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Iron Goat - Hawes - 3 members in 7 triplogs have rated this an average 4.7 ( 1 to 5 best )
7 triplogs
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Jan 29 2026
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 Guides 42
 Routes 1,767
 Photos 15,433
 Triplogs 2,894

69 male
 Joined Jan 20 2009
 Far NE Phoenix,
Hawes Sampler, AZ 
Hawes Sampler, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Jan 29 2026
The_EagleTriplogs 2,894
Hiking10.86 Miles 2,413 AEG
Hiking10.86 Miles   4 Hrs   35 Mns   2.59 mph
2,413 ft AEG      23 Mns Break8 LBS Pack
 
1st trip
Route Scout Route Recorded  on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX
This was my first foray into the trail system known as Hawes.

Linda suggested the east side of the park for the better hiking country, so I put together an 11-ish mile sampler to use as our guide. We got moving around 7:00 AM just as the skies were starting to lighten. The cloudy sky, 53-degree weather, and a slight breeze made things very pleasant. There is a plethora of trails out there, so having a GPS track of your route is definitely helpful.

It’s easy to tell that the majority, if not all, of these trails were named by mountain bikers. My favorite stretches of the day were Red Mountain Rush, Peak 2972, Iron Goat, and Pure O—mainly for the views and the terrain. Pure O is a Double Black Diamond in the MTB world that I would never consider riding; it’s steep and loose with numerous jumps (including one through a tree and another that spans a 20-foot gap).

It was good catching up with Linda again. Like HAZ... oops, that’s someone else!
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate
_____________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry 🦅
 
229044
Jan 29 2026
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 Guides 112
 Routes 2,440
 Photos 9,563
 Triplogs 2,791

45 female
 Joined Dec 24 2007
 Ahwatukee, AZ
Hawes meander, AZ 
Hawes meander, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Jan 29 2026
LindaAnnTriplogs 2,791
Hiking10.50 Miles 2,263 AEG
Hiking10.50 Miles   4 Hrs   33 Mns   2.48 mph
2,263 ft AEG      19 Mns Break
 
Route Scout Route Recorded  on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX
Bruce and I opted for some all new to us local territory today. I'd been on some of the western Hawes trails with @tibber and Deborah about 4 years ago, but nothing on the eastern side. Bruce put together a good loop with a nice sampling of some of the eastern trails. We met at 0700 and got started, making the loop counter-clockwise. Having a track was helpful, as there are a ton of trails in this area. You could put together any combo of trails to suit whatever mileage/aeg you are looking for. Most of the trail surfaces are decomposed granite, which is prone to rutting, and the steeper sections can be slippery, but most of the time, we had good footing.

Nice clouds most of the morning, and a good breeze. It was very breezy up on 2972, and we scrambled up to the little peak just south of the high point, where there was an American flag anchored into a fancy setup with solar lights. Getting up and down 2972 was steep, but not as bad as I thought it would be. Some zigzagging on the southeast portion of the loop in order to incorporate more trails. My two favorite trails were probably Red Mountain Rush, and Iron Goat. Our final descent on Pure O did make me exclaim "wow" a few times, but mostly because I was trying not to fall. That trail is STEEP. If I tried it on a bike, I'd be dead. There was also an impressive gap for bikes to clear (at least 15') near the bottom of the trail.

Once back on level ground, it was a quick walk back to the trailhead. Nice to hike with Bruce again, and see some new trails, plus a peak. Not an area I'd hike often, but worth checking out on a weekday. Saw a lot of bikers and a few hikers. Weekends are probably awful.
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Brittlebush, poppies, lupine, globemallow, Dichelostemma capitatum, scorpionweed, and more
_____________________
Stop crying and just go do the hike.
 
229045
Dec 09 2025
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 Guides 44
 Routes 164
 Photos 25,780
 Triplogs 2,496

male
 Joined May 04 2004
 Mesa, AZ
East Hawes MTB Trails, AZ 
East Hawes MTB Trails, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Dec 09 2025
CannondaleKidTriplogs 2,496
Hiking5.00 Miles 971 AEG
Hiking5.00 Miles   2 Hrs   8 Mns   2.34 mph
971 ft AEG12 LBS Pack
 no routesno photosets
Seeking a local hike with a bit of AEG.
We began from the West end of Wild Horse Trail along Usery Pass Road, across the gravel pit then somewhat cross-country to catch the last bit of Cactus Nectar where it hits Iron Goat. We continued up Iron Goat then back down Alp d'Huez, catching Lance's back to Wild horse and our start point.
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CannondaleKid
 
