Tempe Butte ("A" Mountain)

Tempe Butte is a volcanic outcrop of dark andesite rock on the north edge of downtown, rising 100 metres above the Salt River. Most locals call it "A" Mountain after the enormous white letter A painted on its south face by Arizona State University students in 1918.

The summit trail is short — about fifteen minutes up from the parking lot near the lake — but steep enough to leave you breathing. The reward is a 360-degree view of Tempe Town Lake, the ASU campus, and the wider Valley of the Sun stretching out toward Camelback Mountain and the South Mountains. Go before sunset for the best light. The petroglyphs on the boulders near the base were carved by the ancient Hohokam.

things to do sight hike
A story
The giant white "A" painted on the hillside dates to 1918, when ASU students hauled bags of cement up the butte. Rival students from the University of Arizona routinely repaint it red overnight. Tempe students then whitewash it back. The cycle has continued for over a century.

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