"I had summitted Maricopa peak a number of years ago via the west side of the Alta trail. This time I approached the peak from the east end of the Alta trail. The only catch was that today was "Silent Sunday" and the section of the summit road was closed to all motor vehicles (which I totally support), so I had to park about a mile from the trailhead and take part of the Max Delta trail to the start of the Alta trail, which would get me close to the summit. Anyway.... The trail started off fairly shallow, but quickly hit a series of switchbacks that took you to the ridge. Spotted a couple of coyotes from a distance, which was cool. From there, the trail followed the contours of the range and came up onto the ridge again, where I left the Alta trail and followed a social trail to the left to take me to the peak. The main trail was really a nice, fun and scenic trail. It's away from the main section of South Mountain, so there wasn't many people on the trail. This has become my favorite trail in the park (so far). The social trail that leads to the summit quickly became rocky and the last 50 feet of elevation was pretty rocky and looked like it might have been a class 3 climb...." — lawrencebaker • Mar 3, 2024

"I had summitted Maricopa peak a number of years ago via the west side of the Alta trail. This time I approached the peak from the east end of the Alta trail. The only catch was that today was "Silent Sunday" and the section of the summit road was closed to all motor vehicles (which I totally support), so I had to park about a mile from the trailhead and take part of the Max Delta trail to the start of the Alta trail, which would get me close to the summit. Anyway.... The trail started off fairly shallow, but quickly hit a series of switchbacks that took you to the ridge. Spotted a couple of coyotes from a distance, which was cool. From there, the trail followed the contours of the range and came up onto the ridge again, where I left the Alta trail and followed a social trail to the left to take me to the peak. The main trail was really a nice, fun and scenic trail. It's away from the main section of South Mountain, so there wasn't many people on the trail. This has become my favorite trail in the park (so far). The social trail that leads to the summit quickly became rocky and the last 50 feet of elevation was pretty rocky and looked like it might have been a class 4 climb,..." — lawrencebaker1 • Mar 3, 2024

"Started on W Estrella Drive outside house number 4110. Hiked SE to the San Juan Lookout and proceeded on the Alta Trail to the Trail Post at 2460ft. At 1925ft next to the trail, passed a bee's nest complete with honeycombs hanging from the roof of a rock inlay! Left the Alta trail at 2460ft on a clear trail to the summit. According to my GPS the northern-most of the summit blocks is the true summit. In order to ascend the final block you have 3 routes: A. Class 1 with exposure or B. Class 2 with prickly bush in the way or C. Class 3 short scramble. The 20-year-old Summit Register, in a green circular can, is located on the south summit block." — andyforster • Jan 30, 2024

"Bagged Maricopa and Elliot following the ridge from the East. Ridgeline hikes naturally have spectacular views and this was no exception. I originally intended just the bag Maricopa from the west but the road to the parking lot for the western trailhead was blocked off for repairs. You have to go off the main trail to bag Maricopa and the route isn’t maintained as well for that portion. I was scratched by a plant that I’m apparently allergic to and got some inflammation, so be careful!" — tylerdelia • Apr 18, 2023

"Came up from Alta past San Juan Lookout and then took the spur trail to the summit. Beautiful day, but if you miss the spur trail, you'll add a good 1/2 mile before you realize you missed it. The spur is at the saddle and there is a signpost with a phoenix park QR code on it. Thats what you are looking for. " — puddlepirate • Feb 16, 2022

"Parked at the San Juan Parking Lot and took Bajada Trail to Alta Trail. On the ridgeline just right before the trail starts to have a huge drop in elevation on the western face, there is a very faint use trail. Some loose rock but nothing too bad. I happened to be caught in some light rain, enough to make the rocks slippery but overall not difficult at all. I'd argue there were some easy class 2 scrambles right before summitting. Afterwards as it was getting late I descended and went back from where I came to my car without finishing the entirety of Alta Trail. Total distance recorded was 7.5 miles" — easotelo1 • Jan 23, 2021

"After returning from Goat Hill, I drove down the road a little, hiked the rest of the way to the trailhead, then took the trail up to the east ridge. There was basically a use trail, and I followed it to the summit." — ZachTeich • May 29, 2018

"This was another ambitious, after work hike. One of the advantages of working with people on the east coast is that the end of the day for them is like 3pm for me. (That, and the fact that I get to make them jealous of the mild winters we have here, which I do, whenever I get the chance.) The trail was pretty well maintained and easy to follow and aside from an occasional mountain biker around the San Juan trailhead, I pretty much had the entire trail and mountain to myself. It was a bit on the warm side, so I made use of the few shady spots, took my time and kept myself hydrated. Once I reached the saddle, it was a rock-hopping good time moving along the ridge to the top, with the last 20 feet a low class 3 climb. At the top, I enjoyed an energy bar, took in the view and got to retrieve my lucky Joshua Tree Park cap that the wind blew off of me. After that, it was a simple retracing of my steps back to the Alta trail and back to my car. Nothing too spectacular about this trail, but enjoyable. Next time, I’ll hit the summit from the eastern end of the Alta Trail!" — lawrencebaker • Mar 30, 2017