 3,784

64 male

Joined Apr 02 2005
Mesa, AZ

Gila - Bursera loop, AZ

Hiking		May 20 2025
		Tortoise_Hiker • Triplogs 3,784

Hiking	5.24 Miles	978 AEG

Hiking	5.24 Miles	2 Hrs 1 Min	2.64 mph
	978 ft AEG	2 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

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LindaAnn

Linda was good with an early start so we hit the trail at 530! I wouldn’t want to start much later as me and heat don’t get along!

Nice hike with a fair amount of shade on the climb is always welcome! Pretty quiet out there except for us chatting away!!

Nice 5 miler before 8!
Thanks Linda!! Like HAZ, you rock!!

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Tortoise Hiking. Stop and smell the Petrichor.

223528

Apr 28 2025

Guides 112
Routes 2,439
Photos 9,563
Triplogs 2,790

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Gila - Bursera loop, AZ

Hiking		Apr 28 2025
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,790

Hiking	7.00 Miles	1,354 AEG

Hiking	7.00 Miles	2 Hrs 24 Mns	2.96 mph
	1,354 ft AEG	2 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

chumley

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Chumley and I got started from the Bursera trailhead at 1800 and opted for a fairly easy figure 8 at the west end of the preserve. Late afternoon offered an abundance of shade as we made our way to Gila Trail and headed west. My main reason for choosing this route was to see the recently completed reroute of the west end of Gila—it’s nice.

From there, we headed east on National, then east on Bursera. Breaking the climbing into three separate sections was kind of nice, and nothing was particularly steep, so I could usually breathe. The top of Bursera Canyon is a steep descent, but who cares when you’re going downhill? Easy final mile back to the parking lot. Perfect temps made for a good workout hike. Thanks, Chumley, for joining me on this one.

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

223037

Apr 28 2025

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 848
Photos 22,720
Triplogs 2,039

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Gila - Bursera Loop, AZ

Hiking		Apr 28 2025
		chumley • Triplogs 2,039

Hiking	7.18 Miles	1,298 AEG

Hiking	7.18 Miles	2 Hrs 24 Mns	2.99 mph
	1,298 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

South Mountain 620 Trail Loop

Partners

partners

LindaAnn

Linda wanted to check out the new alignment of the Gila Trail. It's currently pristine. Made my first descent on the Bursera Canyon trail. Steep but nice tread. Perfect temps and a scenic sliver moon after sunset.

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I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

2 archives

223039

Feb 06 2025

Guides 112
Routes 2,439
Photos 9,563
Triplogs 2,790

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Bursera Canyon

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 06 2025
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,790

Hiking	3.45 Miles	770 AEG

Hiking	3.45 Miles	1 Hour 47 Mns	2.13 mph
	770 ft AEG	10 Mns Break

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Quick hike with the dog before it got too warm. Up Bursera Canyon, down Bursera.

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

221144

Jan 04 2025

Guides 112
Routes 2,439
Photos 9,563
Triplogs 2,790

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Bees Knees Loop

Bees Knees Loop

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 04 2025
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,790

Hiking	7.71 Miles	1,889 AEG

Hiking	7.71 Miles	3 Hrs 15 Mns	2.40 mph
	1,889 ft AEG	2 Mns Break

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Lost Mine - South Mountain

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Slight variation of Bees Knees Loop. Got the last parking space in the lot at about 0730. West on Bursera Canyon and up to Bursera. West on Bursera and then Gila.

Noticed a recently abandoned transient camp near the Gila/National junction. Texted the coordinates to a ranger for cleanup. East on National. Side trip over 2484. Down Lost Mine.

Cooler than yesterday, but still warmer than I like. Lots of people out, as expected.

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

220206

Nov 18 2024

Guides 112
Routes 2,439
Photos 9,563
Triplogs 2,790

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Gila - Bursera Cyn loop, AZ

Hiking		Nov 18 2024
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,790

Hiking	5.26 Miles	975 AEG

Hiking	5.26 Miles	2 Hrs 18 Mns	2.41 mph
	975 ft AEG	7 Mns Break

no photosets

Linked

linked

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Cool enough for a hike with the dog. Got started shortly after 0800. Made our way to Gila and took that west. Back east on Bursera, then finished on Bursera Canyon. Good workout, enough to tire the dog for the day.

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

219223

Oct 30 2024

Guides 112
Routes 2,439
Photos 9,563
Triplogs 2,790

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Gila - Bursera Cyn short loop, AZ

Hiking		Oct 30 2024
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,790

Hiking	3.74 Miles	745 AEG

Hiking	3.74 Miles	1 Hour 38 Mns	2.39 mph
	745 ft AEG	4 Mns Break

no photosets

Linked

linked

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Short loop with the dog. Reasonable temps, but she let me know a few times that it was still warm for her. Only saw a handful of people.

