Burn off turkey while enjoying the weather and some of the area’s most scenic hiking trails.
It’s finally that time of year when we all can breathe a collective sigh of relief, and enjoy the outdoors again.
Wherever you live in the Valley, you can take a relatively short drive and encounter some great hiking trails, while escaping the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Here’s a guide for hikes based on types of people and interests, whether you want to take your kids, get a workout or just soak up some awesome views.
Hike with your kids Mormon Trail to Fat Man’s Pass, South Mountain
This is a fun attraction for kids to enjoy in South Mountain, the country’s largest urban park. Start at the Mormon Trailhead for some moderate switchbacks up hill. Head east on the Mormon Loop Trail, and connect to the National Trail. Soon you’ll hit a cool natural tunnel and continue through Hidden Valley to Fat Man’s Pass, where you and your kids will have a blast squeezing through the giant boulders. Then take the National Trail back to the Mormon Trail. You can also skip the loop for a shorter hike and keep going south on Mormon Trail to National Trail, which will lead straight to Hidden Valley and Fat Man’s Pass. Location: Mormon Trailhead, 8610 S. 24th St., Phoenix.
Distance: 6.2 miles for loop, 3.4 miles for shorter route.
Difficulty: Moderate.
Silly Mountain Park
Mare Czinar, a hiking blogger who regularly contributes to The Arizona Republic, recommends this hike for people with kids and/or dogs. It’s sandwiched between the Superstition Mountains and the U.S. 60, offering beautiful views of the Valley and wildflowers in the spring. There’s also an easy Botanical Walk extension that’s laid out in a figure-eight design, with more than 280 plants from 35 indigenous species lining the path. Location: Highway US 60 & Silly Mountain Road, Apache Junction. Distance: 3.5 miles of trails, plus the Botanical Walk.
Difficulty: Easy to difficult. Papago Park
This is a good spot to visit if you have younger kids. There’s only a few trails, so you can do then in a couple hours and take some extra time to explore. Take the Double Butte Loop and you have the option to cut over to the Little Butte Loop. Get back on the Double Butte Loop and it wraps around back to the parking lot. On the east side of the park between the Phoenix Zoo and Desert Botanical Garden is a Nature Trail and the popular Hole-in-the-Rock attraction, a very short incline to the landmark that offers nice views. Afterward you can walk or drive up the paved road to check out Hunt’s Tomb, where Arizona’s first governor George W.P. Hunt and his family are buried.
Location: 625 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix. Distance: Double Butte Loop Trail (2.3 miles), Nature Trail (0.25 miles), Hole-in-the-Rock (0.1 miles).
Difficulty: Easy.
Hike with your dogs Horseshoe Trail, Estrella Mountain Regional Park
Ranger Tippy Jackson said she always sees people with their dogs on this trail, because of the “switchback through the sandy washes that are soft on the dogs’ paws, and it’s “not super rocky.” She said dogs also seem to enjoy the smell of the washes and there’s beautiful wildflowers in the spring. The trail ends at a rodeo arena, and you can go back the way you came for a shorter hike, or connect to Toothtaker Trail for an extended trip, or even create a combination hike with any of the other connecting trails.
Location: 14805 W. Vineyard Ave., Goodyear.
Fee: $6 per vehicle.
Distance: 2.1 miles out and back. Difficulty: Easy.
Pipeline Canyon Trail, Lake Pleasant Regional Park
Hikers with pups will like this scenic hike that cuts through a split in the hills to a floating bridge that crosses Lake Pleasant. The path offers great views of the lake and desert landscape, and Czi-
nar said this is a great spot for dogs who love water. Location: Lake Pleasant Regional Park, 41835 N. Castle Hot Springs Road, Morristown.
Fee: $6 per vehicle, $2 for hike, bike or equestrian entry.
Distance: 4.1 miles out and back. Difficulty: Moderate.
