Lots of trails, and a primitive venue. Slow down as you approach as it can be tough to find from…read moreother directions than Deer Valley. Elevation can give spectacular sunsets. Bring your supplies; cart them out, as it's a wonderfully clean place. Lots of parking. Not a lot of restroom or other facilities, but acres and acres of hiking from easy to moderate. It's a large area funded by a low budget, but it's a great resource and most will have fun.

Second hike of my day was here across town…read more BRING WATER! Not much for shade parking was easy and free, trails are what you'd expect trails but they were clear of trash and unkept they do look like they are doing phases for upgrades to this particular area. So be mindful and if coming in on 59th you sometimes need to be tactful about that left or right turn into the park or out as cars will fly. Enjoy and hike more it was a hot one today

Beautiful scenery. Explored the fossil creek area with several amazing waterfalls. Very difficult…read morehikes but taking a dip in the ice cold mountain spring water is so refreshing. Make sure you are hydrated for the long challenging hikes in the desert. Be careful not to swim under waterfalls as there are several drownings every year. The drive to get there is 2 hours north of Phoenix followed by a 15 mile drive on a very bumpy dirt road. You need a 4x4 for sure.

The address listed as of April 2023 is for their headquarters. This address will not take you to…read moreTonto National Park. Tonto National Park is located about 1 hr - 1hr and 45 min from the Phoenix area. The difference in time is due to the size of the park. At 2.9 million acres, Tonto National Forest is the largest national forest in Arizona. Tonto is the 6th largest of the USDA National Forests. About 20 minutes into the forest, we lost cell phone reception. If using Google Maps to get to your destination, I recommend downloading the offline map(s.) Water levels were low enough in the creek crossings that cars were able to get to the site we stayed at without any issues. We camped over a weekend at the Cave Creek Group Campground. This campground must be rented, and is only rented as a group camp site. There is a central area with cover picnic tables/ramadas, grills, and group fire pits. Some of the campsites have their own fire pits as well. There is no water at this campground. Vault toilets. One toilet for men and one for women. While toilet paper is provided, it was not enough for the weekend. Someone in our group had a satellite phone. They were able to ask someone who was coming up late Saturday to bring more. The way the group camp site is situated, make for a secluded area. The scenery on the drive in and out was lovely. Driving in from the Phoenix area, it was nice to have a change in scenery. The landscape around the Cave Creek Campground has a less desert feel. The campground is surrendered with trees. Beprepared to take it slow. The road to the Cave Creek Group Campground is winding and, at times, narrow. There was a hill that was almost a yellowish orange from wildflowers. (It photographed with more green.) Coming around the corner and being met with the sight of that hill was a breathtaking moment. As for animals, we saw some random birds, lizards and cows.

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.

This was a well marked trail #60 to be exact. It was marked as "easy" but I would call it more like…read more"moderate". There were a lot of loose rocks up hill and down hill to navigate. It was gorgeous along the way when you could look up. At the top you can see views that are breathtaking. Or, maybe that was the climb. I did see a few mountain bikers and a couple of other people, but for the most part not crowded on the trail. I will do it again with someone, but not alone. I would also recommend some good grip shoes.

My family and I went to Mountain View Park to go for a hike. There is a basketball court,…read moreplayground, large grassy area, and a garden.

We hiked around sunset time. I like the Pima Canyon trailhead parking area. Lots of spaces to park,…read morethere are restrooms, and water fountains. Dogs are allowed on leash...please just for the love of god pick up their poop. I truly don't understand how dog owners think it's cool to leave it. I had my fur baby with me, and I carry extra bags. It's not hard. The sky was really pretty at sunset. We ended up doing the Pima Canyon loop due to time constraints. There are other trails you can do here, and the entire south mountain trail system. I didn't feel like messing with my phone so I didn't take any photos. This is an easily accessed trail system for all levels.

Everytime I show up, I find myself and others exploring a different part of South Mountain. Get out…read moreearly and pay close attention to route you travel!

Let me start by saying that before, taking any hike, please take heed to every warning sign that is…read moreposted. I made the mistake of seeing extremely difficult and comparing it to a hike I did in New Mexico that was difficult thinking that this was just slightly higher than the one in New Mexico. I only looked at the distance and did not pay attention to the incline. This trail is 1.47 miles but has a gain of over 1300 feet. It is extremely steep and that is the part that will take you out! No pets are allowed on this trail, which is definitely a wise decision given how steep and narrow it is. Another hiker told us that there are a total of 36 markers along the trail, I made it to marker five, my husband made it to marker seven. By the time I hit marker five I was dizzy and nauseous. I was definitely not ready for how extremely difficult this hiking trail was. I feel like I looked at the warning signs, but didn't quite register what they were saying. It is a beautiful hike, but you definitely have to be accustomed to the incline and the altitude. The views were beautiful, but you absolutely must be careful, I would recommend a hiking stick to help keep your balance, especially on the way down. So my rating of five star is that they 100% accurately described the trail, it was absolutely beautiful, I just failed to register the warnings.

