Pyramid Trail Hike

The Pyramid Trail is one of the more remote trails in the vast South Mountain Park and Preserve in metropolitan Phoenix. It is also one of the steepest hikes in the park, with about 900 feet of elevation gain in roughly a half a mile. The Pyramid Trail starts where Chandler Boulevard ends in the far southwestern reaches of the city of Phoenix. It is the most distant South Mountain trailhead from Downtown Phoenix, but the route there is essentially freeway most of the way. Chandler Boulevard has space along the sides for parking along with a lot at the end, which accommodates hikers on the Pyramid Trail and the Bursera Trail. The trail proceeds for approximately a mile across flat desert in a direct path toward the steep ascent to the southern ridge of South Mountain. The trail traverses this ridge toward the center of the park, where it runs into the National Trail and Telegraph Pass Trail. For those interested in shuttling two cars at two different trailheads, it is about a 5-mile hike; however, most hikers will return down the trail the same way they went up.