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    Granite Reef Recreation Site

    4.7 (10 reviews)

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    Lizzie B.

    There's not much parking at this recreation site. It does have a nice view of the river and mountains, however that's pretty much all you can do here. It should be considered more of a lookout.

    Granite Reef Recreation Site
    David L.

    This riparian area is an outstanding terrestrial bird watching biome. Mallards, Great Blue Heron, Ring-necked Duck but just a few of the177 species known to visit. Spectacular views of the Lower Salt River tributary and Red Mountain. In the distance Piestewa Peak to the West and Four Peaks to the East. Fish Species are Rainbow Trout. Largemouth, Smallmouth and Yellow Bass. Crappie. Sunfish. Channel and Flathead Catfish. Walleye. Tilapia. The Salt River is fed by numerous perennial streams that start as springs and seep along the Mogollon Rim and in the White Mountains. Water quality is much poorer this far down stream. Some of this 50 degree water makes it to Tempe Town Lake. Much of the area is covered by cacti, in particular the familiar giant saguaro, but there are also dozens of smaller species like the Hedge Hog or Cholla. These cactus colonies merge with bushes all around. Plenty of tall trees next to the water provide a green treetop canopy over the site. Hiking today was exceptionally beautiful with plenty to photograph.

    Mark T.

    I wanted to walk around near the river and look for horses. This was really a nice spot to get out and walk around. I didn't hike the trails because there were a few people (2 different sets of people) taking photos for engagement photos or something. I didn't want to get in the way, but there were some nice places to get a view of the river. I saw multiple people coming to fish there as well. It was a good number of parking spots and a short walk to the river. A different angle perhaps, but it would serve as a good spot for the cover for my third book.

    Beautiful Christmas Eve 2017 7:35 am.

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    Hole-in-the-Rock

    Hole-in-the-Rock

    4.5
    (384 reviews)
    15.6 mi

    As a respectable hiker, I'm not going to call this a hike but it is a cool experience. I stopped by…read moreon Memorial Day in the afternoon by design. It was 95 degrees so I knew a challenging hike would be out of the question. Something like Hole-in-the-Rock though, easy peasy. While there were a decent number of people there, I had no trouble finding free parking. This natural wonder is located in Papago Park close to the Phoenix Zoo and the Desert Botanical Garden. After you park, you'll have a five-minute walk to get to Hole-in-the-Rock. You'll have to climb an incline to get in the hole, so definitely be careful, but there are kids that do it too. And a lot of tourists that show up. So that pretty much sums it up. Once you get inside, you'll have an awesome view of the Phoenix through a literal hole in a big rock. You'll see a lot of people using it as a photo opp. That's not really my style, so instead, I took a seat and enjoyed the beauty for 10 minutes or so. It can get pretty crowded so keep that in mind if you stop by on a weekend. Hole-in-the-Rock is one of the top attractions on TripAdvisor in Phoenix. Definitely a cool (and short) adventure to cross of the bucket list. I spent 30 minutes there (which included hanging out in the rock for half the time).

    A truly mystical and magical place. They close at 7:00 p.m…read more Most people try to get there later in the day to avoid the scorching 110 deg. weather and hot sun. There is a pond with tons of geese. I saw a man fly fishing.

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    At the top
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    Trail map
    Trail map
    1/12/25 FYI. Cool views.

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    1/12/25 FYI. Cool views.

    Granite Reef Recreation Site - hiking - Updated July 2026

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