South Mountain (City of Phoenix Park)

South Mountain is large area so let me start by saying that I have only explored the western canyons and cannot speak to every area of the park.

The western canyons and trails were somewhat of a labyrinth with interconnecting trails, limited signs, and obvious off-trail damage done by humans carelessly trying to get from one canyon to another. All in all I encountered a number of people who were lost, frustrated, and unimpressed with the park.

South Mountain has a number of highly regarded trails that traverse 10+ miles over the mountains and connect this park to others in the Phoenix system. I also saw a lot of bikers and after walking the trails myself can see why. The wide trails and open terrain are much more biker than hiker friendly and I could see myself enjoying this parks sloping hills and lengthy ridges on a bike more so than my feet.

Despite the crowds and frustrating trail system I was able to find seclusion and beautiful overlooks from the ridge line. I would highly recommend spending the majority of any hike on the ridge line as opposed to the valley floor for better views, less dust, and easier ability to find your way.