I'm on a new-ish quest to check out all of the County Parks. Being that the (south)western part of…read morethe Valley is relatively unknown to me, I decided to check out Estrella Mountain RP by myself during hiking season. Depending on the time of year with regard to NASCAR races, you may only have access to one entrance or multiple in/out of the park. The main entrance is off Vineyard and Bullard. This park has a nature center (just past the entrance) where you can buy an annual Parks Pass, check out some nature things inside or talk with an employee. As of 2024, passes are $7 unless you have a Parks Pass. Most of the trails I found in this park are loops of varying degree and all somewhat connected to another. You'll see hikers and bikers alike. They also have a couple of playgrounds, pagodas and ball fields which can be rented. The trailhead I parked at had a bathroom building which was appreciated!

It has beautiful scenery, a wide driving path, and multiple trails to walk on…read more Walking trails for all levels and abilities are available, and if hiking is not your thing, there are plenty of picnic areas and a playground. They offer a nature center for learning and enjoyment as well.

Came here for the Bases & Brews Music Fest to see country singer Chris Lane and adult contemporary…read moresinger Andy Grammer. This event was held at the park that accompanies the Spring Training home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers, one of the most amazing and beautiful facilities in the Cactus League! Like the Ostrich Festival I attended the weekend before, there was also a carnival that hosted the music event as well. The event was easily accessible but the parking was a bit of a jaunt. A six-block jaunt both ways for me so I definitely got my daily walk in, between this event and the work event I attended to earlier in the day! But to see Andy Grammer, who is a longtime favorite of mine, and country newcomer Chris Lane, the exercise was well worth my aching feet! I got right up near the stage and plenty of pictures (of both artists) and videos (of Andy only) from their performances and even got to meet Corey Lane, brother of Chris, afterward! I went VIP for this event and am glad I did! Delicious food and drinks and the people who put this on were so awesome! I wasn't able to get pix of that due to people always in the way LOL but I enjoyed the hospitality tremendously. City of Surprise, you really know how to host an amazing event and cater to the people! Thank you for all you do! And last but not least, Thank You Yelp for all you do and Thank You to Andy and Chris for a great night of music!

Christmas in the Park was held here, lots of room for the crowds. Needs bathroom facilities.read more

Clean, fun, and exciting to a toddlers mind. The location of this park is convenient and easy to…read moreaccess. There are many options for multi-age children while offering adults the ability to comfortably interact with the children on the equipment. Although some one tagged a few items in the playground, it did not effect the ambiance of the play area. Definitely excited for when the splash pad opens soon!

Dust Devil is a Park for the whole family. Great walking trail. There is a skate area, basketball…read morecourt, barbeque grills, tot lot, and open fields. There are bathrooms onsite. Accessible parking and ramps. Family-friend park!

Not sure if I should be reviewing this listing or the one for the South Mountain Activity Complex,…read morebut I'll do this one since I came here for the Holbert trail. I've been here a handful of times, but not too often since it's pretty far from home. I was planning to stop by a local coffee shop in this area, so I decided to do an early morning hike beforehand. It's pretty easy to get to this trailhead, and their hours year-round are 5am - 11pm (gates open and close). I wish they would open a bit earlier during the summer, but I got there a few minutes after 5 anyways. I'm always surprised at how few people/cars I see in the lot, I anticipate it being busier. They recently completely construction here and there's a beautiful pavilion now. Several restrooms and water fountains, which is great. Last time I came here, they had rerouted the beginning of the trail to the northernmost part of the parking lot, so that's where I thought it would be. Took me a few minutes to orient myself from the map because I didn't realize there were multiple bathrooms. Holbert trail is nice and there are a few switchbacks before connecting to Dobbins Lookout, which can be reached by car and has a parking lot. I decided to make the small detour to the lookout and spend a few minutes walking around; I like the little house they have. I really didn't like all the trash I saw lying around; I picked up a few napkins, straws and bottles. Not sure if it's flying out of the trash cans or people just being lazy, but it made me sad. I continued on the trail to the National trail, and made it a loop by connecting to the Kiwanis trail and finally Las Lomitas back to the trailhead. I ran into maybe a dozen people, tops. There are so many parking spots available here and the only time I've seen it full is when I did the Phoenix Summit Challenge in November last year. There are probably other times when it gets busy, like when there are events and such, but usually it's so empty. Maybe because it's the hottest part of the summer. This is one of the trailheads that will close from 8am - 5pm when there is an extreme heat warning from the National Weather Service, so be aware of that. I do want to explore the National trail more, so I plan to be back.

