3 Miles
180 feet
Easy Peasy
A+ Views
Whiskey Bottle Trail Hike Overview
The Whiskey Bottle Trail is a quick easy hike with not so many people and sweeping views of the Tonto National Forest. We only hiked for an hour but there are tons of options to extend.
Map & Elevation Profile
Max elevation: 2669 ft
Min elevation: 2537 ft
Total time: 01:01:40
Good Map for Hiking the Whiskey Bottle Trail
Get this map! The Green Trail Maps are super nice maps because they are easy to read, have good color coding, distances and elevations, and are usually up to date.
McDowell Mountains Greentrails map
My favorite map for the McDowell Sonoran Preserve!
Parking
Plugin ‘Fraesfield trailhead’ and Google maps will take you right there. It is just down the road from the Brown’s Mountain trailhead. Parking is free and ample!
Trail Notes
With the goal of getting some outdoor time in before the heat hit, the Fraesfield area didn’t disappoint! After arriving just after 9 am, it was already in the low 90s. Hot but still able to get in a small hike.
At the trailhead, there is a really cool display of the major mountains you can see from this area. It’s pretty awesome if you are like me and like to learn the names of the mountains.
The Whiskey Bottle Trail hike skirts the north side of Fraesfield Mountain. The saguaros are more sparse on this side but there are spectacular views of the McDowells, the Supes, Weaver’s needle, the Four peaks, Matazal mountains, and more mountains in the Tonto to the North. Mountains for days!
We wanted to check out what the smoke from the Bush Fire looked like. It is so sad to see the mountains in a layer of smoke 😢.
Compared to the Brown’s Mountain trailhead there are waaaaay fewer people here. If you prefer more solitude and don’t want to venture too far out of the city, this is a great option.
Something else really cool about this location is that it has unique desert landscape. Fewer saguaros but tons of Buckhorn and Staghorn cholla. There is also a wash with tons of very green palo verde and ironwood trees. Every trailhead in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve has its own feel to it.
So, was The Whiskey Bottle Trail Hike worth it?
Yep, definitely. Especially if you like to hike with fewer people around and want epic views!
Other Hikes Close By
The Brown’s Ranch Trailhead is about 10 minutes away and has a ton of great options. Check out this description of hiking around Brown’s Mountain. If interested in something a bit harder, check out the hikes at the Gateway trailhead. The Gateway Loop hike and Bell Pass hike are great and tougher.
Photos that will make you want to go there:
