Traveling Tschidas

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Is Flatiron on your Arizona Peak list?

I want to preface this with this is the hardest hike, I have ever done. And no, I am not kidding.

To be fair, I am five foot tall. (You’ll see why this is relevant).

Trail Conditions

The Siphon Draw trail is nearly 6 miles out-and-back with 2,723 feet of elevation gain. The first mile of the trail starts off with a steady include, deceiving you for what you’re getting into.

If you’re not there early, you may be forced to park an additional mile away. By the time we found parking and got on the trail (after the hike from the parking lot), it was nearly 9 AM.

Things were pretty calm until we saw this…

This starts a pretty intense section of scrambling and bouldering.

The scrambling up was very intense for the short folks in our party — often, we needed to place our feet well above our hips. We needed our husbands to push/pull us up multiple times leading to an even more exhausting hike than usual. After nearly four hours of this, we come to the top of the mountain!

Then, we see it. A literal rock wall, approximately 10 feet tall.

You have to CLIMB up the wall to hit the final section of the trail. I thought to myself, “You have got to be kidding”.

Unfortunately, it’s true. You have two choices: go up or come down. But, honestly, you’ve made it this far… what’s a little bit free soloing going to hurt?

Now that you’ve made it to the top, congratulations, you’ve completed what I consider the hardest hike I’ve ever done.

You’re probably wondering: “Is the view worth it?” To me, no. You’re looking out over the valley. It’s a cool view, but I prefer a little more solitude in my nature. Many others would yes. I think it’s all in perspective.

Would I ever attempt this hike again?? Absolutely not.

Things to Consider

• In all seriousness, don’t be discouraged to try this trail. This was my personal experience and I believe the majority of the struggles were due to height
• Start EARLY
• Bring lots of water
• Wear sturdy shoes. We saw a woman being carried away via helicopter for tearing her ACL in the middle of the trail. The scrambling is no joke
• Hiking poles won’t help here
• Bring a snack for the summit, that way you can enjoy the view and fuel up for the downhill climb. (Remember those spots I said I needed to be pushed/pulled up? Well, gravity is and isn’t working in your favor on the way down… maybe bring some bandaids?)