Family Fun Activities
Hiking
There
are many places to hike in Arizona. There is a great Web site for planning
hikes, www.azcentral.com/travel/hiking.
You can type in an area and difficulty of the hike you want and it will give you
a list of possible trails and directions. The site also provides important
information such as the length of the hike, time of year and day that is best
for taking the trail.
The greater Phoenix metropolitan area has some of the best desert mountain hiking in the world.
- Cave Creek Recreational Area - Located in Cave Creek off Carefree Highway south of Cave Creek Road at 37904 N. Cave Creek Parkway. Has a variety of hiking trails with different lengths and degrees of difficulty. Call (623) 465-0431 for information.
- McDowell Mountain Regional Park - Located in Fountain Hills on McDowell Mountain Road. Has a variety of hiking trails with different lengths and degrees of difficulty. Call (480) 471-0173 for information.
- Squaw Peak Summit Trail - Located in Phoenix at 2701 E. Squaw Peak Drive, just north of Lincoln Drive. Children can handle this 1.2 mile hike if adults take their time and allow about 1 1/12 hours in each direction. The trail covers a steep 19% grade. For more information call 602-262-7901.
- Camelback Mountain - Located in Phoenix north of Camelback Road on 48th Street. This landmark hike is for intermediate to experienced hikers as the trails are steep and difficult. There is no park. Not recommended for children. Call 602-256-3220 for information.
- Papago Peaks - Located in Phoenix at Van Buren Street and Galvin Parkway. A good spot for family hikes. The area contains sacred Native American sites (Tohono O'odham and Hohokam), accessible caves, some petroglyphs and good views of the Valley of the Sun. Call 602-256-3220 for information.
- Papago Park Trails - Located in Tempe, west of College Avenue between Curry Road and Loop 202. Hike the Loma Trail to see archeological sites.
- South Mountain Park - Located in Phoenix at 10919 S. Central Avenue is the jewel of that city's Mountain Park Preserves. The area contains more than 40 miles of maintained, marked trails that are all open to hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers. Rangers can help you plan hikes to view petroglyph sites. Call 602-261-8457 for more information.
- Lost Dutchman State Park - off Highway 88 between Apache Junction and Roosevelt Lake. A great place for hiking and picnicking, (480) 982-4485.
- Usery Mountain Recreational Area - east of Usery Pass Road, north of Mesa. A variety of hiking trails with great panoramic views, (480) 984-0032.
