Parking
Use designated park parking, then follow the signed trail network via Kisva. No separate parking area is marked at the Yavapai Ridge loop; the 0.37 mi covers the circuit, not the approach.
Overview
About Yavapai Ridge Trail
Why go
- A quick circuit to add to a walk on Kisva.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Red Rock map
Full mapElevation3,891–3,937 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Red Rock Tour Guide
Your drive to Yavapai Ridge Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Red Rock State Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
Miller Visitor Center and Hummingbird Garden0:00 / 0:28
“Coming up is Miller Visitor Center, a useful short stop for getting to know the park's plants and wildlife.”
Plays on the road 0.5 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Red Rock Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Twin Cypress and Habicamp
- Eagle's Nest and Apache Fire
- Lime Kiln Trailhead
- 4 audio storiesacross Red Rock’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Mule Deer, Gila Woodpecker, Clark's Spiny Lizard, and 10 more
- Works offlinemaps, 12 trails, 11 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Yavapai Ridge Trail
A short ridge circuitYavapai Ridge is a 0.37-mile loop reached from Kisva on the east side of Red Rock State Park.
Yavapai Ridge is a 0.37-mile loop reached from Kisva on the east side of Red Rock State Park. The circuit takes about 15 minutes and makes a good add-on if you’re already exploring the park’s connected trails; I wouldn’t cross the park just for this short loop. The approach from Kisva adds distance beyond the loop itself.
Find the loopFollow Kisva to the Yavapai Ridge junction in the East Gate-side trail network, complete the…
Follow Kisva to the Yavapai Ridge junction in the East Gate-side trail network, complete the circuit, and return to the same junction. Use designated park parking and reach the trail on foot; no separate parking lot is marked at the loop. If you’re starting from the Miller Visitor Center, add the walk to and from Kisva to your plan.
What’s around itThis loop sits on the park’s eastern low ridge.
This loop sits on the park’s eastern low ridge. The wider trail network links red-rock views with the greener Oak Creek corridor, but no named overlook is marked on this circuit. Restrooms and a gift shop are at the Miller Visitor Center, a separate stop back at the park hub; no on-route food offering was identified.
Park rulesStay on designated trails.
Stay on designated trails. Pets are prohibited except service animals, and swimming or wading is not allowed. Blacktail rattlesnakes are seen occasionally in warmer months across the park, so give any snake room and keep to the path.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Red Rock
68 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
12 sightingsGila WoodpeckerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
19 sightingsClark's Spiny LizardMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
67 sightingsOrnate Tree LizardMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
41 sightingsGreater Earless LizardMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
40 sightingsSide-blotched LizardMost seen around 10 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Red Rock. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
