Don't tell anyone, but the best part of the incomparable Loop trail is in Oro Valley, not in…read moreTucson. Pick up the Loop OV spur on Rancho Vistoso blvd just east of the Big Wash (if you hit Innovation Park Dr you've missed it) and ride down the best hill in Tucson to Tangerine. The views of Pusch Ridge at sunrise are incomparable. Then continue for miles of beautiful off-road trail along the CDO wash until you go beneath I10. From there you can go north to Marana, or south to pick up the Rillito or continue south along the Santa Cruz. The OV Loop trails are pretty much all I ride on anymore. You get seriously spoiled not having to worry about getting hit by a car.

The paved path around Tucson is a real gem for cyclists, walkers, jogger and roller bladers. A few…read moreyears ago I decided I was going to walk the Loop in sections. It took me over two years (two falls and winters) to finish it. There are free parking areas every few miles for easy out-and-back walks. My very first section was the section east of the Tucson Mall. I walked it with my GSD Sadie while in the area and turned around at Campbell Avenue. The path was busy with all kinds of recreationalists, but it also had a large population of homeless people under the bridges. I don't have a particular favorite part. Each section is different. The Rillito River Park has several nice parking areas and water stations and lovely art statues. The parks are lighted at night. The Pantano Wash is more quiet. The section just to the east of the Air Force base is secluded. That is were I was followed by javelina. The ugliest section is the industrial section along the Julian Wash. The wash is full of trash and homeless encampments The section along the Santa Cruz wash that gets close to town is nice as there are places to eat nearby, with benches to rest. I walked a short section again yesterday near the Tucson Mall and noticed at least two walking police teams. The Rillito Wash was trashed again, and the section east of the mall had no trash cans, so people just threw their trash along the wash. Tucson maintains the actual path and will post construction or closures on the Loop's Facebook page.

A beautiful park on the so what quiet east side with many ramadas you can reserve, grassy spots for…read morepicnics, and farmers market Friday mornings. It's large and also has a compost and glass recycling collection area on the north east side. Lots going on here, and a nice path to walk or run!

Only GOD forgives you faster than a DOG! #ReflectDogs Love &…read moreForgiveness This dog park follows along with a pattern I'm noticing here in the Arizona desert. At least this dog park has just natural ground covering instead of pea gravel. So it is something the animals normally run on. They do have water and they do have a trash can and they do have a poop bag dispenser it looks like they have a few trees? Although they don't provide any shade? Each park has a shade structure with a picnic table underneath it, but other than that it is just a hard ground baking platform under the sun we were here at the beginning of March and it was already getting a little warm for comfort.

Perfect place to walk with nice wide paved trails, plenty of parking close to restaurants and…read moreshopping. The smaller loop is just over a mile with longer options for your choosing . Walking under the Campbell overpass note the Bat signage and you can here the bast rustling overhead.Make sure you bring water and wear a hat and sunscreen because it sure heats up fast !

If you come to Tucson or live in the area, you should definitely take a stroll along the Rillito…read moreRiver path. There is a paved path great for cyclists, runners or walkers. Or if you prefer, you can walk/run/bike along the wild side on the packed sand next to the paved trail weaving your way through the mesa verde trees and mesquite. Bring your dogs too, they'll also enjoy it. Most of the year, the river bed is dry and filled with scrub brush common in the Sonoran desert, but occasionally in the spring when the snow melts in the mountains, or during the summer monsoon season, the river will completely fill and the water will rage. Some have even been known to try riding a raft when the water reaches the banks. (FYI, don't do this! It isn't safe.) There are several city parks like Brandi Fenton where you can park and start your journey. Best to look at maps online to find the closest entry point and parking location convenient to you; as the park does cross over a lot of streets. In the distance, you will be able to enjoy the view of Mt. Lemmon and the rest of the Santa Catalina mountain range as it turns different hues of pink, red, orange, brown depending on the time of day you come. Sunrise in the summer months and sunset in the winter are great times to go in order to stay comfortable temperature wise. The trail was an almost daily staple in our lives when we lived here and walked the dogs along the trail or cycled and ran with friends. Even returning, while driving through town, we couldn't help but stop and take a stroll down memory lane by revisiting this lovely gem in Tucson.

We love coming to this park to use the pickle ball courts. The park is well kept and they have…read moreclean bathrooms which are a super plus!

