Papago Buttes - Papago Park, AZ

Papago Park is mostly for mountain biking, though it gets some equine use also. I use the park as a proving ground for new backpacks, boots, etc... The park stretches from the north side of Tempe Town Lake to the Phoenix Zoo. From the zoo, you can also get to the Papago Buttes trails. There are so many trails cut through this area that you need not worry about losing your way. Eventually, all these trails find their way to the zoo or the actual park at the southern part of the range. These trails are heavily used, especially on weekends, and are easy to find and follow. There are facilities (bathrooms and drinking fountains) at the southern end of the park and the zoo.


There are various difficulty levels of trails available; it all depends on how hard you want to work. Even though this area is in the middle of the city, there are still several wildlife viewing opportunities. If you are out early in the morning, close to sunset, or any time few people are around, you can see coyotes, jackrabbits, ground squirrels, and various plant life along the trails.This trail system is a helpful connector between some of the other various parks in the area. The trails around Tempe Town Lake connect the Scottsdale Greenbelt Park and Papago Park. You can also get to Camelback from Papago via the canal that cuts through Papago. Aside from the Zoo, there are also the botanical gardens just up north and east of the zoo, also accessible from Papago. Papago is a good hiking (or mountain biking) area for short inner-city jaunts down the trail or getting into shape for those longer, more challenging hikes.

2003-06-02 mttgilbert