thumb butte trail 33

If you're in great shape, take the left trail up, if you are regular folks, take the right trail...it's less of a rise to the top...wear good shoes, and take some water with you...2 miles, but fun and great views!

I took my wife on this trail shortly after we met, we hiked it on our honeymoon and we have hiked it on a couple of anniversaries since. Do I need to say this is a very special place for us? The 1.7 mile trail starts in the pines and ends out up on Thumb Butte with some of the best views of the surrounding area to be found. The trail is a local favorite and so you will almost always meet someone on the trail. The trail is a loop, with the trail to the right having a gentler slope, whereas the one to the left is a shorter trip to the top, but steeper. Moderate difficulty, but with a number of benches to rest on. A bit dicey in the winter when the snow is packed on the trail. Take water and a camera.

There are 3 trails to reach the saddle, a steep paved trail,center trail and 326 witch connects with 33. Great views of downtown to the East, San Francisco peaks near Flagstaff to the North and Granite Mt. to the Northwest. To walk up one trail and come down another takes is about a 1 hour hike and moderate.

The view from the trail was spectacular as the town of Prescott. It is a great hike for a family. It is truly disability accessible nature trail with wide and well groomed, benches and rest areas along... It is a easy trial, but there are few places quiet steep. Advice - go counter-clockwise since is a loop. Once you reaching the vista point (there is a bench), you can heading a spur trail to the summit of the butte. We did not do this time, but we did see people climbing down from the summit when we were there. There were lot of young kid, and older folks. Some of running and some of just cruising along. We saw woodpeckers, enjoy the colorful wildflowers, and found rare Red mushrooms. Advice: It is national Forest, therefore, if you have Annual Pass, you do not need to pay. otherwise, take $5 with you to pay the parking. We saw few young adults searched under & between the car seats to get enough money for parking... That was FUNNY...

We went on Labor day and it was busy as we expected since this is a popular hike in Prescott. It's only 3 miles from downtown. Make sure you have $5 for day use pass. There are restrooms near the parking area and picnic areas as well. Plan on about 90 minutes to do the loop at a leisurely pace. Parts of the trail are paved but not the entire trail, there is railing in some areas as well. There are plenty of photo opportunities along the way and beautiful views at the top. There is not much shade so plan accordingly if you go during warmer parts of the day. Bring adequate water too. Our 3 year old almost walked the entire time which was great because it's a moderate trail in difficulty, there is quite a bit of climbing. We look forward to doing this hike again in cooler months.

Many hike this popular trail that laps Thumb Butte. there is also a nice day use area at the base. the trail is paved and accessible, but quite steep in a few places. It is like walking up a long ramp. good views and an opportunity to see Perigrine Falcons up close!

Worth the $5 parking fee. Benches at viewpoints and a loop that only takes about an hour. Safe for solo walkers - lots of people in early and late hours.

Be prepared for a workout. We took the trail counter-clockwise like the map showed. Going this way consisted of a climb on some flat and some rocky terrain going up and coming down there was a paved section. The going down was the hard part. The section that was paved did not give much traction, so you had to work extra hard to not just go running at full speed as you're hurtling down. Next time, we will go clockwise and go up the paved portion and then go down the unpaved part which will have more traction (we saw people going in both directions-so it's up to you). The views from the top are great and once you're done you know that you can treat yourself to a big meal:)

Great climb up to Thumb Butte, choice to meander on TR 314 or take the concrete path down to the parking lot. It is a trail where you pay but Wednesdays are free. Also if you have a forest pass it is accepted here too. The vistas are wonderful, there are views that are lovely and there are no motorized vehicles allowed.. Take your walking stick in case you spot or hear a snake.

There's two ways to get to the base on Thumb Butte via Trail 33. The left side is all paved and straight up with hardly any level spots. The dirt-and-rock trail on the right side meanders up. If you want to divert off 33 on the right side, there's a connection to Trail 326 that takes you straight downhill to the parking lot.

It's a short, about 45 minute hike, just outside of town. We liked that we could get there quickly, do the hike and get a little workout in, and ave some nice views. They do charge a $5 fee.

This is an educational center for nature activities for children & families. They have a bookshop with local nature books & gift shop. They have short trails with descriptions on their land and all kinds of activities for children to learn more about nature.

Either way, up the dirt trail or the asphalt, this trail is a workout if you are out of shape. Walk is equal to walking up 42 flights of stairs. Very pretty with nice views.

This is an exceptional Trail (#33). You should plan on a Moderate Hike. If you go to the right, the trail is more leisurely and not as steep. If you go to the left, it is very steep but paved and has metal rails in most steep places because of erosion. We went up the right and came down the left. It will take you about 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your condition. There are plenty of signs (sometimes hard to read do to exposure to sun) about what you are seeing. Some great spots with Benches to relax. The photo opportunities are great. We got photos of Prescott downtown, Bradshaw Mountains, Sierra Prieta Mountains, Granite Mountain, Mingus Mountain, and the San Francisco Peaks. You will climb about 600 feet in elevation to the area right at base of Thumb Butte. You need to bring water with you!There is a $5.00 fee except for Wednesdays. If you have a National Park Pass, it does apply here and therefore no fee.There are other trails nearby from same parking lot. Go to web site and get other information: http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/prescott/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=67469&actid=50