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!

Peralta Trails is by far one of my favorites in the Phoenix Metro Area. The drive is beautiful and…read moremost of it dirt. You don't need a four-wheel-drive however. Even if you're not a hiker, just go for the drive alone. I'd suggest getting out of your car at the provide lot and taking pictures at the beginning of the trail as it's something in itself to experience.

Fantastic trail away from everything. Pretty easy steady climb to the Needle on the other side…read more 5miles out and back. Today after few days of rain saw running water and everything was so green. The sound of water made the experience even more beautiful.

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

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.

A fun loop trail with nice vegetation, a few wash crossings and a lot of connector trails. It is a…read moresolid, runnable 5K loop that has slight grades and a mostly clear route -- no rock scrambling needed. This one is doable on a bike, even if you're not that experienced, though there's a bit of sand west of the horse staging parking area. There are (flush!) toilets and a water fountain at the trailhead.

Blevins Trail in Usery Mountain Regional Park is a gem! It's a perfect, moderate hike with stunning…read morevistas and peaceful surroundings. A favorite spot for every visit--always an amazing experience! Saluti

Massacre falls is awesome to visit when the waterfall is going strong. With all the recent rain…read moreit's pretty great right now. I've done this trail a few years ago. The water fall was much more impressive this time. I will say that this time it felt way harder than I remember. Overall I think we hiked about 7 miles out to the falls & back to the parking area. There is a gradual increase in elevation as you hike up to the waterfall. I don't remember all that, I thought the trail was more flat. The views are gorgeous, especially at sunset. This hiking area is next to the Lost Dutchman State Park which charges for admission. Same overall area but no fee to hike up to Massacre falls. Highly recommend it!

Amazing hike not to bad early in the morning took our husky she loved it and our new puppy his…read morefirst hike ever and wasn't hard for him at all!

This Preserve has really been cleaned up for the better. Once a place for beer drinking, bottle…read morecaps and assorted trash, it now is a pleasant spot for hiking. Trails are marked although when you first enter the premises, it is not that clear. I am so glad it really is a Preserve now. They have their own small parking lot and there is street parking.

One of the nicest things about Phoenix is having hiking opportunities close by. Phoenix Mountain…read morePreserve is a great example of that. This sprawling preserve has a ton of trails to choose from. It's also the home of Piestewa Peak. I stopped by on a Sunday afternoon with my buddy who was visiting from out of town. Since he was in charge, I'm not sure what trail we selected but it was a one-hour hike that we followed on the All Trails app. I'd say it was of moderate difficulty and rocky terrain which is what you will mostly find in Phoenix. Your reward, halfway through the hike, is some nice views of Phoenix in between a valley in the mountains. The type of spot you sit for a while and take it all in. While not mesmerizing, it was nice. If you're looking for a ton of different options, of various difficulties and length, Phoenix Mountain Preserve is a great choice. It's right within the city so you don't have to venture far to check it out, either. Parking wasn't an issue at all on a weekend which is nice, too.

Parking lot is small; we were lucky to find a spot around noon on a Thursday. No bathrooms at the…read moretrail head and several were "popping a squat" and leaving behind their toilet paper which was kind of gross. Also no enforcement of the required permit and no other vehicles had parking passes displayed on their dash as instructed by the permit guidelines. Trail is not marked at all and we did get off trail by accident a few times coming down. The entirety of the trail is rocky, which doesn't matter as much during the first mile that is relatively flat but did require strategic footing on the way up the last half mile and extreme caution coming down. I slid several times despite being extra cautious (and saw many others sliding too) and even fell twice (luckily didn't get hurt). There was a small bee hive at the wave and bees followed us the entire way back to the parking lot. Saw some birds and lizards. Made it up in an hour and took just about the same amount of time coming down with full sun the entire time. I recommend this hike because the wave cave is a cool feature but I don't think I'd do it again because of the trail conditions and bees.

Definitely worth the hike, it was a moderate level hike but definitely had me winded at points…read more Check it out if you're in the area!

As a true patron of the Hawes trail system, ridge is a must for each ride. With rocky descents and…read moretough climbing, it brings something to the table for everyone. However, if you're new to the area or just new to mountain biking you may want to steer clear of this trail until you have had a bit of dirt under your tires. At 1.8 miles long, Ridge is one of the most difficult and exhilarating trails that the "Hawes" System has to offer. As most of Hawes is a cross country style of riding, many people decide to venture onto this trail without true knowledge of what they are getting them selves into. The start of Ridge gets into some slight downhill on the edge of the mountain with an open face to your right side. This adrenaline rushed ride can be bombed through, our picked at methodically, as there are many jagged rocks waiting toss you off the edge. While the red rock begins to disappear, the climb to the tip of Ridge Trail begins. At the peak, there are stunning views showing Red Mountain and all of the Salt River area. Personally, I enjoy riding this trail early in the morning or in the evening as the sun hitting the mountain is a stunning sight. However, enough of the scenic talk, back to the trail. As you tires begin to rotate faster you'll find yourself bombing through tight corners and steep rocky descents making your heart rate shoot as if you were climbing a mountain. Although, what goes down must come up. At the end of your wild roller coaster ride you drop into a wash, which turns into a river after large storms, and begin the treacherous climb back to power road. This is were roadies tend to prevail leaving mountain bikers, especially us single speeders, in the dust. If you haven't been out the the Hawes Trail system I would highly suggest a trip. Try to avoid it on Saturday mornings as many hikers seem to favor doing this trail backwards which leads to some awkward encounters as you almost plow through them (not that I have ever experienced one of these moments). Whether you are a seasoned rider trying to test your skills, or a beginner who wishes to improve their technical riding give Ridge trail a try, you'll be happy you did.