The Anthem East Trail is a 6.9 mile trail that extends from Anthem Hills Park to the north and the Shadow Canyon Trailhead to the south. The City of Henderson built this trail using some of the existing utility roads that service power lines in the area, and the trail goes back and forth between single track trails built by the City and wider utility roads. This is a multipurpose trail that is used by both hikers and mountain bikers. Most of the trail is of moderate difficulty, with several steep and difficult sections, which are outlined below.
The Anthem East Trail is divided into two main sections. The northern four mile section begins on the east side of Anthem Hills Park on a winding paved trail, and then follows a utility road that takes you up into the foothills towards the McCullough Hills Trail and into the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area. The trail then takes you down through a series of washes and hills before leading you up a steep incline on a rocky utility road that levels off at 3,337 feet. The trail then takes you back down to 2,949 feet where the City of Henderson has a utility road that services water reservoirs in Sun City Anthem (the utility road leads to a culdesac on Crescent Avenue, but access to the utility road is fenced off). The southern three mile section extends from the City of Henderson utility road to the north, takes you up to the highest point on the Anthem East Trail (3,527 feet) on a utility road, before taking you back down and across a retention basin and to the Shadow Canyon Trailhead.
Below I will describe the entire Anthem East Trail from north to south, starting at the Anthem East Trailhead in Anthem Hills Park and ending at the Shadow Canyon Trailhead in Sun City Anthem. I normally don’t hike the entire Anthem East Trail because of the obvious problem of needing a ride to get back to the trailhead that I left from. Because there are two high points on the trail separated by low point that lies near the halfway point on the trail, I often hike from one of the trailheads for 3 miles and turn back. The Anthem East Trail can also be used to access a number of other great hiking trails, including the McCullough Hills Trail and the Mushroom Loop Trail in the north, and the Arden Peak Road in the south. While I will describe the trail beginning at the Anthem East Trailhead, I normally access the Anthem East Trail by using the Chorus/Arpeggio Trailhead in order to avoid the paved portion of the trail.
Before attempting to hike the Anthem East Trail, make sure that you are prepared and are following the guidelines for hiker safety.
Anthem East Trail Map
Anthem East Trail North Map with Waypoints 1 to 11
Waypoint 1 – Anthem East Trailhead (N 35.98289° W 115.08354°)
You will find the Anthem East Trailhead on the east side of Anthem Hills Park, just southeast of the baseball fields. The bathrooms are located near the baseball fields. The trail begins on a paved path for about .60 miles that winds up towards a utility road.
Waypoint 2 – Paved Trail Ends / Cross the Utility Road (N 35.98025° W 115.07840°)
At the end of the paved trail you will arrive at a dirt utility road. Cross the utility road and look for the Anthem East Trail sign and go left to take the single track trail that follows the utility road up the hill. You might find a mountain biker barreling down the trail towards you, so be cautious. The trail is steep until you level off at the top of the hill.
Waypoint 3 – Right Turn Off of the Utility Road to Follow the Anthem East Trail (N 35.97893° W 115.07424°)
After you have leveled off at the top of the hill (and after passing a look out point on your right) you will see an Anthem East Trail marker on your right. This trail will take you away from the utility road, heading southwest, and down the hill towards a wash below. The trails on the left side of the utility road lead towards the McCullough Hills Trail. Be careful with your footing here, the trail can be steep.
Waypoint 4 – One Mile Marker (N 35.97838° W 115.07399°)
While heading down the hill, you will see the one mile marker on the right side of the trail. From here you have a good view of the Anthem East Trail ahead.
Waypoint 5 – Wash Crossing (N 35.97652° W 115.07168°)
At the bottom of the hill you will arrive at a wash. On your right, the wash leads to the Chorus/Arpeggio Trailhead. To your left, you will see a utility road that heads southeast towards the top of a ridge. You will want to cross the wash heading southwest and looking for the Anthem East Trail markers that leads you to an old utility road between two berms. This area is heavily used by mountain bikers who seem to build new biking trails every year around the next mile and a half. The Anthem East Trail is fairly well marked, but these unmarked trails may confuse you now and then.
