Piestewa Peak, November 2015
I went to a conference in Phoenix and had a chance to sneak
out and visit a short steep Arizona classic (about 850 feet over 1.2 miles).
The name of this peak hike changed a while back. It was at one time called Squaw Peak, but then was renamed to the
less offensive and incidentally less easy to pronounceable name Piestewa in honor
of a fallen war hero. Despite the noble
rationale, the adjacent highway which had previously born the namesake of the
peak became referred to as “the 51” by most locals rather than migrating to the
new, difficult to pronounce Piestewa.
However offensive the former name was, I found almost equally offensive
the sheer number of people with whom one has to share the trail. At any given
time, I could see a half dozen people in front of and behind me. I passed or was passed every minute or so;
real annoying, especially with everyone listening to top 40 garbage or worse through their
iphone speakers.
Despite the crowds, I do recommend this one. Popular things are popular for a reason. It is short, challenging,
and offers panoramic views of the entire valley. We were fortunate enough to
climb it on a calm, clear, low smog day, and were able to see the
superstitions, the white mountains, and many of the other surrounding ranges,
in addition to city views. This would
probably be a really cool night hike or 4th of July hike if night
hiking is possible or allowed.
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| view from Piestewa Peak |
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