Carr Peak is one of the tallest peaks in southern Arizona (9,236′) and the Carr Peak Trail is a fun trail that is perfect to do during the warmer months when you want to head out from a higher elevation. In this review, I’ll break down everything to know about the Carr Peak Trail.
Carr Peak Trail Overview
Highlights include: a scenic (but windy) mountain road, sweeping views of southern Arizona and Mexico, and encounters with aspen trees. You could accurately describe this hike as moderately challenging but the loose rocks and high elevation put it closer to the moderate to hard category.
- Distance: 5.68 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1,847 feet
- Route Type: Out and back
- Pets: Yes
- Difficulty: Moderate to Hard
- Time needed: 3 to 4 hours
Getting to the trailhead
The trailhead is located just south west of the city of Sierra Vista, Arizona. You’ll likely be heading south on 92 which takes you right through Sierra Vista. You’ll then need to turn on East Carr Canyon Road.
In order to access the trailhead you’ll need to head up this long and winding dirt mountain road. It is only about 7 1/2 miles to the trailhead but because the road is so winding and narrow it will likely take you around 35 minutes to get up to the trailhead parking area which is also where you can find the Ramsey Vista Campground.
You’ll have some amazing views as you head up this road but it does get quite narrow in some spots. So be sure to pay extra attention to oncoming traffic because there is not enough room for two vehicles on some spots along the road.
Note: If you get very nervous on narrow mountain roads with big drop offs you might find the drive up anxiety inducing.
The road is also pretty rocky and bumpy in some spots. I would highly recommend a 4×4 vehicle although some experienced drivers may not have to go with a 4×4.
Once you get up at the campsite/trailhead area you should easily be able to find the trailhead sign.
Trail conditions
Overall, this trail is in pretty good condition. In terms of navigation the trail is easy to follow at almost all points. (There are a few trail junctions you will encounter so just make sure you don’t go off course.)
There is a bit of overgrowth to contend with but a lot of the vegetation is soft so you don’t really get scratched up very bad.
The biggest drawback to this trail in my opinion is that a good portion of it is filled with large, loose rocks. It’s one of those trails that can take a toll on your feet for that reason and you need to be careful of rolling your ankle as well. Having a single trekking pole helped me get through those areas pretty easily.
Route description
The incline begins as soon as you start the trail but it is not very steep so you can get somewhat eased in. The views from the very beginning are pretty amazing, especially if you start around sunrise.
You’ll have sweeping views of thousands of feet below you on your left and then some nice canyon views on the right. Carr peak will be looming above you as well.
At about half a mile into the trail, there is this cool little grove of pine trees that is really beautiful to see during golden hour.
Just after that, you will come across the first trail junction. It is right at this point that the elevation starts to gain quicker as you approach the main set of switchbacks.
There are about a dozen switchbacks in this entire section and you’ll be gaining a little over 600 feet in a little under a mile. So this is a little steep but it’s really not that bad. (The steepest mile on this trail has close to 700 feet in elevation so that is about as bad as it gets.)
As you finish up the switchbacks you’ll be graced with an awesome view of Miller Peak.
You’ll then head through an area of grassland with some great views in the background.
As you approach about 8,400 feet in elevation it’s time for the aspen groves! This trail has some of the best encounters with aspen trees that I have seen in southern Arizona. For a second I thought I was back in Pando!
Because of the low wind there was minimal quaking but we did get to experience some of that. Even better, this dense grove of aspens provided us with some nice shade as we made our way up on a hot day.
I should also point out that you’ll find some beautiful Douglas fir trees along this trail as well.
You’ll soon be about 2 miles into the hike and you will start to wrap around the peak as you climb towards the summit.
Up here, you will encounter more aspens but these will be much more juvenile. In fact, you may be swallowed up by the aspen overgrowth on the trail!
Once you make it out of the smaller aspen grove and continue to wrap around the summit, the views are really amazing, especially those looking over to nearby Miller Peak.
This area did experience some burn so there is not a lot of tree cover although if you start in the morning you should have plenty of shade thanks to Carr Peak.
When you are close to .3 miles away from the summit there is another trail that heads off in another direction so make sure that you continue on to the summit. (That trail could connect you to Miller Peak via the Crest Trail if you wanted to go that route.)
After making your way through some dense vegetation you’ll soon pop up on the bald Carr Peak summit!
The peak offers some pretty tremendous views all around. I could easily see over to Mount Wrightson, Mount Lemmon, and even the Rincon Mountains.
Final word
This is a really amazing trail, especially for warmer weather months. The drive up to the trail head is one of the coolest mountainside drivers we’ve done. The trail offers just enough elevation gain and distance to make it moderately challenging and the views and encounters with aspen and fir trees make this a must to hike in my opinion.