228219
Oct 22 2025
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 Guides 44
 Routes 164
 Photos 25,780
 Triplogs 2,496

male
 Joined May 04 2004
 Mesa, AZ
High Ridge Iron Goat Cactus Nectar, AZ 
High Ridge Iron Goat Cactus Nectar, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Oct 22 2025
CannondaleKidTriplogs 2,496
Hiking4.60 Miles 833 AEG
Hiking4.60 Miles   1 Hour   59 Mns   2.32 mph
833 ft AEG15 LBS Pack
 no routes
1st trip
A short aerobic-workout loop from Usery Pass, out the wash, up High Ridge Trail, over to Iron Goat Trail, returning along Cactus Nectar Trail and Lance's Trail.
Encountered only two riders and three hikers.
Temps 74-80°
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CannondaleKid
 
227114
Jan 26 2025
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 Guides 2
 Routes 130
 Photos 1,513
 Triplogs 132

male
 Joined May 07 2019
 Tempe, AZ
EJ and Usery Peaks, AZ 
EJ and Usery Peaks, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Jan 26 2025
mikemcgTriplogs 132
Hiking8.16 Miles 1,975 AEG
Hiking8.16 Miles   4 Hrs   32 Mns   2.08 mph
1,975 ft AEG      37 Mns Break
 
1st trip
Route Scout Route Recorded  on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX
First hike of 2025. Our last hike was 8 weeks ago. We all agreed on no bushwacking, so this was a good choice. Did EJ Peak first, was smooth and pleasant, with good views of the Supersitions, Goldfields, Four Peaks, and Salt River. There were 3 people at the peak, saw no others. We descended back to the trailhead, crossed the street, and encountered at least 8 bikes on Lance's Trail in the first half mile. After we exited to Cactus Nectar trail, there were no bikes for the next 1.5 miles, and only 2 bikes total. The last quarter mile to the peak was steep with loose gravel, which slowed us down a bit. We went to the middle (main) peak, and enjoyed the beautiful views. Then we looped back on Alpe D'Huez trail, and encountered at least 10 more bikes along the way.

Beautiful day, perfect weather, great views, almost no other hikers, and about 15-20 bikes, with the constant gunfire providing our soundtrack. Gotta remain vigilant for bikes on Alpe D'Huez trail. The other parallel trails have far fewer bikes. All of the trails were exceptionally well maintained except for the last quarter mile to Usery Peak, where we all slipped a few times on the descent.
  5 archives
220878
Mar 24 2024
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 Guides 27
 Routes 711
 Photos 12,617
 Triplogs 895

56 male
 Joined Jul 05 2006
 Mesa, AZ
Peak 2972 - Usery MountainsPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Mar 24 2024
DarthStillerTriplogs 895
Hiking8.63 Miles 2,072 AEG
Hiking8.63 Miles   3 Hrs   44 Mns   2.33 mph
2,072 ft AEG      2 Mns Break
 
I didn't actually make it all the way up to Peak 2972, just the peak north of it, which is a little lower. From the Ellsworth Road ATV TH, I took Lance/Alp d'Huez/Goat up to that peak, then headed down Iron Goat and Cactus Nectar. Once back at the TH, I did a quick climb up to EJ Peak and headed back down. Got done fairly quickly and got nearly 2100' AEG in for the morning.

Cool and breezy early on. It started to rain on my down Iron Goat and Cactus Nectar and stopped by the time I was back at the TH. The sun came out on the way up to EJ, then another storm started to roll in on my way down, which provided a lot of cloud cover that cooled it off again. Back at the TH, hail started to fall for about 5 minutes and then quit. Overall the weather was perfect. The mix of the sun and clouds gave some really nice and dramatic scenery all morning.
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214142
Jan 16 2022
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 Guides 8
 Routes 70
 Photos 3,208
 Triplogs 273

60 male
 Joined Oct 07 2017
 Chandler, AZ
Red Mountain Rush - HawesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Jan 16 2022
YoderTriplogs 273
Hiking7.70 Miles 1,500 AEG
Hiking7.70 Miles   3 Hrs   40 Mns   2.66 mph
1,500 ft AEG      46 Mns Break10 LBS Pack
 
Partners none no partners
Red Mountain - Capricorn Loop
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We wanted to hike the east side of Red Mountain, so decided to make a loop of it with Red Mountain Rush being the scenic part of the hike (I do like Red Mountain, offers some great views). Starting at the NRA Pit Trailhead, we put together a loop with these trails:
1. Wild Horse
2. Red Mountain Rush
3. Goat Trail
4. Iron Goat Trail
5. NRA All Mountain Park 1 (Double Black Diamond)
6. Wild Horse to Trailhead.

It was close to a full moon so we decided to do this as a night hike to avoid bikes. Most of the trail was fine until we hit the NRA All Mountain Park 1 trail. This was very steep in a number of sections, Very difficult to go down and would be no fun going up (Not sure how anyone could ride a bike on this trail!) anyhow, If I were to do this again, I think I would exit the Iron Goat trail by taking the NRA All Mountain Park 4, it's only a single black Diamond, so probably better. I will not do this section again, and can't recommend it, so I won't be uploading the GPS route for this particular excursion.

Still, the night temperatures were perfect, and Red Mountain has some great night time views.
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J. Yoder
  4 archives
193299
average hiking speed 2.4 mph

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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