Shadow Mountain Circumference Trail

Located in the Phoenix Mountain Range, Shadow Mountains stands by itself in North Central Phoenix and provides an opportunity for people to enjoy the open space.  There are multiple points for hikers to get on the trail but the easiest spot to hop on is at 25th and Acoma. There is not a parking lot designated for Shadow Mountain but there is plenty of street parking in the surrounding neighborhoods.  Hikers need to pay attention to any no parking signs.  

Hikers will set out south from the street parkinging and take the second right turn to complete the trail counterclockwise.  It is important to note that none of the trail intersections are marked, however, the preserve area is small enough that it is difficult to get lost with some small navigating skills to find where they started.  Hikers will meander through a few dips and washes and the trail will wrap around to the south.  They will hike over a small hill before heading down to a service road.  Once they reach the service road they will continue across and will still hike to the south.  Hikers will have views of Lookout Mountain on this portion of the trail.  Until hikers get to the church the trail is in close proximity to a major road and will be noisy. 

Once hikers reach the church they will continue south around a small hill before turning back to the north.  Once hikers reach the southernmost point on the trail they will have a beautiful view of Piestewa Peak.  As they turn back to the north to complete the loop they will have better views of the Shadow Mountain Summit as well as views of the McDowell’s to the west. 

This portion of the trail also has the steepest ascents but the ascent does not last for very long. And the last ¼ mile is a mild decline back to the start of the loop.  Hikers can enjoy this loop and if they want to summit can add anywhere from a half mile to full mile to push towards the summit.