Swift Trail Parkway / State Highway 366 Scenic Drive
You will experience the ecological equivalent of driving from Mexico to Canada all in one leisurely afternoon on this sky-scraping, switchbacking mountain road. The Swift Trail, named for T. T. Swift, the first supervisor of the Coronado National Forest, takes you from cactus-studded Sonoran desert at 2,900 feet in the Gila Valley to alpine meadows and forests on the 9,000-foot high ridges of the Pinaleño Range. The mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona have come to be called Sky Islands because they are surrounded by desert and isolated from one another by seas of arid environment, so different from the tall forests that grace their upper slopes. Of all the Sky Islands in southeastern Arizona, the Pinaleños are the highest and one of the most extensive. This trip starts in a desert landscape where cactus, yucca, and mesquite are the prevalent plant species. The climb begins, and the life zones start to change almost immediately. From low desert scrub to oak grasslands to pinyon-juniper woodlands and finally to forests of pine, spruce, and fir, the road winds past breathtaking panoramas, lush forests, and picturesque mountain meadows. Several points of interest will vie for your attention along this historic route constructed during the Great Depression by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Among these, Heliograph Peak was a signal outpost during the wars of expansion of the late 1800s. Hospital Flat, a wildflower-carpeted meadow, and Treasure Park, where legend has it that a fortune in gold and silver was buried by Mexican banditos, are accessible by short side trips. In addition to these points of interest, the road provides access to several hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking trails, a mountain lake stocked with trout, and many campgrounds.
Swift Trail Drive Time: Allow around 5 hours for the round-trip drive and additional time for side trips.
Download the Mount Graham Recreation Guide in English.
The name Noon Creek comes from the fact that when pioneer settlers traveled this way on excursions into the Pinaleño Mountains, this was usually as far as they were ab
The trail begins at the end of the Noon Creek Campground area near the group picnic area. This rocky trail climbs to the junction of Round the Mountain Trail #302.
This trail doesn’t go all the way around the mountain, but it goes far enough to provide some really spectacular views and to give you a good idea of the size of this Sky I
When early settlers ventured up Mount Graham, the Arcadia area was usually as far as they got on the first day.
When early settlers ventured up Mount Graham, the Arcadia area was usually as far as they got on the first day.
Because of the notable views it offers, Arcadia Trail has been designated a National Recreation Trail, placing it among the most outstanding trails in the nation.
This dispersed camping area, in open ponderosa pine forest at 6,850 feet, has multiple established sites. There are no amenities at this site.
At an elevation of 7,400 feet, in a shady conifer forest, this campground offers groups a secluded camping escape from the summer desert heat.
This dispersed camping area, in open ponderosa pine forest at 7,400 feet, has limited established sites. There are no amenities.
This .3 mile trail connects the Turkey Flat Dispersed Campground to Ladybug Trail #329.
The Ladybug Trailhead is located in stands of mixed conifers from which the setting changes gradually.
This trail gets its unique name from the fact that it starts near Ladybug Peak, off Bear Canyon #29 and the Ladybug Trailhead.
This trail is located in Sabino Canyon Recreation Area and offers access to the dramatic landscape of the Santa Catalina front range, famous for its deep canyons and soarin
Shake Trail leads from the oak and juniper grasslands of Stockton Pass to the pine and juniper forests of the Pinaleños’s upper slopes.
Treasure Park North sits along the scenic Swift Trail in southern Arizona.
Upper Hospital Flat Dispersed Camping Area is a great place to escape the summer heat of surrounding deserts and retreat to a scenic meadow in the Pinaleño Mounta
Hospital Flat is so named because in the 1880s it served as a site for a field hospital for ailing soldiers from Fort Grant.
This is actually a system of trails that were designed specifically with mountain biking in mind, but they provide some excellent hiking as well.
This dispersed camping area is nestled in mixed-conifer forest along Grant Creek at 8,700 feet. There are no amenities at this site.
This west side trail has a bit of a split personality. Upper reaches are steep and rough going while lower portions of the trail follow a moderate canyon-bottom course.
Located high in the Pinaleno Mountains in an open, grassy stand of aspen and fir, this campground was constructed to provide a more primitive camping experience than most f
The Cunningham Loop Trailhead provides access to the Cunningham Loop #316. There is no fee or pass required to park at this location and there are no amenities.
This campground, nestled in mixed-conifer forest at 9,440 feet, has six sites with picnic tables and fire pits.
Campsites at Soldier Creek (map) are nestled in a forest grove where large granite boulders sculptured by the forces of nature help separate the
Grant Goudy Ridge Trail follows an old pack trail from Soldier Creek Campground down the southwest slopes of the Piñalenos to historic Fort Grant.
If you’re looking for a reasonably short trip that offers good views and takes you through some of the Safford District’s most beautiful forests, this trail provides all of
This dispersed camping area is tucked in mixed-conifer forest at 9,000 feet between Chesley Flat and Riggs Flat Lake.
Clark Peak Corrals Dispersed Camping, located close to 9,000 feet in mixed-conifer forest, is the last dispersed camping area at the end of National Forest Service (NFS) Ro
Spectacular views come one after the other as this trail winds along the spine of the Pinalenos.
The main attraction at Riggs Flat Campground (Map) is Riggs Flat Lake.
The main attraction at Riggs Flat Campground (Map) is Riggs Flat Lake.