This year's Hiking Spree directions for the Glassford Hill Summit hike begin at Courthouse Plaza in downtown Prescott. They head east on Gurley Street and State Route 69, turn north on Prescott East Highway, follow Sunset Lane and end at the trailhead on Castle Drive, 9.1 miles in all. That route works for anyone coming from Prescott. For anyone in Jasper, the hill is already out the back door.
Since April, there has been a second way onto Summit Trail. It's a trailhead on the west side of Jasper Parkway, built on what used to be a construction laydown yard. A new multi-use path runs north from it to the Iron King Trail. With the Highlands Center for Natural History's Hiking Spree closing on December 7, the summit and the rail trail both fit into a Jasper weekend without a drive across town.
A laydown yard became a trailhead
The project started small. In October 2025, the Town of Prescott Valley announced that crews had started building a 6-foot-wide, 1,300-foot walking path along the west side of Jasper Parkway. It would link the sidewalk at the north end of the parkway south to Summit Trail. The Town gave a second reason for the work. Until then, reaching Summit Trail from this side meant using an at-grade crossing of Jasper Parkway, and the new trailhead was designed to let people skip it.
By mid-February, Prescott LIVING Magazine reported that the path itself was done, which works out to about a quarter mile. The trailhead was still listed as the next phase. The finished trailhead first shows up in Parks staff's update to the Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission. The draft minutes of the May 12 meeting are in the commission's June 9 agenda packet:
The new Jasper Trailhead was completed last month in coordination with the Utilities Department's water main project. The former construction laydown area on the west side of Jasper Parkway was repurposed into a new trailhead connecting to the Summit Trail. Also completed was a new multi-use walking and biking path, which extends north from the trailhead and connects to the Iron King Trail.
At that meeting, a commissioner asked about the horse sculptures near the trailhead. Staff said they are by Gene Galazan, that the Town had owned them for some time, and that it was nice to work them into the new trailhead. You'll know you're in the right place when you see them.
The original Castle Drive trailhead is still open with parking. The Town's trail page gives the Glassford Summit Trailhead parking address as 6000 E Antelope Lane.
One trailhead, two very different trails
The Jasper trailhead matters because of what's on each side of it. The path heading north finished the link the Town had planned between Summit Trail and Iron King Trail, so you can reach both from one place. The two trails make very different outings.
Glassford Summit Trail
- 4.6 miles out and back, rated moderate by the Town
- About 940 feet of elevation gain to a 6,178-foot summit
- Switchbacks with rest areas, and some loose rock
- Open for hiking, biking, walking, and bird and wildlife watching, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Iron King Trail
- 6.6 miles out and back, rated easy
- 383 feet of elevation gain
- A rails-to-trails route past retired rail carts, winding through the Granite Dells and connecting to the Peavine Trail
Taken together, the trailhead has a climb of roughly 940 feet on one side and a gentle rail grade toward the Dells on the other. A household where one person wants the climb and another wants an easy ride or a birding walk can start at the same spot. The Town's trail page still tells hikers to look both ways when crossing Jasper Parkway to reach Summit Trail. That's the crossing the west-side trailhead was built to get around.
What the climb asks of you in December
Glassford Hill is a dormant volcano. The Town dates its eruption to about 12 million years ago. The route climbs what one regional hiking guide, Wild Paths AZ, describes as an old dirt road with a moderate incline. The Highlands Center's 2026 map notes that there is no shade anywhere on the trail. In December, that means full sun on the way up and wind at the top, so bring water and a layer even on a mild morning.
At the summit, there are views across Prescott Valley and toward the Dells, an exhibit of a heliograph signaling device, and signs naming the surrounding mountain peaks. On a clear day, those signs make a good test for out-of-town guests who think they know the skyline.
Counting it toward the Hiking Spree
The Hiking Spree is the Highlands Center's annual fall challenge. Participants go at their own pace through a list of 10 trails in the Prescott National Forest and the City of Prescott. Glassford Hill Summit is No. 5 on this year's list. The 2026 rules are simple:
- Hike, or attempt, 8 of the 10 hikes by December 7.
- Finishers go into a raffle for a $300 gift card from The Hike Shack.
- Submit your hikes online or in person at the center's nature store.
- A commemorative Hiking Spree patch is $5 at the Benson Family Nature Store.
- There's no kickoff event this year.
The checklist and maps are on the Highlands Center site. For a Jasper household working through the list, the closest hike is the one that now starts on Jasper Parkway.
The weekend before the deadline
December 7 falls on a Monday this year, so the last Spree weekend is also Prescott Valley's biggest holiday weekend. Here's how the days line up from Jasper:
- Saturday morning, December 5. Climb Glassford Hill from the Jasper trailhead. Trail hours start at 6 a.m.
- Saturday, 2 to 8 p.m. The Town's Winter Spectacular takes over the Prescott Valley Civic Center at 7501 E. Skoog Blvd. It has photos with Santa, live entertainment, ice skating, food trucks and holiday activities.
- Saturday, 6 p.m. The Community Tree Lighting Ceremony starts the evening. Right after it, Prescott Valley holds its first-ever Winter Spectacular Drone Show above the Civic Center.
- Saturday, after the drone show. The Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce's Night Light Parade travels along Main Street and Lakeshore Drive, circles the Civic Center and returns to Findlay Toyota Center.
- Sunday, December 6, 8 to 10 a.m. Cars & Coffee fills the J Club parking lot at 4700 N. Stillwell Parkway. It happens the first Sunday of every month, and anything on wheels is welcome, from classic cars and motorcycles to beach cruisers. The café sells drinks and pastries.
- Monday, December 7. This is the Hiking Spree deadline.
To enter a float or marching group in the parade, register through the Prescott Valley Chamber. The fee is $25 through November 15 and $35 from November 16 to 29. The Town notes that Winter Spectacular activities may be canceled the day of the event because of weather. For updates, call Parks & Recreation at 928-759-3090.
Around the hill, before and after
A Saturday climb usually ends with breakfast. Salt & Pepper Restaurant at 2970 Park Ave. had its Prescott Valley Chamber ribbon-cutting on October 19. It's open Wednesday through Monday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed Tuesdays, which works well for an early hike. For trail water and snacks, Prescott Valley's first ALDI opened on Glassford Hill Road on October 15. It's open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
If your errands take you along Glassford Hill Road, plan for some delays. The Town's Glassford Hill Road Widening Project between Long Look Drive and State Route 89A adds a northbound and a southbound lane with new curbs, sidewalks and drainage. As of the Town's October 30 update, it's expected to be finished in late December 2026, weather permitting. One lane in each direction stays open throughout construction, and access to businesses and neighborhoods is maintained. The Town says periodic sidewalk and pedestrian closures may be needed and suggests using another route when you can.
A trailhead that connects to both Glassford Hill and the Iron King Trail is a new amenity on the Jasper Parkway side of the neighborhood, and it has only been open since April. If you're wondering how this spring's trail work and other recent changes nearby affect what your Jasper home is worth today, Prescott Lux Homes can put together a valuation that reflects them. Request Your Personalized Home Valuation, and Cheryl will walk you through it.
