Five Awesome Arizona Hiking Trails (not In Grand Canyon)
By Glenda Jao
Arizona offers many trails apart from the Grand Canyon. They are difficult, but they reward with unmatched beauty. Here are the best five.

Wet Beaver Loop. The Wet Beaver Wilderness Area provides an amazing 22 miles round trip. It is advisable to not bring children along as this hike is extremely difficult and takes more than a day to complete. Be prepared to get wet as a fair portion of this hike requires walking through water. This hike takes you in a large loop to end up where you started from. You will encounter camps and waterfalls along the way and the stunning Waldroup canyon.

Picacho Peak. This trail is fairly close to the Casa Grande and once you reach the top, you will be rewarded with a stunning view of the Sonora desert. The trail offers two options: the shorter seven mile round trip or the nine-odd mile trip if you return using the alternate trail from the peak. This is a fairly steep hike with numerous switchbacks.

You should take gloves on this hike because you may have to hold on to steel cables to climb. Also, make sure you are in perfect physical condition as it may require some Class 3 climbing to complete this hike.

Kendrick Mountain. This is a trail that is moderately easy. It is 9.2 miles round trip, and features a look at a cabin and ends in some spectacular views of Red Mountain, Mount Humphreys, Sycamore Canyon, and even the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. There are a series of short switchbacks toward the end that provide the great views.

Paria Canyon. The Paria Canyon hike begins near the Utah border and immediately afterwards moves into Arizona. It is a multi-day trail, which will end far away

from your car, so you will have to take the shuttle for the ride back. You must also keep a sharp lookout on the weather as the trailhead gets frequently washed out due to flash floods. In addition, permits from the BLM will be required as this trail will take you through the wilderness area.

The trail becomes prone to quicksand and quite muddy, especially if you go just after the rains. You will have to pick around quite a bit on this trail and in fact, there will be no trail once you reach the canyon. The only way is to follow the river. You will be walking through a narrow slot canyon with spectacular formation. Remember to avoid this trail if rain is forecast as there is no escape from flash floods in the Narrows.

Other fantastic features include a cave "room" in one of the walls, Wrather Canyon (along with Wrather Arch), Judd Hollow, and other canyons and routes, as well as springs. The views and formations along this hike are amazing and worth the trip.

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About the author: Glenda Jao is the chief writer at For Arizona, it's one of the webs most up to date Arizona sites, while you're there sign up for the free newsletter. If you want to read more Arizona articles go to: www.forarizona.com/articles
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