Excellent trail on this chilly morning and I'm very proud of how all the kiddos did. The telegraph…read morepass trail has some incline to it, we went to the old rock "house" structure at the top. Great views. The parking lot here is big and there's a restroom and water fountain. We got started at 8am and it wasn't super busy yet. As day went on more people seemed to be on the trail. It's dog friendly which is great since my boy Flynn loves to hike. Great hike with my peoples.

This review is for Telegraph Pass Trail. It is an easy to moderate 2.3-mile out-and-back trail in…read morethe Ahwatukee foothills area near the AZ-202. The facilities at the start of the trailhead are pretty nice and clean. I love doing this hike in the evening because you get gorgeous views of the Valley at night. Once you get to the top next to Summit Rd (the road is paved), there is bench that you can rest on. There you can get some great panoramic pictures of the Valley with Sky Harbor airport and Camelback Mountain in the background. Once at the top, you have the option of heading back or accessing one of a few trails that connect to it. There is a little stone house to the west and the transmitter towers that blink red at night on South Mountain to the east. We once brought up s'mores to the stone house at night and had some campfire fun over a mini propane stove. If you continue on with the Kiwanis trail from here, you can see some Hohokam rock art. Telegraph Pass is one of my favorite Valley trails and makes for a fun quick hike.

I had heard good things about this trail and it has a cool name, so I decided to check it out one…read moremorning. I didn't want to pay for parking so I started at a different trailhead and hiked a few kilometers to get to the beginning of this trail. I saw a good amount of people along the way, but not too many. They were all courteous and respectful of the trail and its rules. There are lots of switchbacks and some decent elevation, I'd classify it as a moderate hike. The top with the "cave" was nice, more like an indentation, and I saw 2 chipmunks. I guess I didn't make it all the way to the top according to my map, but close enough. I went back down the trail and continued on my loop back to the parking lot I came from. There isn't much cover from the sun so be sure to dress appropriately, wear sunscreen, a hat, drink water, etc. I'm glad I got to do this trail.

This was a good workout and moderately challenging trail. We got started a bit too late so it was…read more"hot" on the trail. I'm glad I was wearing a hat, sunscreen, and had plenty of water. The weather was nice today, it's just a lot of sun exposure on the trail. I saw people of all ages on the trail and dogs are allowed. Personally it was a bit busy on the trail for my liking and I don't love paying $7 to access a trail but we were hiking with a friend who is new to the area and thought this is a nice intro to AZ hiking. There are plenty of other trails in the Usery Mountain Regional Park to check out as well, but we were ready to head out after this trail. Wind cave trail is 3.2 miles out and back, it's about 1,000ft elevation gain and on average takes about 2 hrs to complete. One interesting thing we found at the "cave" area at the top was large honey comb coming out of the rock. There are quite a few bees there and man I would have loved to eat that honey comb haha. That added an element of interest. Overall, nice hike and a good mix of effort. I would have liked to do it earlier in the day, but I'm sure it was even busier then so it worked out.

Fork 'em, Devils. If…read moreyou attended ASU, you have probably climbed "A" Mountain. It's a rite of passage as a Sun Devil. Did you even attend ASU if you haven't stepped foot here? It's a tradition for me to hike this mountain on New Year's Day. You got to start the new year heading in the direction you want to go: upwards and forward. Hayden Butte Preserves is a very doable and easy hike in the heart of Tempe. Come for the sights.

Pretty easy hike. Trail could use some maintenance- missing/washed out steps. Not too crowded at…read more8am on a warm Sunday. No bugs or overgrown shrubs. Rails toward the top for safety and easy to grab/hold onto for stability. We finished in 33 mins and that includes a couple stops to take in the views and catch our breath after a set of steps.

This hike is a 6.4-mile out-and-back trail in the hills of Phoenix's South Mountain Preserve…read more Corona de Loma is a challenging trail that is located just east of Eagle Pass and will take a few hours to complete. The beginning of the trail connects with the Thash Kavid Loop Trail or Warpaint Loop Trail. It is usually called the Warpaint Loop because it is off Warpaint Drive. I came here with a friend and we did the loop trail portion of the hike. The Warpaint Loop trail is around 2-miles and easy to hike because there is no elevation. It is a popular area for hiking, mountain biking and running. Because it is in a desert region, proper precautions should be taken while hiking it during the warmer seasons. Dogs must be on a leash. The Corona de Loma Trail takes you through a diverse terrain with a combination of flat sections. Parking is on the side of the road.

Great South Mountain trailhead, commonly called Warpaint trailhead due to entrance on Warpaint Dr…read morein Awahtukee. There's a decent number of trails with varying degrees of difficulty for hikers and bikers. Most of the trails are fairly flat// little elevation change, so if you're a local and want to try hiking, this is a great start. Also good for visitors/tourists. Most popular trails are Desert Classic and Warpaint Loops. If you want climbing, try the Guadalupe Perimeter. Most of the trails can connect you to other trail systems in the park. Because of the fairly-flat nature of this trailhead system, it's great for star-gazing & observing sunrise/sunset. Fair warning though, some of the bigger desert critters (coyotes) will come out at night... I've heard them! The only downside of this trailhead are limited street parking and no bathrooms. Happy trails!

Please don't go here when it's summer time in Az. Unless you think you can handle the actual sun…read moreBEATING YOU UP (iykyk). The hike is gorgeous, I recommend going at sunrise or sunset. You see the valley in a whole new light. It's always been one of my favorite places to explore. Every time I go, there's something new/someone friendly just around the corner. Love this mountain.

Super easy hike comparable to A mountain just a little more rugged. My 7 year old and 12 year old…read morejoined me on the hike with no issues.