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

218808

Sep 09 2024

pseudalpine

Guides 72
Routes 1,186
Photos 1,493
Triplogs 1,543

male

Joined Jan 01 2023
Arizona

Bursera Bonanza, AZ

Hiking		Sep 09 2024
		pseudalpine • Triplogs 1,543

Hiking	9.92 Miles	2,305 AEG

Hiking	9.92 Miles	3 Hrs 11 Mns	3.31 mph
	2,305 ft AEG	11 Mns Break

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apparently this member prefers to keep an air of mystery...

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

1 archive

217762

Mar 14 2024

Lost Mine - South Mountain

Guides 112
Routes 2,439
Photos 9,563
Triplogs 2,790

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

West SoMo Loop, AZ

Hiking		Mar 14 2024
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,790

Hiking	15.52 Miles	3,269 AEG

Hiking	15.52 Miles	6 Hrs 21 Mns	2.50 mph
	3,269 ft AEG	8 Mns Break

Linked

10 linked trail guides

Goat Hill via National West

Ranger Trail - South Mountain

Bajada Trail - South Mountain

Alta Trail

Maricopa Peak

Partners

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Opted for a large loop in the western part of South Mtn. Started from the Bursera TH a few minutes after 0800 and headed up Lost Mine. East on National, with a side trip to Goat Hill. Down Ranger. Cut over to Bajada and took that to the new lot.

Paused for a moment to take a phone call from my real estate agent. She wanted to show me a house via video call at 4pm, yeah, that’ll work, as long as I don’t stop moving. Up Alta, with a side trip to Maricopa Peak. Came down the west side of Alta. Saw a transient camping near the bottom of the trail. He was kind of rude, so I texted a ranger about him. Should’ve kept his mouth shut and I would have ignored his presence.

Got onto National. I hate those western miles of that trail. Noticed a new rerouting of Gila, so I hopped onto that. It’s not fully rerouted yet, a portion still crosses private property, but it looks like they are working on it. Got onto Bursera at the big wash, then Bursera Canyon to finish out the loop. Warmer, and less clouds than I was hoping for, but a good day.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Goat Hill Cocktus

Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Lupines, poppies, brittlebush, bladderpod, scorpionweed, fiddleneck, creosote, hedgehog cactus, and more.

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

213875

Mar 12 2024

mt98dew

Guides 69
Routes 37
Photos 3,284
Triplogs 2,482

56 male

Joined Oct 24 2010
Phoenix,Az

Bursera Canyon

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 12 2024
		mt98dew • Triplogs 2,482

Hiking	4.93 Miles	1,030 AEG

Hiking	4.93 Miles	1 Hour 40 Mns	2.96 mph
	1,030 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

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Mid morning hike at SoMo. I decided to do a hike involving Bursera Canyon. I’ve done this trail once before, but have never taken credit it for it. Got to the Lost Ranch TH around 10am. Went in on Lost Ranch for .15 miles then took Bursera Canyon. Followed trail for .95 miles (1.1 total) to where the trail split. Since I had never done it before I followed the feeder trail to the community for .71 miles (1.81 total). Turn around and then took trail to the top where it connected to the Bursera trail (2.88). Elevation gain to the top was intense, as it seems to be for most of the south side trails. Took the Bursera Trail east, back to the TH. A little bit more elevation gain, but the worst was over. Decent number of people today…27 hikers, 1 jogger and 1 biker. Nice weather, but air quality was bad. Worse in the valley. Not as bad on the south side of South Mountain. Minimal wildlife. Quail and saw a chuckwalla. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen one of them.

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2 archives

213836

Feb 14 2024

Guides 112
Routes 2,439
Photos 9,563
Triplogs 2,790

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Gila - Bursera loop, AZ

Hiking		Feb 14 2024
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,790

Hiking	5.31 Miles	997 AEG

Hiking	5.31 Miles	2 Hrs 40 Mns	2.20 mph
	997 ft AEG	15 Mns Break

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

This one almost exactly meets my criteria for a workout hike—minimum 5 miles with 1000’ aeg. Made my way over to Gila, and headed west. Hit Bursera near the big wash and took that back east, finished on Bursera Canyon.

Saw a handful of hikers. Flowers are starting to bloom. Cool to start, warm at the finish. As usual, some ladies got offended that Harlow wouldn’t let them pet her. Happens nearly every time…

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Fiddleneck, bladderpod, poppies, and scorpionweed.

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Stop crying and just go do the hike.

213116

Jan 19 2024

gummo

Guides 13
Photos 15,998
Triplogs 334

male

Joined Oct 23 2010
mesa