Piestewa Peak and Two Bit Peak

Unbelievably, we experienced a high temperature of 77 degrees in Phoenix on the first Saturday in May.  Because these temperatures simply do not extend further into the spring here in the Valley of the Sun, I decided to make what might be this season's last hurrah a big one.  After giving it some thought, I turned my attention back to the Phoenix Mountains Preserve and zeroed in on Piestewa Peak.

I approached Piestewa from the 40th Street Trailhead.  I parked my car and inadvertently stepped onto the wrong trail.  Instead of trekking down trail #8, I was merrily strolling along what appeared to be an old jeep road.  The road narrowed to an ordinary foot trail and proceeded straight up a mountain.  Seeing no alternate routes, I kept going, figuring this must be the way to Piestewa.  The trail became steep and steeper still.  As I continued scaling the mountain, I remember thinking this couldn't be the correct path.  Either the map was incorrect or I made a wrong turn at Albuquerque.  When I made it to what I would later learn was Two Bit Peak, I was rewarded with magnificent views in all directions.

Piestewa Peak, as seen from Two Bit Peak

As strenuous as the ascension was to Two Bit Peak, I hadn't been on the trail long and still wanted to summit Piestewa.  I scanned the landscape below and spotted the trail I needed to take in order to reach my destination.  After retracing my steps down the mountain and onto the old jeep road, I kept my eyes peeled and spied a trail connecting with trail #8, which I missed earlier during my approach from the other direction.

Trail #8 hands off to #304, which leads to the 302 and, ultimately, the 300 Piestewa summit trail. From where I was now, Piestewa Peak was 4 trail miles away.  Considering I'd already climbed the 887 feet to Two Bit Peak and back down, there was no doubt this was going to be a laborious hike.

Lonesome Looking Stretch Between Two Bit and Piestewa

It felt like a long haul getting to Piestewa, and I was glad I'd brought more water than I thought necessary, which is never a bad idea when doing any kind of hiking and an especially good idea when hiking in the desert.  The summit trail up Piestewa was busy but not crowded.  The ascension was rigorous and the views spectacular.

Sitting atop Piestewa's Summit

I was exhausted by the time I reached the peak, and I still had one heckuva hike back to the car.  My left knee started causing me some pain on the way down and by the time I reached the 304, I was feeling it in both legs from my hips down.  As lengthy a hike it had seemed getting to Piestewa, the return seemed even longer.  I was also running low on water.

Small hills felt more like mountains on the return trip

Level stretches of trail were a sight for sore eyes (and legs)

I do not believe I was ever so relieved to reach my car as I was on this day.  Out of water and flat-out exhausted, I had hiked 11.5 miles, including two summit peaks representing approximately 2,100 in elevation change.  While I do plan on returning to Two Bit and Piestewa again, I have no plans to summit both on the same day.

This hike would indeed be a last hurrah of sorts, as I abstained from hiking for a period of five weeks as the outdoor mercury climbed.  But on June 13, taking advantage of a day off work and a relatively cool morning, I was back in the saddle, this time navigating the famed trails of Camelback Mountain.  Stay tuned - full trail report to follow soon.

Camelback Mountain, as observed from Two Bit Peak