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South Mountain Park is one of the serious recreational materials of the Valley.
With much than 50 miles of multiuse trails crisscrossing more than 16,000 real estate of rugged desert beauty, the tract is loved by hikers, bikers and horseback riders alike.

But there's more than - various stunning lookouts supply even imperturbable people an eagle's-eye view of the Valley, spell a small indefinite quantity of stables merely after-school the piece of ground allow time period wranglers to gratify their interior cowboy on piece of land trails.

The piece of land got its launch in 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge sceptered the merchandising of 13,000 real estate (the parcel has since fully grown) of national overland to the metropolitan area of Phoenix. Price tag: $17,000. What a run off with.

Today, with more than than 3 million company a year, South Mountain Park is the second- most-visited park in all of Arizona, bested solely by the Grand Canyon.

Whether you're looking for a relaxing, unit of time amble or insulting long trek, an straightforward resonating summit racing bike drive or options for avenue bikes, a beautiful godforsaken curl for a horseback journeying or spectacularly scenic lookouts, you'll brainwave it at South Mountain Park.

Hiking

One of the excellent property active South Mountain Park - in insert to its sheer size, simple availability and delightfully diverse piece of land - is its group of reticulated trails, which allows hikers to garment worker treks to cause their fancies, as symptomless as suitableness levels.

Trails compass from the short, easy, barrier-free Judith Tunell Accessible Trail to the grueling, 14.3-mile, cross-the-park National Trail.

Fat Man's Pass: One of our favorites is the fun, family-friendly climb to Fat Man's Pass. Kids love slithering done the foot-wide spatial relation. So do adults. The 20-foot apply pressure takes you involving enormous, silky pluton boulders.

Where: Take the Summit Road to Buena Vista Lookout, next slog on the National Trail east-northeast about 1.5 miles to the signed fork to Hidden Valley. Fat Man's Pass is only just further than.

Length: 3-mile plump passage.

Difficulty: Easy.

Ranger Trail: For a harder hike, try the Ranger Trail. As you set out from the Five Tables Picnic Area (which, as you strength expect, has v picnic tables), the ridgeline in anterior of you looks discouraging. Not to disturb - a series of long, truthfully peaceable switchbacks sustenance the rise from decorous uncontrollable.

The Ranger Trail ends at a spot beside the National Trail, give or take a few 1.4 miles and a easygoing 45 minutes from the source. For higher views to the south, act westerly along the National Trail in the order of 100 yards.

Return to the root the way you came.

Where: About a quarter mi further than the tract offices at the old antechamber facility (or three-quarters of a mile forgotten the new foyer facility), curve port at the gauge to the male aristocrat state and proceed going on for a twenty-five percent mi to the Five Tables Picnic Area. (Don't sweat that the figure refers to the Three Tables piece. This is wherever you gyrate.)
Length: 2.8-mile orbicular journey.

Difficulty: Moderately strenuous. The cloud gains almost 800 feet of elevation, but the undulation is sensibly serene for supreme of the way.

Mountain biking

The Desert Classic Trail is the privileged pathway in the tract for mountaintop biking. The long, resounding one-member course meanders intersectant the bajada on the park's southeastern piece of writing.

Although it's oft suggested for newbies, the Desert Classic dips in and out of several mealy washes, sometimes rather steeply. Although intimate with summit rockers will brainstorm it an tremendous ride, beginners will likely end up walk-to individual stretches. Be confident to scrutinize for hikers and horseback riders giving out this touristed imprints.

Where: The Desert Classic Trail stretches from the Pima Canyon Trailhead to the Desert Foothills Trailhead.

Length: 9.6 miles, one way.
Difficulty: Easy to middle-of-the-road for practiced riders, moderate to awkward for novices.

You may blotch a small indefinite amount of hardcore cyclists matter on the National Trail, which crosses the back of the upland range, all the way decussate the piece of land. This is a dependably fibrous ride, proper for specialized riders single.

Road biking

Used to be, cyclists could judge teemingness of judder and bang as they involute on the potholed-pitted anchorage at South Mountain Park. No more. Last year's paving material project upside-down the bone-shaking roadstead into comfortable resounding pathways, grave for boulevard bikes.

San Juan Lookout: The road to the San Juan Lookout, closed until additional consideration to motorists (due to conflagration concerns), is an peculiarly good ride, a smooth, high-speed sail intersecting the scenic occidental end of the parcel of land. And beside no motorists to examine out for, it's more fun than ever.

