Sunset Vista Trail is a 5.4 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Picacho, Arizona that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as difficult. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
birding
hiking
nature trips
trail running
walking
views
wild flowers
wildlife
rocky
scramble
Easy access from I-10, about 40 miles north of Tucson. Look for signs to Picacho Peak State Park. There is a moderate admission fee for day-use.
Great hike, got to the place where the cables were and we just turned around. Perfect length and the desert was so green because of all the rain that we have had earlier.
Peak is 3.1 miles from trail head. First 1.5 miles or so are easy, much steeper later on. The cable-assisted areas of the trail deserve respect and if taken that way are just plain fun. Gloves and boots with good grip will increase confidence. I would put the trail at moderate, recognizing that parts of the trail are easy and parts are hard.
Very beautiful but challenging hike. There is no shade at all, start as early as possible! We started at 8am and forecasts of 100+ degrees later in the day, I'd recommend to start earlier. We went up to the peak, took the Hunter Trail back down and then followed the park road to the car. We brought 4 liters of water each and used it all up (for drinking and keeping our heads and necks wet). Also: the trail seems longer than indicated. I recorded the hike using the alltrails App and it said 6km (not 4.4) on the peak. The trail is beautiful and well maintained, it gets difficult at the end with several steep switchbacks and cables (bring gloves! I didn't have any and now have 3 blisters on my hand). We did the hike on a Wednesday and didn't see anyone (except the ranger) in the whole park, not even a car. A bit scary :)