MUP A - Paloma RP, AZ

Overview
The Paloma Regional Preserve is a new park that opened in October of 2020. The park comes loaded with amenities, including a dog park (actually 2, one for big dogs and one for small), baseball fields, a splash park, fishing, picnic tables, pickleball courts, bathrooms, drinking fountains, and even a few trails. The trails were one of the last features added and it seems to still be a work in progress. In addition to adding 11 new trails, they’ve changed the names to the trails that transverse West Wing Mountain. (The trails are the same on West Wing Mountain, they have just given different segments of trails their own name).


Not including the TH described in the West Wing Mountain description, 3 trailheads access the new trails that are part of the Paloma Regional Preserve (PRP). One is located at the East Wing TH and the other 2 are located in Paloma Park on the west end of the preserve. (The preserve extends between East Wing TH and Paloma Park). The MUP A Trail is a trail that connects to both THs and can be easily accessed from either end. For the purpose of this description, the hike is done from west to east, starting from the eastern end of Paloma Park. When you enter Paloma Park, you will need to navigate a roundabout. There are trailheads east and north of this roundabout. For the east TH take the road east from the roundabout and park adjacent to the dog parks. The trail access point will be just to the south of the dog parks through a gated road.Hike
The MUP A Trail (Multi Use Path) is the road that takes off just past the gate at the eastern edge of the park. Unfortunately, there are no maps or trail signs at this TH, but luckily the MUP A Trail (road) is so obvious, that no trail signage is needed. The trail starts off heading in an eastward direction. There will be some minor curvature, but for the most part, it is straight, flat, and very wide - wide enough for two cars to pass each other - trail. Throughout the trail is very smooth, practically rock-free, and ideal for running or biking. As you hike, a dam will come into view, that has been built between East and West Wing Mountains. Your best views of the dam (from this trail) will be between 0.2 and 0.4 miles. At 0.4 miles there is a signed trail juncture with the Speckled Rattler Trail. There is also a bench, a trash can, and a map of the trails in the area. Both the map and the trail post confirm that you have been on the MUP A Trail. From here the trail gradually loses elevation crossing a couple of dry washes. Surprisingly, this section becomes surrounded by trees and tall brush that will obscure the dam and any other distant views. By this time the two-lane road has narrowed to one lane and you get some minor curvature to the trail.

At 1.08 there is another signed juncture with the MUP A Trail veering off to the north. To the south of this juncture, you can see another trail marker which is an indicator for the New River Trail. As the MUP A Trail veers to the north, it changes from a road to a 5ft wide trail and starts to incorporate some twists and turns. The trail will start to gain elevation and the views, such as they are, begin to open up. The best distant views will be off to the north with the Bradshaws and the mountains west of Lake Pleasant, otherwise, you are ringed by East and West Wing Mountains and nearby hills. At 1.45 the trail crosses the New River Trail. There is a bench, trash can, and trail map at this juncture. The trail will continue to slightly rise above the flood plains behind you, bringing the subdivisions to the east and south into view. At 1.71 the trail starts to move through some low-lying hills and mounds. These hills don’t impact the trail and they’re nothing special, however, they are the first and only notable change in the landscape this trail sees. At 2.07 the trail junctures with the Granite Trail. The trail ends at 2.26 miles when it reaches a concrete platform and benches. The parking and amenities are about .02 miles further up the paved path. Options at this point are limited. You can hike back the way you came for a 4.5 hike or try to take an assortment of other trails as you make your way back west. Note, that there are multiple use and game trails in the area, and signage for the designated trails is not as strong as it could be. That being said, creating your own path back to your car might be more enjoyable than the road you came in on.

Synopsis
The MUP A Trail is a convenient way to access some of the more desirable trails in the preserve. The trail also provides a quick passage from one side of the preserve to the other and has a fantastic surface for running and biking. But that basically is what this trail is about…. a “get me to” trail. A “get me to the trail I want to hike” or a “get me back to my car as quickly as possible, I’m done hiking.”

2024-05-08 mt98dew