Quality/Quantity - 2-3 hour round trip hike (my guest does this hike in 4 hours, lol). We got here…read morelate, so we only did 1 hour as we did not want to get a $118 ticket for staying past sunset. So we only hiked to marker 8. A fairly steep rocky trail. No shade, but perfect weather for us on this winter afternoon. Beautiful views; see my pictures. Views of Scottsdale and Phoenix. Atmosphere - At the start of the trail there were restrooms, drinking fountain, bike rack, etc. Very limited parking, make sure you pay attention to the street signs. We got lucky and got a perfect space, probably because we got here an hour before closing and most people had already left. Summit - 2,704 feet. Animals - We saw loose dogs, rabbits, etc. Open from sunrise to sunset. Service - Self service. Price - Free. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1960's since The Preservation of Camelback Mountain Foundation.

This review is for the Hau'Pal T-Bone Ridgeline Trail Loop. There are a lot of other trails that…read morestart or branch out from here. This hike in particular is around 3.1 miles (based on my watch :) AllTrails says it's an even 3.0 miles) from beginning of the trailhead back to the trailhead. The parking lot at the trailhead has 26 spots with two of them being handicap parking. By 6 AM the lot was full and there were a lot of cars parked on the streets before the no parking signs. Following the AllTrails review we started counter-clockwise (right) at around 6 AM. The ascent was pretty steep for the first 1.2 miles since there is a 1000-ft elevation gain to the top. However once you reach the top it becomes more flat and gets a bit easier. The only hard parts once you've reached the top are the big rocks you either have to climb up or down to get back on the trail. During these parts we usually had to also use our hands. After that it was a slow descent to the bottom (some parts of the descent were a bit gravelly so be careful not to slip)! Once you hit around 2.3 miles you'll see a sign that splits off the trail to either continue the Hau'Pal loop and head to the parking lot or head to Crosscut loop (according to AllTrails this one is a 4.6 mile loop). We continued on to finish the Hau'Pal loop. Overall we finished the hike in about 1.5 hours moving at a moderate pace. We started around 6 AM and finished before 8 AM. It does get pretty hot halfway through the hike since it was summer so be sure to bring enough hydration and sunscreen or start the hike earlier!!! There are still a lot of people starting the hike after 8 AM so as long as you're properly prepared you should be good! :) This hike can be hard for those who are not used to more steep inclines or declines. The first 1.2 miles up can be strenuous since it is a 1000-ft climb. But there are some shaded spots along the trail from the rocks that you can rest up near! So just be sure to take your time and be careful! There are also currently a lot of bees swarming the water fountain at the trailhead and even during the hike; around every .20 miles we would have bees buzzing around us. If you're not comfortable with bees or allergic, I would suggest avoiding this hike for now.

Hiked the death trap that is echo canyon trail and it did not disappoint…read more Made for mountain goats aka I recommend it if you're okay with basically rock climbing the whole way up, it's pretty vertical. It's a fun hike and definitely a good workout. It's also very well marked for people who frequently get lost on trails like me. I wasn't super impressed with the view at the top since it's just overlooking the city but it's probably one of the highest vantage points compared to other hikes. Tips: There is one part where the stairs and rails are where it gets very windy so sunglasses can help. You don't necessarily need gloves to do the hike, just be careful with how you pivot with your hands, I got through it without any callouses, scabs or scratches. Like others said, try to wear shoes with some type of traction, I got through it with sneakers. Very small parking lot so come at sunrise or if you come around 7am, sometimes the early risers leave around that time. There's bathrooms and a water fountain at the beginning. Have fun and be safe!

The views on this trail the higher you go are priceless. However, one time is enough for me lol. It…read moretook an hour and a half up and another hour and a half down. This was my first time doing a hike like this and it's definitely not a "beginners" hike but I had no expectations & didn't know what I was getting myself into. On the way down, I fell and busted my knee. My only recommendation is to take your time & take breaks while going up/down the mountain. & listen to your body if you get tired!