On a Saturday afternoon, I checked out Holbert Trailhead at South Mountain Park. Finding the trail…read moreisn't super easy as it's a bit hidden but here are instructions on how to get there: enter the park and follow the signs that point you to the visitor's center. After passing by the visitor's center, follow the road until you hit an area under construction. The road will make you turn left and then it will bring you into the parking lot. In the corner of the parking lot by the construction, you'll find the entrance to the trail. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's get to the good stuff. Holbert Trailhead is listed as a "moderate difficulty" trail on AllTrails. By the way, if you don't use AllTrails, I highly recommend that you download the app. It keeps track of where you're at on a trail (to make sure you stay on track) and also keeps track of some cool stats for you like the amount of time you've spent on the trails, the number of miles you've hiked, the elevation, etc. Rating Holbert as a moderate trail is fair. The first half of the hike is at an incline as you're scaling the mountain. You'll come across a lot of uneven rocks so it's not easy. Make sure to bring plenty of water. You'll eventually reach a fork where one path will continue on Holbert and the other will take you to Dobbins Lookout. Take the path on the right to get to Dobbins Lookout which is one of the most spectacular nature views in Phoenix. To get to Dobbins, depending on your pace, it will take you about an hour and a half. Once you arrive, you'll be rewarded with spectacular views of Phoenix and surrounding suburbs. And you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you walked there instead of driving there like a bunch of other people you'll see at Dobbins. From there, you'll return along the same path to get to the beginning of the trail again. The return trip will be quicker as you're going on a decline. It will be harder on your knees and you'll have to be careful with your footing, but it will be less strenuous. All in all, it should take you anywhere between two and a half to three and a half hours depending on how long you chill at Dobbins. All in all, a top hike!

Bougainvillea Park is spacious and fun! It has a swing set as well as 2 play structures. One for…read moreolder kids and the other is geared toward toddlers. There is also a a large area of grass as well. Bathrooms are also on the premises and are generally clean. This is a great place for picnics and playdates.

This is a really nice park which offers a park with slides and other amenities for kids as well as…read morea basketball court and some tennis/pickleball courts the volleyball court is not that great at all and is very rarely used since it's in rough shape but the grass is always green and is in a nice area.

I like this park…read more It's always got people visiting, and since it's 100+ out that's something to be said for the trees and shaded areas. People walk their dogs. Children playing. Today a fellow raced his remote control truck around with his kiddo, they were having a blast. I even found a group of teens just hanging out chatting about the day passing the time. I come here from time to time myself, it's outside of my neighborhood, but they have better walking areas and shade than mine. So I'll come back.

Great neighborhood park with access to Bustoz school basketball courts and a unofficial bark park…read moreon the East side of the school. They have a small walking/jogging track around the park and a great pedestrian/cycling bridge that allows you to cross the US60 with no cars.

Follow me on instagram Yazpicnicsrentals…read more Oso Park is a nice spot where I created a picnic for one of my clients who chose this spot and they really enjoyed it.

Beautiful baseball park. Loved the treats around the park. Wonderful people, perfect for the Winter…read moreand Spring.

It's a very short and easy climb to the top up and down from the Jomax end. Takes just few…read moreminutes. If you're looking for a fun activity for the family, it will do nicely. Bur you can make it a more serious hike if you take it from the opposite emd starting from the State Trust Land below. I do not recommend taking that longer route starting on the Jomax end because the backside is more easiky climbed than descended. With so much loose gravel and such a steep angle you can easily slip and fall if you go down it. I walk this trail multiple times each week and never tire of it.

Great spot for a short hike, spectacular views, trail is a little over a mile, lots of benches and…read moreplaces to rest. Definitely take water with you.