Waypoint 6 – Old Utility Road Intersection on the Right (N 35.97445° W 115.07213°)
You will see an old utility road leading back into Anthem Coventry to the right. Pass this utility road and continue south on the trail up towards the top of a small hill.
Waypoint 7 – Pass the West Mushroom Loop Turnoff (N 35.97017° W 115.06898°)
On your right you will see an unmarked trail heading west. This is the beginning of the western portion of the Mushroom Loop Trail, which is a well used unofficial “social trail” that takes you up above the hills overlooking Anthem Country Club. This is one of my favorite variations on the Anthem East Trail, and I often take the western portion of the Mushroom Loop Trail and reconnect with the Anthem East Trail further south. My description here does not use the Mushroom Loop Trail, and continues south on the Anthem East Trail.
Waypoint 8 – Two Mile Marker (N 35.96781° W 115.06773°)
You will see the two mile marker on the left of the trail. The next half mile or so take you through a series of washes. This, combined with the various intersecting mountain bike trails can be a little confusing. The Anthem East Trail will eventually reconnect with the utility road servicing the power lines to the south. So when in doubt, head south towards the power lines.
Waypoint 9 – Utility Road and Mushroom Loop Cutoff Trail (N 35.96610° W 115.06616°)
After crossing a wash you will arrive at the utility road. You will turn right (south) on the utility road, which makes up the next 1.5 miles of the Anthem East Trail. The utility road eventually gets steep and eroded with loose rocks, which makes it my least favorite part of the trail.
As an FYI, if you were to go left on the utility road, you will see another utility road forking off to the right and heading northeast up a hill. This is the connection to the Mushroom Loop Cutoff Trail, which is a trail that connects to the eastern portion of the Mushroom Loop Trail, and can take you back towards the McCullough Hills Trail and to Anthem Hills Park.
Waypoint 10 – Passing the Mushroom Loop Trail (N 35.95935° W 115.06621°)
While heading up an increasingly steep and rocky trail, you will pass the unmarked Mushroom Loop Trail. From here the trail gets steeper until it levels off at the highest part of the northern section of the Anthem East Trail. If you are ever descending on this portion of the trail, be careful of your footing, as the loose rocks can be slippery.
Waypoint 11 – Three Mile Marker (N 35.95515° W 115.06511°)
After the road has leveled off, you will see the three mile marker on the left. At 3,337 fee, this is the highest point on the northern section of the Anthem East Trail. The trail will only be level for a short period, and you will soon be descending down into a small canyon.
Anthem East Trail South Map with Waypoints 11 to 27
Below is an aerial view of the Anthem East Trail’s descent to a City of Henderson utility road, and the trail picking up again and ascending to the highest point on the trail.
Waypoint 12 – Utility Road Ends (N 35.95257° W 115.06878°)
After the utility road starts to descend, it will eventually end and lead you back onto a single track hiking trail. The trail is marked by Anthem East Trail markers, which are on your left.
Waypoint 13 – 3.5 Mile Marker (N 35.95288° W 115.07065°)
As you descend, you will see and 3.5 mile marker on the right side of the trail.
Waypoint 14 – Stay Left at the Fork and Pass the Trail Leading to Anthem Country Club (N 35.95361° W 115.07630°)
When you see a fork in the trail, stay to the left. The fork to the right is an unofficial social trail that leads to Anthem Country Club. The trail used to lead you to an unfenced area of Anthem Country Club, but ACC fenced off this area several years ago.
Waypoint 15 – Four Mile Marker (N 35.95306° W 115.07746°)
As you are descending down the trail you will see the four mile marker on your right. The last time I passed the four mile marker, it was barely legible. These markers were placed around 2010, and some are showing their age.
Waypoint 16 – Cross the Small Flood Basin (N 35.95222° W 115.07692°)
The trail leads you past a small flood basin. After you cross the flood channel past the basin on your right, take the utility road to your left up towards a paved utility road with Anthem East Trail markers.
