4 Miles

371 feet

Easy/Moderate

A+ Views

Ridgeline and Pima Wash Trail Hike Overview

Create a nice loop with the Ridgeline and Pima Wash Trail hike! Up on the Ridgeline you will get great views of the Phoenix skyline, Camelback and the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. When you head back on the Pima Wash Trail you will enjoy excellent views of the Superstitions. The trails in South Mountain are more crowded but this is such a great area to be in!

Map & Elevation Profile

Total distance: 3.98 mi
Max elevation: 1733 ft
Min elevation: 1362 ft
Total time: 01:21:36

Map for the Ridgeline and Pima Wash Trail Hike

The trails are marked but the signage isn’t great. Additionally, there is a spiderweb of trails. Having a map with all the trails marked is a really good idea and this map is excellent.

South Mountain Preserve Greentrails Map

South Mountain Preserve Greentrails map

You definitely won’t regret having this map for your South Mountain Preserve hikes (affiliate link)!

Parking

Type in “Pima Canyon Trailhead” into your phone and you will be taken to a good parking location for this hike.

Ridgeline And Pima Wash Hike Trail Notes

Guys, hiking around the South Mountain Preserve is awesome. There are a lot of trails, great views, and the trails are really fun to hike on. On this particular day, there was a lot of smoke from the Apple Fire outside of LA.

It’s easy to make a loop as long or as short as you want. If you decide to hike a similar loop, the Ridgeline trail has terrific views of downtown Phoenix. There is quite a bit of up and down on this section. Some of these sections are steep. Hiking poles recommended!

Heading back on the Pima Wash Trail is nice because it’s easy and you get great views. Along this trail is also an old CCC Pavillion to check out.

A couple of downsides: This is a busy area and you will run into a lot of people.  Additionally, the desert landscape in this area is baren and many of the cacti seemed dried out (unlike in the McDowell’s where it is very lush).

It’s amazing/peaceful that you can feel like you are in the middle of nowhere right next to a huge city.

So, is this the Ridgeline and Pima Wash hike worth it?

The hikes in South Mountain are really cool (including this one!). There are great views with very rugged trails. In some areas, it doesn’t seem possible that there is a huge sprawling metro just on the other side of the mountain.

Photos to Inspire you to go there:

Get more inspired to get outside:

PCT Trail Journal: Day 14 Mile 146.1 to Paradise Valley Cafe (Mile 151.8)

6.21909 up873 downIdyllwild Airbnb151.82 Hours 4 MinutesIdyllwild and town food!I start out with big hunger and then can't eat everythingPCT Trail Journal: Day 14 Mile 146.1 to Paradise Valley Cafe (Mile 151.8) On day 14 of the PCT (mile 146.1 to Paradise Valley...

PCT Trail Journal: Day 13 Miles 131.6 to 146.1

15.612405 up2336 downMile 146.1146.16 Hours 11 MinutesThe wildflowers 🌼🌼🌼Need larger battery pack ASAP!PCT Trail Journal: Day 13 Miles 131.6 to 146.1 Miles 131.6 to 146.1 on the PCT were good and hot filled with more wildflowers than you could imagine. There was a lot...

PCT Trail Journal: Day 12 Miles 115.4 to 131.6

16.033291 up1906 downMile 131.6131.65 Hours 50 MinutesListening to my book while hikingI am quite dirty. So dirty that bandaids and tape won't stick to my skin. PCT Trail Journal: Day 12 Miles 115.4 to 131.6 Miles 115.4 to 131.6 were both hard and gave me a sense of...

PCT Trail Journal: Day 11 Miles 104.8 to 115.4

13.531519 up1513 downMile 115.4115.44 Hours 56 MinutesWalking through field after field of wildflowers I don't need 10 bars per day and should focus on the base meals in resupply boxesPCT Trail Journal: Day 11 Miles 104.8 to 115.4 Miles 104.8 to 115.4 on the PCT were...

PCT Trail Journal: Day 10 3rd Gate Water Cache to Mile 104.8 (Miles 91.2 to 104.8)

13.631558 up1611 downMile 104.8104.84 Hours 27 MinutesThe wildflowers and trail magic!Trail magic is awesome but I already knew that. I need to take more breaks and do shorter days. PCT Trail Journal: Day 10 3rd Gate Water Cache to Mile 104.8  Day 10 from 3rd Gate...

PCT Trail Journal: Day 9 Scissors Crossing to 3rd Gate Water Cache (Mile 77.1 to 91.2)

14.012211 up1043 down3rd Gate Water Cache91.24 Hours 57 MinutesThe trail and finding new hiking friends!I drink a lot of water. Need to be smart about water sources especially in these drier sections.PCT Trail Journal: Day 9 Scissors Crossing to 3rd Gate Water Cache ...

PCT Trail Journal: Day 7 & 8 Double Rest Day at Stagecoach

00 up0 downSheep Shed @ Stagecoach RV Resort76.30Day 7: Having a chill day at Stagecoach and getting new shoes! Day 8: Hanging in Julian with Hannah, Jorrit and Liam 💗Day 7: Use padded moleskin around a blister to relieve some of the pressure on the blister Day 8:...

PCT Trail Journal: Day 6 mile 68.4 to Stagecoach RV Resort (mile 68.4 to 76.3)

7.85738 up 2231 downStagecoach RV Resort76.33 hours 7 minutesThe best part was that it was a good day  Taking it easy is good for me.PCT Trail Journal: Mile 68.4 to Stagecoach RV Resort (mile 68.4 to 76.3) Town day means wake early and hike day. Your girl was up...

PCT Trail Journal: Day 5 Mile 56.2 to 68.4

12.341247 up 2759 downMile 68.468.45 hours 2 minutes⛰Nice sections of trail with great mountain views 🌼Lots of wildflowers as I got lower    Feet must be fixedPCT Trail Journal: Mile 56.2 t0 68.4 Overview Wow super rough day. My feet are in terrible shape....

PCT Trail Journal: Day 4 Mt Laguna to Mile 56.2 (Miles 48.7 to 56.2)

15.001837 up2526 downMile 56.256.25 hours 55 minutesThe section of the trail past the picnic area on the edge of a mountain with great desert views  ✨Need to take better care of my feet✨Need to take breaksPCT Trail Journal: Mt Laguna to Mile 56.2 (Miles 48.7 to...