Best Hikes In Arizona To See Wildflowers

“You belong among the wildflowers, you belong somewhere close to me, far away from your trouble and worry, you belong somewhere you feel free,” were lyrics that Tom Petty sang in one of his songs. It resonates so much to me during the period of time when the wildflowers are blossoming and when you dream of frolicking among vivid wildflowers, there are actually awesome hikes to take on in Arizona to witness these beauties. These hikes will make you feel like you truly belong somewhere that you feel free!

During the months of mid-March to even up to mid-June (the higher the elevation, the later the time they bloom), expect to see these desert wildflowers bloom in their alluring forms. They’re incredible to admire if you enjoy hiking through Arizona’s nature. When these beauties bloom, you’ll be reminded of how amazing spring can be in this state. It’s also actually the most beautiful time of the year except stay cautious during this time too as rattlesnakes are more likely to make themselves known in warmer weather.

While doing my 52 Hike Challenge, I was able to do a couple of hikes that presented me with wildflowers in my presence. They’re located along the trails or are located before you enter your hike. They add a nice touch to your sightseeing adventures on a hike and they’re phenomenal props to be photographed by. Also, don’t just expect to just see the well-known yellow desert wildflowers because you’ll also most likely see a variety of other colorful wildflowers. Some of these flowers you might see are Poppies, Hairyseed Bahia, Cactus Apple, Creosote Bush, just to name a few.

Thanks to AllTrails for the information gathered here and helping me do these hikes. Here are some of the best hikes to do to get an up-close experience of wildflowers:

1. Westwing Mountain Loop Trail at Westwing Park

Distance: 4.0 miles
Elevation Gain: 872 feet
Route Type: Loop
Level: Moderate
Location: Peoria, AZ

Westwing Mountain Loop Trail is a pretty scenic hike in the backyards of Peoria neighborhoods. It comes with wonderful views where you’ll be hiking on rocky trails due to the trails being made of volcanic basalt and tuff. There are so many wildflowers at the beginning of the hike to see.

2. Rainbow Valley North Loop Trail at Estrella Mountain Regional Park

Distance: 5.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 383 feet
Route Type: Loop
Level: Easy
Location: Goodyear, AZ

This easy hike, Rainbow Valley North Loop Trail, is blessed with wildflowers among the sides of the trails and it sprouts out from bushes. You can occasionally spot poppies there too.

3. Black Rock Loop Trail at White Tank Mountain Regional Park

Distance: 1.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 91 feet
Route Type: Loop
Level: Easy
Location: Surprise, AZ

This very easy and doable hike with the White Tank Mountains in the background has wildflowers that are gathered in bushes and there are so many of them. This hike literally takes you around in a perfect loop where you can circle around to see the wildflowers in various parts.

4. Yavapai Point Trail at Lake Pleasant Regional Park

Distance: 3.0 miles
Elevation Gain: 449 feet
Route Type: Out and back
Level: Moderate
Location: Peoria, AZ
Find out here why this is one of my favorite hikes in the state.

This hike, Yavapai Point, in Lake Pleasant is one of my favorites because you can hike up to an elevation to overlook almost the whole lake of Lake Pleasant. The wildflowers are present among the sides of the narrow and steep trail way and they are lined up in perfect harmony.

5. Marcus Landslide Trail at McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Distance: 4.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 518 feet
Route Type: Out and back
Level: Moderate
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Check out the history of this cool hike on my post here!

I’d consider Marcus Landslide trail to be one of the BEST hikes to see wildflowers. There are so many to find spread out throughout the trail and you can see so many different colors of wildflowers ranging from purples to pinks to yellow. Watch my YouTube video below to see how to explore it. But what makes this trail just as beautiful as the wildflowers you’ll see here? The history and the views of the thousands of granite boulders that all stack together.

6. Treasure Loop Trail at Lost Dutchman State Park

Distance: 2.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 534 feet
Route Type: Loop
Level: Moderate
Location: Apache Junction, AZ

This trail is such a picture-worthy spot because so many photographers come out to photograph here and a lot of people are trying to get their shots in here. With the views of the glorious Superstition Mountains towering over you, wildflowers are found here and add more elements to this already stunning view.

7. Gateway Loop Trail at McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Distance: 4.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 715 feet
Route Type: Loop
Level: Moderate
Location: Scottsdale, AZ

There aren’t a lot of wildflowers to find here but when you do, you can see poppies popping out in some sections. Regardless, this hike is super pretty and it’s rewarding, even with little wildflowers to be present like the other trails.

8. Wave Cave Trail

Distance: 3.2 miles
Elevation gain: 872 feet
Route type: Out and back
Level: Moderate-difficult
Location: Gold Canyon, AZ

The wildflowers here would be more present on the base of the trail and very few if you were summiting up to the cave that leads you to the famous wave-shaped rock formation. Check out my full guide on how to hike this.

9. Sunrise Peak Trail

Distance: 4.3 miles
Elevation gain: 1,184 feet
Route type: Out and back
Level: Moderate
Location: Scottsdale, AZ

This super pretty trail located closer to Fountain Hills, Arizona is spectacular for viewing wildflowers on the trail and they are placed in some of the prettiest spots. Although there are some steep switchbacks, you’ll get rewarding elevated views.

10. Lookout Mountain Summit Trail

Distance: 0.9 miles
Elevation gain: 469 feet
Route type: Out and back
Level: Moderate
Location: Phoenix, AZ

This trail that leads to a moderately-challenging summit that has steep loose rocks and involves scrambling up is dotted with so many wildflowers. It is a trail that has pretty views of neighborhoods all around and one area, you can see the top of the summit down to a straight cliff.

11. Arrowhead Point Loop Trail

Distance: 2.3 miles
Elevation gain: 472 feet
Route type: Loop
Level: Moderate
Location: Glendale, AZ

Located in Thunderbird Conservation Park, this trail is one I’ve done many times since it’s easy but always leads to a nice view overlooking the city of Glendale. These are filled with fields of thousands of wildflowers right by the trail and you’ll also find some as you keep climbing up through some rocky, slick, but not too challenging pathways. If you want to check out other trails in Thunderbird Conservation Park since you can find wildflowers in many around that area, check out this list on AllTrails.

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