Waypoint 17 – Cross Paved Utility Road (N 35.95230° W 115.07621°)
Once you reach the paved utility road, you will see two Anthem East Trail markers on the north side of the road. This is where you cross the paved utility road and head towards the Anthem East Trail markers on the south side of the road.
Waypoint 18 – Head Back on the Anthem East Trail (N 35.95206° W 115.07609°)
After you have crossed the road, you will be back on the single track Anthem East Trail. Get ready, because now you are going to ascend to the highest point on the Anthem East Trail. The trail will turn into a utility road once again just before the five mile marker.
Waypoint 19 – Five Mile Marker (N 35.94933° W 115.06972°)
The trail will eventually turn into a fairly straight utility road. As the trail gets steeper, you will see the five mile marker on the left side of the trail. As you get higher in elevation, you will see more Joshua Trees. The highest point on the Anthem East Trail (3,527 feet) is just before the trail makes a slight bend southwest and immediately starts descending.
Waypoint 20 – Arden Peak Road (N 35.94558° W 115.06668°)
After descending down from the highest point on the Anthem East Trail, the trail will intersect with another utility road. The road to the left takes you to the TV and radio towers on Arden Peak. Don’t turn left, and just continue straight (southwest) on the utility road.
As an FYI, you can hike up the Arden Peak road up until you reach a fenced area protecting the communication equipment on Arden Peak. The steep incline of the road makes for good exercise.
Waypoint 21 – East Acacia Loop Trail (N 35.94500° W 115.06705°)
Just 250 feet after passing the Arden Peak Road, on the right you will see a trail marker for the Acacia Loop Trail. The Acacia Loop Trail is a short .4 mile loop trail that reconnects back with the Anthem East Trail in 550 feet. Continue on the trail past the Acacia Loop Trail marker
Waypoint 22 – East Cactus Loop Trail (N 35.94430° W 115.06755°)
Just 270 feet after passing the Acacia Loop Trail, on the left side of the trail you will see a trail marker for the Cactus Loop Trail. Continue past the Cactus Loop Trail. The Cactus Loop is a very short .2 mile trail that connects back with the Anthem East Trail in 280 feet. As an FYI, from the Cactus Loop Trail you can connect with the northern #404 Black Mountain Trail, which is the lesser used primitive trail that takes you to the top of Black Mountain (this trail should only be used by experienced hikers).
Waypoint 23 – West Acacia Loop and Cactus Loop Trails (N 35.94372° W 115.06820°)
Just 280 feet past the Cactus Loop Trail marker, both the Acacia Loop Trail and the Cactus Loop Trail reconnect with the Anthem East Trail. Continue on the trail. Eventually the trail becomes parallel with a City of Henderson utility road on the left. Eventually, the trail turns northwest until it curves back to the southwest to intersect with the City of Henderson utility road.
Waypoint 24 – Cross Utility Road and the Detention Basin (N 35.94122° W 115.07508°)
Once you reach the City of Henderson Utility Road, and a path to the right that leads into a Sun City Anthem neighborhood, cross the utility road and head towards a cement bridge that crosses a large detention basin. Cross the detention basin and look for a cinder block building, which will be to your left.
Waypoint 25 – Cinder Block Structure (N 35.93949° W 115.07767°)
After you have crossed the retention basin, you will see a cinder block structure ahead to the left. You don’t need to go the the cinder block structure, just follow the paved trail to the right (north) and east of the structure that descends down towards the Shadow Canyon Trailhead.
Waypoint 26 – Turn Left to the Shadow Canyon Trailhead (N 35.94034° W 115.07834°)
After descending a small hill, your path will intersect with another paved trail. Turn left (northwest) on this trail (away from the retention basin). This path will lead you directly to the Shadow Canyon Trailhead.
Waypoint 27 – Shadow Canyon Trailhead (N 35.94505° W 115.08135°)
There are no bathroom facilities at the Shadow Canyon Trailhead. If you are catching a ride home from here, you can use the following address for Uber/Lyft or others using GPS to find you: 2268 Shadow Canyon Drive Henderson, NV 89044.
Hiking Around Henderson, Nevada 