Very clean and safe park. I come for the skatepark, which isn't huge but it's great for a beginner…read morelike me. During the day on weekdays it's pretty empty, which I like, but when there are people there they're always pretty friendly and courteous. The skatepark's plan is just one flow bowl so there are no half pipes or anything, but it's still really great for beginners and intermediate skaters. It's not the closest skatepark to me, but I'll go out of my way to come here because I feel safe being here alone. From what I've seen, hours are 7:00am to 9:00pm. The skatepark is next to a couple basketball courts and a baseball field which both look well maintained. The kids playground is on the other side of the park so I've never gotten a close look at it.

I had a great time. Me and my tiny pups visited mid-morning. Some puddles in areas where the…read moreirrigation was leaking, so I had to keep my dogs out of those spots, no trouble from anyone, very little trash. Plenty of shade trees

I am a fan of Santa Rita skatepark (Albert M Gallego Skatepark) that's located here despite how…read moresketchy the surrounding area is. I would rate the skatepark itself a 4-star but I am giving it a 3-star because I'm taking into consideration the surrounding park area. As a note, I've never used any of the other features at this park aside from the skatepark. The people and the vibe in the skatepark here is always very friendly. Mostly an adult crowd who are super chill and polite. They welcome all skaters as long as you're polite right back. They just want to support people trying to work on their craft, it's really awesome. This is the skatepark you go to if you want to avoid accidentally running over some younger kids. Since it's not really the safest area, you don't get a lot of little ones here that you have to worry about. I continue to come back here because of the skate community here. Onto the negatives. There are lots of homeless people around and sketchy figures around. It's not bad enough to completely stop me from coming here, but as a female I, unfortunately, have to take some precautions when going to this skatepark so I'll share those here. First, I never go here alone. I always make sure to go with or meet up with someone and I wait in my car until they get there. I have a female friend who goes here alone, but will only skate if there are other people in the skatepark as well. If there is no one in the skatepark, she will leave. Second, I never use the bathrooms here. They aren't maintained well anyways, but it has been implied to me that sketchy figures tend to hide in the bathroom doing not-so-legal things. The skatepark itself is gated off from the rest of the park so inside the park I feel fairly safe but the third thing I do is I never leave my personal belongings in arms reach of the outer perimeter of the skatepark fence. I've heard stories of people who left their bags near the fence and gotten their phones or other things stolen by people who reach through from the outside and take off. I know this all makes it seem like a pretty sketchy place, but clearly the skatepark must be worth it if I keep coming back!

We went for a walk around this lovely lake this weekend. The park has beautiful views of the…read moremountains, fishing in the lake that is routinely stocked, a playground area, picnic shelters, a disc golf course, decent restrooms, lots of beautiful ducks and birds, plenty of space to enjoy some outdoor time. The only thing I didn't like was there was no way to get all the way around it unless you could crawl up the flood control part, which was too steep for us.

What could be better than fishing and Disc Golf! Beautiful 18 hole Disc Course course in the park…read moreand a great urban lake stocked with some nice trout! Bathrooms, picnic tables, shade trees, soccer fields, it's a great place for all sorts of activities.

I love this dog park. It is separated by dog size and of course the big dog side is larger. When…read morethere are no huge dogs over there, I'll take my medium sized dogs there. There is a nice pathway all the way around that I love to walk while my dogs play. There is also plenty of shade. The small dog side does not have the space for a walkway, but has plenty of seating for hanging out with your dogs. There are water fountains for humans and dogs on both sides and rakes and shovels to use as pooper scoopers. Pretty much everyone that goes there are friendly and attentive of their dogs. The parks are poop free most of the time, but sometimes there is a missed pile. The fencing is pretty secure, but very small dogs can get under the fence between the big and small dog areas. Just keep an eye on your wee pups. Parking is very close and there are plenty of spaces. There is also a playground nearby if you have children old enough to play on their own. Another cool thing is that Ivan was a Tucson PD Canine and this dog park is a memorial to him.

This park is awesome to have in the area. It's has a play ground, splash pad, pool, baseball field,…read moreand dog park. It also has a paved road all the way around it so it's easy to walk with a stroller.

This is a great place to take the family to unwind. They have plenty of playground equipment to…read moreuse. I like that at any moment of the day there are other families and children there playing and having fun. We will be back.