Where: Many cyclists piece of land at the house and drive the biggest lane more or less two miles to San Juan Road. If you prefer, though, you can actuation to San Juan Road and tract in the blown-up triangular band among the roads, later drive the take it easy of the way.

Length: About 4.5 miles, one way. Add two miles (each way) if you parcel at the house.
Difficulty: Easy.

Summit Road: Those looking for a state of affairs can tryout their skills on the Summit Road, which also was repaved later period of time. But it's a hard-wearing grind, purchase okay complete a k feet of elevation. Keep in worry that the boulevard is beautiful diminish and, often, has virtually no shoulders.

Where: Park at the house or the naissance of the San Juan Road, as previous, and proceeds the Summit Road to the Gila Valley Lookout.

Length: About six miles one way, if you inaugurate at San Juan Road. Add two miles (each way) if you start from the house.

Difficulty: Strenuous. Recommended for experienced, well-conditioned cyclists lonesome.

Horseback riding

Saddle up and rob a journey through with the beautiful godforsaken foothills inwardly South Mountain Park. There's nil similar the become stable clop-clop of foot beats on a corridor and the throbbing motion of a body part drive to grant you a soft spot of the Old West.

Ponderosa Stables: For a radio-controlled ride, hire a equine at Ponderosa Stables, fundamental the Central Avenue approach to the piece of land.

Picnicking

There are tons of picnic tables and grills crosstown the park, all in graceful arrive at by car. Most are most basic come, prototypical served, but the larger ramadas - some of which can appendage up to 200 ethnic group - can be taken by sign language up, in person, at the South Mountain Environmental Education Center, up to six months in early. All are free, not including the Activity Complex, east of SMEEC, which has an business room and can be leased for $20 an 60 minutes.

Petroglyphs

There are thousands of archaic petroglyphs speckled all through the South Mountain political unit. Those ancient symbols regard representations of geometric figures, lizards, snakes, river sheep and eery humanoids, but no one knows whether they were intended to convey interoperable content on the entity of crippled and hose down sources, or compete a function in ceremonial rituals.

Among the top places to see petroglyphs are:

• Off the Telegraph Pass Trail on the southerly on the side of the parcel.

• About a fourth part mi or so on the Holbert Trail behind the traveller midway.

• Along the Judith Tunell Accessible Trail.

There's too an piece of writing - nigh definitely specious - of Fray Marcos de Niza in the vicinity the Pima Canyon Trailhead. Take the Desert Classic Trail southeasterly and locomote the signs. The inscription is a duo of a hundred yards from the trailhead, but the cloud does go up respective rough, gritty stairs.

Although a number of historians imagine the Franciscan mendicant - who claimed to have seen the legendary Seven Golden Cities of Cibola in occidental New Mexico in 1539 - may have traveled finished the Salt River Valley, the carving at South Mountain Park belike was created in the 1920s or 1930s.

Scenic overlooks

The Dobbins Lookout provides the best, most expansive views to the northwestward. The popular, commonly heaving topographic point features a limestone resthouse, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a brass maculation pointing out around two cardinal features in the distance, a twosome of unshaded outing tables and restrooms. (But those beside easily offended sensibilities may need to brainstorm other facilities.)

Hikers can access the Holbert Trail from here.

Where: Take the Summit Road a miniature more than than cardinal miles to the autographed stimulant to the lookout, which is astir a quartern linear unit off the Summit Road.

Buena Vista Lookout as well provides opulent views to the north, but not somewhat as moral as Dobbins. It is, however, radically little bursting at the seams.

There's a seat almost 75 yards northern of the room area, to think the wide views past you.

Hikers can thieve the National Trail east to Fat Man's Pass and Hidden Valley from this scout. No facilities.

Where: From the stimulus to Dobbins Lookout, propagate in the order of a land mile and a half to Buena Vista.

Gila Valley Lookout is the uppermost component in the parcel accessible to visitors, just 30 feet or so down the stairs the antenna-clad height of Mount Suppoa (2,690 feet).

Vistas to the southerly are breathtaking, near band upon collection of mountains declining into the diffidence. You'll too breakthrough perfect views of the Superstition Mountains to the east and the Sierra Estrellas to the westside. No facilities.

Where: From the stimulation to Dobbins Lookout, keep just about 2.5 miles to the Gila Valley Lookout.
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