Arizona trails · Great Western Trail
Great Western Trail
A 58.1-mile network in Arizona, with 2,045 ft of climbing. Reaches Government Reservoir and other lake destinations. Managed by U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 2,778 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Government Reservoir (lake)
- Rock Canyon Reservoir (lake)
- Valley Tank (lake)
- Three Lakes Tank (lake)
- Tater Tank (lake)
- Buffalo Hill Tank (lake)
- Buffalo Trick Tank (lake)
- House Rock Trick Tank (lake)
- Orderville Tank (lake)
- Kane Trick Tank (lake)
Heads up
Getting there
GREAT WESTERN TRAIL junction. 36.64346, -112.11481 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:08 a.m., the sun rises at 6:34 a.m. and sets at 5:53 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:19 p.m. (MST) — 11 h 19 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 58.1-mile route works out to roughly 22 h 32 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- GREAT WESTERN TRAIL + BEALE WAGON ROAD + Coxcomb Mtn. Bike — 4.5 mi loop, 291 ft gain
- Round Mountain Bike + Great Western Trail — 10.2 mi loop, 834 ft gain
- GREAT WESTERN TRAIL + BEALE WAGON ROAD + Coxcomb Mtn. Bike — 7.6 mi loop, 640 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Arizona Trail — 6.5 mi