Photo by Mare Czinar

HIKE OF THE MONTH

South Mountain Park/Preserve, Phoenix

Active Phoenicians enjoy the advantage of living within view of the nation’s largest municipal park. Covering more than 16,000 acres of Sonoran Desert, South Mountain Park/Preserve was established back in 1924 to preserve the area’s ecosystem and artifacts as well as to provide a local recreational destination.

Although it’s not the easiest way to get to know the park, Holbert Trail offers many points of interest along the way that make it worth the extra effort. The hike begins with an easy stroll through “petroglyph alley.” Along this half-mile stretch are samples of ancient rock art created by the Hohokam and other indigenous peoples who inhabited the Salt River Valley as far back as 300 B.C.E. (To learn more about the rock art, visit the South Mountain Environmental Education Center located just up the road from the trailhead.)

Past the petroglyphs, the trail turns steeply uphill following a narrow, rocky path shaded by ironwood, palo verde and elephant trees. A thousand feet over the Valley, the route tops out at Dobbins Lookout, the highest point in the park accessible by trail. Here, sweeping vistas of an urban landscape embraced in a ring of hazy mountains inspire new appreciation for the stark beauty and oft-overlooked fragility of life in the desert.

Information

Length: 5 miles roundtrip

Rating: moderate-difficult

Elevation: 1,300–2,330 feet

Getting there: From Downtown Phoenix, take Central Avenue south all the way to the end where it enters the park. Once past the gate, take the first left into the activity complex area. Keep left, stay on the main road, and follow it to the last ramada, where there are restrooms and drinking fountains. The trail begins across the road. The park is usually open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Information: phoenix.gov/parks/hikesoth.html