San Juan Lookout

The road on San Juan Road after the fork with Summit Road and Central is closed, so I parked at the parking lot at the fork to do Bajada and Alta trails. The parking lot is small but I came on Thanksgiving so it wasn't too problematic to find a spot although most spots were taken by the time I arrived at 8:40AM. I did the loop clockwise which was fine; it was flat for the first half and then went up to the peak, then came back down. No shade per usual Arizona hikes, and scenery was just okay. At the top, I could get a view of the cities and towns as well as the mountains behind it. Not bad! I got back to the car at 12:50PM, totaling about 3 hrs 40 mins. It's actually 9.8 miles - there's a map at the parking lot with mileage on it, and parking at this parking lot adds 1.4 mi to the trip.

Both ends of the Alta Trail are steep climbs that will get your heart rate up. The middle section is a mixture of mild hiking and more difficult hiking. On the day of this hike, I talked with another hiker on his way down, that had encountered two other snake besides this one that I encountered twice. I never did see the other ones, but it's always safest to just assume that they're around. Bring plenty of water. During the summer, count on one liter an hour per person. And I generally figure on about 2 miles an hour to guesstimate the duration of my hike.

This trailhead provides access to some of the best trails on South Mountain. It's very isolated and the trails that are accessible here are lightly trafficked. Most of the time, the road to the trailhead is closed to cars. It's common to see people biking to it, or hiking to it from other trailheads. If you are looking for solitude on this mountain, there is no better place.

The gates are closed up due to numerous rock slides over the road, making this stretch of the San Juan Trail ideal for bikes and runners. From the split on the road it's about an 8 mile out-and-back of steady climbs and descents, great for beginners or those that don't trust their brakes coming down from Dobbins Lookout. Bring a CX or Mtn bike to hit up the dirt trails that branch out at the trailhead.

Great place for a hike