Hike for great scenery Granite Mountain Loop Trail, McDowell Sonoran Preserve
Doug Jabour, tour program chair for the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, recommends this longer hike that wraps around Granite Mountain. Hikers start at the Granite Mountain Trailhead and take the Bootlegger Trail to the Saddlehorn Trail, which connects to the Granite Mountain Loop. Jabour said the “views on the entire hike are quite unique,” and hikers will see Four Peaks, Brown’s Mountain, Tom’s Thumb and Pinnacle Peak along the way. Hikers can take an offshoot from the loop to Balanced Rock Trail, and get a look at the broccoli-shaped boulder.
Location: 31402 N. 136th St., Scottsdale. Distance: 6.1-mile loop plus Bootlegger Trail to parking lot. Difficulty: Moderate.
Wind Cave Trail, Usery Mountain Regional Park
Along the way you’ll see ample saguaro cactuses and other desert plants. When you reach the “cave,” which is more of an alcove formed “at the boundary between the volcanic tuff and granite on Pass Mountain,” according to the Maricopa County Parks website. There you’ll find gorgeous views from the 2,840-foot elevation. This is also a great trail for trail running and to take dogs.
Location: 3939 N. Usery Pass Road, Mesa. Fee: $6 per vehicle, $2 for hike, bike or equestrian entry.
Distance: 2.9 miles out and back. Difficulty: Moderate.
Hike for a good workout
Sometimes a couple hours in the gym or running around the neighborhood just won’t do. There’s a wide variety of hikes for a good workout, from the popular Camelback Mountain summit trails to ones that offer trail runners a scenic journey.
Piestewa Peak Summit Trail, Phoenix Mountain Preserve
The summit trail is like being on a natural stair climber, with steadily ascending switchbacks and some flat dirt paths on the way up. It’s named for Lori Ann Piestewa, the first Native American woman to die in combat while serving in the U.S. military. The end of the trail requires some scrambling, so be prepared for that. The summit showcases stunning 360-views, and on a clear day you can get views of Pinnacle Peak, Four Peaks, the Superstition Mountains, the White Tank Mountains and more. It gets busy at the preserve on the weekends, and you might have to wait for a parking spot. Dogs are not allowed on the summit trails, but are welcome on other trails in the preserve.
Location: Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area, 2701 E. Squaw Peak Drive, Phoenix.
Distance: 2.4 miles round-trip. Rating: Very difficult and strenuous.
Holbert Trail, South Mountain
The Holbert Trailhead starts through a rock passage, and you’ll start seeing petroglyphs: just remember to look up. You’ll eventually end up in a large canyon and the trail will become steeper. Along the way you can take the extension trail and get magnificent views from the popular Dobbins Lookout. The final stretch offers great views of the Valley, and it ends at the intersection with the National Trail. Hikers gain about 1,200 feet of elevation on the trail.
Location: 10919 S. Central Ave., Phoenix. Continue south on Central Avenue towards Dobbins Road, and Central Avenue will lead onto the park road.
Distance: 4.9 miles out and back. Rating: Moderate to difficult.
Hike on an ADA-friendly trail
Phoenix and county parks have miles of barrier-free trails for those who want to enjoy scenic views and don’t want to be limited by disabilities.
Gila Trail, Estrella Mountain Regional Park
This is a barrier-free trail that is accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. There are signs throughout the trail that educate visitors about plant life, and hikers can take a break on the benches along the way. Jackson said “there’s a couple of cool caves where a coyote mom raised her cubs a few years back.”
Location: 14805 W. Vineyard Ave., Goodyear.
Fee: $6 per vehicle, $2 for hike, bike or equestrian entry.
Distance: 0.5-mile loop.
Difficulty: Easy.
Surface: Stabilized granite.
Black Rock Short Loop, White Tank Mountain Regional Park
Get a close look at desert plants and petroglyphs along this short trail, with educational signs along the way. There’s a good number of benches on the trail to take breaks, so you can relax and enjoy the landscape.
Location: 13025 N. White Tank Mountain Road, Waddell.
Fee: $6 per vehicle.
Distance: 0.5-mile loop.
Difficulty: Easy.
Surface: Stabilized granite.