Great hiking area with beautiful views all around! The trailhead starts right at the base of the…read moremountain - don't be misled by Google Maps - just drive straight up the road leading to the mountain ahead. Once here there are several routes you can take varying from easy to challenging. Most importantly, please wear appropriate footwear!! I saw an older guy wearing Crocs without the back supports going up the path and he nearly toppled backwards several times. I was very worried for his well-being - this path really requires socks and shoes. Of note, depending on when you go and which direction you choose to go in, one side of the mountain has no relief from the sun - it is hot! The other side is shaded and pleasant. Whichever route you take, make sure to bring liquids to hydrate and know your limit. You can always get to a lower elevation and walk around the mountain if it gets too steep.

Lookout Mountain Preserve was on my list of the top hikes in Phoenix. Located in North Phoenix, I…read moremade my way on a weekday afternoon. According to All Trails, this is a moderate hike. I would agree with that assessment. It took me a little over an hour to complete. There are 30 free parking spots or so and I didn't have trouble finding a spot. I'm not sure if this is the case on a weekend too when the weather's nice. While it's not a super long hike, here's what adds to the difficulty: a good amount of steep incline on the way up the mountain with some rocky terrain. For a small portion, you have to scramble a bit. On the way down, some pretty steep decline in some areas so make sure to have the proper footwear. Even with my hiking boots, my shoes slipped a little bit. I didn't fall or anything, but you probably will if you're not wearing the right stuff. Once you get to the top of the mountain, you'll be rewarded with great views of Phoenix. I sat up there for a good 10 minutes. Enjoy it, this is what it's all about.

Super nice to go with family or just go to enjoy the landscape. Super calm if you go don't leave…read moreyour garbage anywhere there are garbage cans. Excellent place.

The play structures for the kiddos are tooooo lengthy a walk away from the designated parking…read moreareas. This does not make it easily accessible for kiddos with mobility issues.

The Japanese Friendship Garden is beautiful with a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere and stunning koi…read morefish. Everything is very well maintained, and the restrooms were especially clean. There's also a small gift shop with nice items, though it can feel crowded when several people are inside at once. Keep in mind the garden is outdoors, so Arizona summers can be very hot. It's best to visit early, bring water, and plan for the heat. The garden is also smaller than expected--you can likely walk through it in about 30 minutes or less, depending on how long you stop to enjoy the scenery and koi. They also offer excellent workshops and special programs throughout the year, which are worth checking out for a deeper experience. Be sure to visit their website for the latest schedule. Overall, it's a peaceful, beautiful escape and definitely worth visiting--especially if you enjoy koi, gardens, and tranquil scenery.

Beautiful grounds! I…read morewent in June in the early morning and it got hot fast. It's a small park so very doable for a quick in and out of your area short on time or want to avoid the heat. It cost about $15 for an adult ticket. No food or drinks are allowed on the grounds. I thought I could walk around with my morning coffee it had to quickly drink it before entering the park.

Being that I work in Parks and Recreation, whenever I visit a friend in another city, I always like…read moreto check out the local parks. So when I was visiting my friend in Phoenix, she wanted to take me to one of her favorites, Encanto Park. Of course, the name immediately made me think of the Disney movie, so naturally we played the Encanto soundtrack all the way there! Unfortunately, we picked a particularly brutal day to visit because it was a blistering 110° in Phoenix. Needless to say, our visit was a pretty quick lap around the park! It was beautiful and appeared to be fairly well maintained and clean. I was curious about why the water was SO green, though. I'm not sure if that's typical or just a result of the heat. There wasn't a whole lot happening while we were there, which wasn't surprising given the temperature. Even Enchanted Island, the amusement park attached to Encanto Park, wasn't open yet because of the heat. One thing I absolutely loved was the drum circle. I could have stood there and watched for quite a while, but we knew we couldn't stay outside for too long in that heat, so we moved along. Overall, the park looked beautifully maintained and fairly clean. I definitely think this would be a great place to hang out, explore, or spend the day on a much more reasonable-temperature day. I'd love to come back when it's not 110° because I have a feeling there's a lot more to experience here than we were able to see during our very hot and very quick visit!

