Arizona trails · Cottonwood Mountain
A 8.7-mile out-and-back in Arizona, with 3,580 ft of climbing. Reaches Sand Tank and other lake/spring/summit destinations. Managed by U.S. Forest Service.
The climbing leans toward the first third: 51% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 2.9. It gives back about 2,100 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
Cottonwood Mountain access. 32.93581, -110.19036 · directions
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:29 a.m., the sun rises at 5:54 a.m. and sets at 6:47 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:12 p.m. (MST) — 12 h 53 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 17.3-mile round trip takes roughly 10 h 00 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 3:54 p.m. — 2 h 53 min before sunset.