Home › Arizona › Lakeside › Timber Mesa Trailhead
Timber Mesa Trailhead
4.4 ★★★★☆ 70 Google reviews · Running trail in Lakeside, Arizona · Hours vary
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Mixed
- Loop distance
- 200 mi
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Not reported
Confirmed from Timber Mesa Trailhead's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Popular hiking trail in a forested area with some inclines and peek-a-boo views.
What runners say about Timber Mesa Trailhead
“Great place to ride motorized vehicles, nice easy Trail if you want it or a gentle rock climb for Jeeps for something with a good softest pension.”
The trailhead is just to the right of the map board at the right edge of the parking area. First part of the hike is a moderate climb on a rocky trail with lots of Alligator Junipers. I prefer boots but sneakers are doable. There are numerous trail markers so very easy to stay on course.
Nice hike that is close to town which I would consider easy to moderate. Did the loop clockwise and had some areas of incline that were rocky and some loose gravel during the first couple of miles the rest of the loop while having some incline was relatively easy.
Looks like a great trail to hike. I only got a short distance on the bike(pretty tough spots in areas) because I popped my tire. Heading back tomorrow hopefully
Hiking through snow, some mud but we had a great time. Mid January, temps were great for hiking. Had a snow storm that limited visibility and the snow on the ground made it tough to follow the trail.
Trail conditions & character
“The East side of the loop is on the mesa so is pretty flat and mostly pine trees, predominately Ponderosa Pines.”
“The trailhead is just to the right of the map board at the right edge of the parking area.”
“Could hear road noise during the first couple of miles but there were some nice views of the meadow below.”
“Overall a nice 7.5 mile walk in the woods.”
“Great place to ride motorized vehicles, nice easy Trail if you want it or a gentle rock climb for Jeeps for something with a good softest pension.”
“The inclines were moderate and most of the tail is a mix of 1-3" gravel rock and dirt.”
“First part of the hike is a moderate climb on a rocky trail with lots of Alligator Junipers.”
“This trail is beautiful, peaceful and pretty easy to navigate if you pay attention to the markers.”
“The East side of the loop is on the mesa so is pretty flat and mostly pine trees, predominately Ponderosa Pines.”
Plan your run at Timber Mesa Trailhead
The practical stuff
- AccessHours vary — hours are not posted for this trail, so check before an early or late run
- SurfaceMixed — more than one surface along the route, so check the segment you plan to run
- Loop distance200 mi back to where you parked. Long enough for a real long run.
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- At the trailheadparking — reported by runners
- Websitetrackswhitemountains.org
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