HikeArizona.COM

Trail systems change over time. I was curious about how I might find older trail maps of South Mountain that might show where some previous trails are that may not be used any longer. Any ideas where to start looking? City hall? Local librarian?

The mountain bikers have some:
http://mtbikeaz.com/2010/02/20/south-mo ... ough-time/


You might also try the historical aerial photos here: https://www.maricopa.gov/3942/GIS-Mapping-Applications
Scroll down a bit to see the historical aerial tile.
Select which set of pics by year on the right.
Not all years have good (or any) photos and some are incomplete so you'll only get part of SM.

1949 seems decent.

@mudlugs
This is exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for thanks!!

Pretty interesting stuff. I like the 1936 map, "roads to be constructed" seems to suggest that Pima Canyon Road was planned to go all the way up to Buena Vista. Seems pretty optimistic, but then again, those folks in the 30s were into building things.

@overthehillsfaraway
In the spring when the first grass is coming, the old paths are quite evident.

@Sredfield
For better or worse, I've also realized Strava heat maps give away a lot of them/+social trails. Also spotting them now better on satellite, but I've been mistaken before and wound up in a crazy canyon...