A gem of a green space smack in the middle of central Phoenix -- where I least expected it. We…read moreneeded to walk off our dinner and were looking for a nice scenic spot and this was just the place. You have a number of paved walkways zigzagging through some very nice landscaping with lots of palm trees, an island and a bunch of picnic tables, and crossing over a number of canals and lakes. A big parking lot makes for easy access too.

The community centre is outstanding. The cleanliness is probably better than a hospital. Friendly…read morestaff the machines are in great shape indoor track basketball Pickleball computers excellent.

Rio Vista Park is pretty much in the heart of Peoria right off Thunderbird Blvd. Super clean with…read moreplenty of ample parking. This is a great park to get access to the canal trail which is what I use it for. No issues with people tampering with your vehicle due to the volume of people who frequent the park. You can fish, use the gym, bring your offspring to the play area or get on the canal trail and bike, walk or run.

Safe, fun, accessible recreation providing hours of time outdoors. What more can you ask for?!read more

I think it's very impressive to learn that the greenbelt project transformed a serious flooding…read morehazard into one of the valley's top residential and recreational areas. I feel it's like an oasis of parks, lakes, paths and golf courses across miles through the heart of the city, and it's so peaceful and chill to walk through the greenbelt area.

I was pleasantly surprised by this park! It was very nice and clean, lots of paths to take. There…read morewere a lot of different areas to the park too, one area had old antique buildings and farming equipment while another area was an orchard/garden. The grilling setup was probably the nicest I've ever seen for a public park. There were probably 20-30 individual picnic table areas each with their own grill. They also had a covered area with even bigger grills. There were even peacocks walking around! Numerous baseball/softball fields, as well as playground equipment. I would definitely come back here and bring people.

Fun little trail to run walk or watch the peacocks shaded in some areas can be crowded with moms…read morewith strollers but it's a park what do you expect there's people. Fun history all over this old farm/ranch

One of my favorite parks in Arizona. Boasts giant lakes, a large new playground, and endless…read moregreenery. Not to mention, the constant supply of many kinds of geese and ducks. Apparently some people don't like geese but I love feeding them (I don't feed them much, I know that's controversial). Our family spent half of our quarantine days here because it was deserted and everything else was closed. We still stop by sometimes.

Beautiful park for a calming walk around the lake. Shhh... quiet secret! Clean as it was the last…read moretime I visited which was 24 years ago.

Great Park!! Checked…read morein with our God Son and God Daughter today at the park. Our God Son is playing Club Soccer for Yavapai County and we met up with them and their Mom. Soccer game was great! He played awesome! The park is so beautiful and great facilities. Ball fields, soccer fields, Water park and lake. For sure would like to go back and check it all out, looks like a really great place!!

Was in the area today and had seen an insta post about this park so we visited it! It is so nice…read more They have nice ponds, a little veterans memorial, huge playground, and a cool little splash pad! We've had some bad experiences with wasp infested splash pads lately but this one was not bad at all, I think I saw one flying around. Definitely a good amount of shading here, making it nice for the summer. My son had a lot of fun and this park was super clean and not overly crowded. Would definitely recommend and will come back again,

Great Place for pictures! This is the second time I have come here to get pictures. Last year and…read morethis year, our children opted to come to Manistee Ranch for Homecoming pictures with their friends. Tip: The evening light is gorgeous. The ranch offers great places for photographs with the backdrop of greenery, a rarity in the desert landscape of Phoenix. There are arboretums, trellis with gorgeous vines, park benches, quaint historical buildings that suit a photoshoot. Parking is nearby albeit it is hidden. Turn south on 51st from Northern. Watch carefully for the sign next to the Walgreens parking lot that says in fine print: Manistee Ranch Parking. For those in heels and finery, the grounds are small so there isn't a long walk to the great photo spots!

I almost hate to put this place on the Yelp! map because of wanting to keep this "secret" garden…read moreall to myself :) But seeing as I do love a good park amidst the city scene it is worth a mention. Note: you have to walk to it since there is no dedicated parking for this park, but it is definitely worth it!