I've been on all of the trails and have competed in races on several. Prices have gone up for park…read moreentry and passes for the first time in quite a while -- it's $10 per vehicle for entry, which I think is still a bargain for a weekend activity with the family. They keep improving the park and it's always clean when I go -- which is quite frequently (at least once a week, but usually more in the spring and summer). The facilities have changed for the better over the years and there is actually more parking within the park itself than you might guess. The volunteers are friendly and do a wonderful job welcoming people, collecting fees and offering advice. Recently, there has been work on the Pass Mountain trail that reroutes it a bit and makes it more easily passable. Wind Cave is still really popular with families, but I have noticed Talon getting a lot of traffic, especially from mountain bikers. The loop around Pass Mountain is great for a longer challenge. Be sure to subscribe to the Maricopa County Parks newsletter to be notified of activities that take place at the park.

We are so lucky. This park is right down the street from us - easy access for walks or hikes…read moreyear-round. My husband buys the Day Use annual pass for $85. It's good for a car entering or him entering without the car. ($20 extra to add an additional person, but I'm covered if I'm in the car with him.) Such a great variety of trails and elevations here. There is truly something for every type of enthusiast. I walk a lot on Blevins which is about a 3.3 mile loop. My husband does trail running. I always see lots of mountain bikers out enjoying the trails. There are also trails like Wind Cave: it's about 3.2 miles up with around 1000 ft elevation gain. At the top you get a great view of Phoenix and Ft. Hills. If the timing is right you can even see the famous Ft. Hills fountain going off in the distance. In the spring if it's a good wildflower year you might see some good wildflowers on the Pass Mt. trail. It's really just a beautiful park to come visit and enjoy the beauty of Arizona. I've seen a gila monster, rattlesnakes, lizards, jackrabbits, coyotes, tarantulas, deer and scorpions so stay alert but enjoy!

I came here on a Saturday morning to run, and I arrived at the parking lot at 10:15AM. Note that…read moresince this is inside Usery Mountain Regional Park, there's a $7 per motor vehicle. The parking lot was entirely full and street parking was pretty full too, but luckily I snagged a spot right at the trailhead as a car left. I went clockwise on the trail, and the map at the beginning says this trail is 7.5 miles (but actually if I add up the mileage on the map, it's 7.6 miles). The views before going down were good but once I went to the back of the mountain, the views weren't very good. Completely unshaded, most people are going counterclockwise so I ran into a lot of hikers, a few bikes, and even a horseback rider and his horse. Some parts of the path are a bit rockier than the others, but all manageable for running.

I spend much of my time on this trail running, especially if I want something that provides a lot…read moreof varied terrain and isn't too crowded. Wind Cave is an awesome workout, but it is typically a lot more crowded. A good portion of the trail is runnable, which is nice. For a moderate running pace, two hours should be fine. In talking to people on the trail, it seems that hikers typically plan 3.5-4 hours to do the whole thing. Maybe longer if you stop at the saddle to have a snack and enjoy the views for a bit. Speaking of that, there are several places to stop and enjoy the views, especially on the backside of the mountain, and it is really beautiful when the desert blooms. I was out here a few years ago when we got snow on January 1, and that was pretty cool to see. These days, I mostly see hikers, although there are some adventurous mountain bikers -- there is an interesting climb (or descent, depending on your chosen direction) just before/after the saddle. I've seen people carrying their bikes on that one. I think tackling this trail clockwise on a bike might be best, although I typically run it counterclockwise to get the rougher parts of the trail out of the way first. The trail is pretty rocky in spots between Blevins and the saddle. It is good to note that you can jump on this trail either from the Wind Cave or Blevins (Trailhead Staging Area) parking areas, but the marked trailhead is at the Blevins parking lot. There is nowhere to get water, except at the Wind Cave trailhead, which, depending on where you park, could be your start/end point. It is best to bring all that you'll need, especially in the summer. This is a loop trail, but there are really no shortcuts out of the trail, so you either plan to do the whole thing or pick a spot to turn around when you're halfway done with hiking. (The trail does connect to the Cat Peaks trail about a mile from the Blevins trailhead, and forks off to connect with the Arizona Trail, but once you're really into the trail, there are much fewer options.) As for shade, the only real shade is provided during certain parts of the year and times of day at the saddle. There are some trees and, if you can crouch in the shadow of some rock formations, you can find a little. Beyond that, it is pretty sparse. I suggest starting early in the morning. Keep an eye out for wildlife. I have scared several deer and jackrabbits in addition to the usual lizards, squirrels and occasional rattlesnake. There is a $6 fee to enter the park by car ($2 if you bike, walk, or run in) and the Maricopa County Parks pass is good here.

Such a fun hike! It took my partner and me about 4-5 hours total to get up and back down. It's the…read moreperfect hike to get lost and go off trail a bit. Definitely bring snacks and hiking shoes. I was not expecting to be actually hiking lol but totally worth it. Lots of people had hiking sticks and dogs were on the trail. By the time we were heading back, more people had shown up to catch the sunset and take photos. Such a beautiful spot and a great hike if you're looking for something scenic and a challenging.

This difficult 6.5 mile (5.5 according to AllTrails) heavily trafficked out and back trail is…read moreanother favorite of mine out in the Superstitions. Total elevation gain is 2641' but almost all of that is in the second half, especially after siphon draw. This well-marked trail involves a lot of scrambling and vertical climbing. Lots of pretty flowers, cacti, and views along the way and at the summit. I began this one just before 11:30am when it was 55°, cloudy, and slightly windy. Ascended in 1h55min and descended in 1h37min. No water but restrooms are open at trailhead. Dogs allowed on leash (May be difficult for them past siphon draw). $7 park fee ($10 on weekends). @azfitfoodfun