Best Nature Parks In Phoenix Near Me

4worldlovers: Come join us this month to learn what PMPC is doing to protect the Phoenix & Sonoran Mountain Preserves. Guest presentations will be conducted by Jessi Szopinski with the Parks and Recreation and the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance Desert Defenders. To Learn more about this event visit 2023 PMPC Spring Social

Park Stewards have a wide range of backgrounds, interest areas, and activities that they participate in. But one thing they all have in common is a dedication to Phoenix Parks and Preserves. Please meet these dedicated individuals through their October 2022 Newsletter. Park Stewards Oct 2022 Newsletter

The proposed Taylor Morrison “Verdin” development would be the first one within the Desert Character Overlay area, and will set a disastrous precedent if allowed to move forward, totally bypassing the Desert Character Overlay, and in essence, deleting the DCO Preserve Protection intent for all future developments adjacent to our Desert Preserve Lands. See attached PMPC Call to Action for attendance to the March 10th Meeting by Desert North Gateway Village Planning Committee Meeting.

Note: ***The March 1st Village Planning Committee regarding Verdin Development was moved to March 10th at a different location.

PMPC is very concerned about the Verdin Housing Development project. The Taylor Morrison Verdin (formerly MacEwen 480) is a 480-acre Planned Unit Development (PUD). This site is pristine desert adjacent to the Sonoran Desert Preserve, located south of Sonoran Desert Drive, between Cave Creek and Apache Washes, and incorporates the smaller Mesquite Wash. This PUD will set a precedent for all future developments adjacent to the Sonoran Desert Preserve and along Sonoran Desert Drive. The northern third of this site is under the ‘Desert Character Overlay District’ (DCOD), per Section 653 of the Phoenix Zoning Ordinance. The DCOD is the result of hundreds of hours work by individuals committed to thoughtfully and specifically ensure the native desert areas adjacent to the Preserve are not eclipsed by future housing developments that disregard the fragile beauty of the desert. Present zoning is S-1 or one home-site per 35,000 SF; or about 500 homes. Their PUD proposes to increase the zoning to allow about 1,420 home sites!

City of Phoenix Natural Resources Division North Area Park Preserve Supervisor Claire Miller, working with representatives of Pointe Mountainside HOA, Hillcrest IX HOA, PMPC, SOMF and Lookout Mountain Golf Course, continues the City of Phoenix’s goal to re-establish Trail 25 that connects the North Mountain Preserve south of Thunderbird to Lookout Mountain north of Thunderbird. Supervisor Miller and North Area Park Preserve Manager, Josh Parnell have flagged the original trail with yellow ribbons, and has flagged the proposed realignment with green ribbons.

The main goals are to realign the trail in dedicated Multi-use Trail Easements or as close as possible to them and to route the trail away from the golf cart path and back onto natural surface areas. The excitement of the new alignment is that by routing the trail away from the cart path and through natural areas, hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers will be closer to the desert environment and will be able to enjoy some really stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Trail creation and realignment is a multi-step, multi-year process involving various city departments and community stakeholder groups and the public. Stay tuned for future updates!

An approved project on 160 acres in the North east corner Happy Valley Road and Central Avenue can be reviewed at PMPC will continue to request that the Hillside Ordinance (if it applies in the SE corner) and the Edge Guidelines be adhered to. The current zoning is S-1 which is approximately one house per acre. The approved zoning is for higher density housing, and commercial. The east boundary is adjacent to the Sonoran Preserve, and there are no planned or existing trails in that location. For More Information

4worldlovers:
Review "Take a Hike. Do it Right." guidelines before visiting the trail. The symbol to the right of each trail name represents the difficulty rating.

*Add an additional level of difficulty when the temperature is in the triple digits.

Long used for mining and grazing, it did not become a city of Phoenix possession until 1959, when the area was annexed and a long-term lease agreement was signed with the state of Arizona. It later became one of the major rallying points for mountain preservation efforts.

4worldlovers: The Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve is a large, permanently protected, sustainable desert habitat that includes an interconnected network of non-motorized, multi-use trails (hike/bike/horse) accessed from multiple trailhead locations.

Electric bikes are not allowed in the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Electric bikes are motorized, and Chapter 21 of the Scottsdale Revised Code prohibits motorized vehicles from being used in the Preserve, with the exception of motorized wheelchairs, or vehicles in designated trailhead parking areas.

For information on guided hikes of Scottsdale's Preserve, visit the Natural Resources Coordinator Guided Hikes or the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy.

With the warm spring weather upon us, the cold-blooded reptiles of the Preserve have emerged from hiding, including rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes are an important part of the Preserve ecosystem and are a protected species. The Preserve is a wild area inhabited by a variety of wild animals, which are inherently unpredictable. While you visit their natural habitat, it is important to remember a few tips to assure a safe experience.

Do not place your hands or feet in places you cannot see

Move slowly and deliberately, and back away to a safe distance

Provide a caution to other hikers in the area about the presence of the snake

If the snake is in a developed area, like a trailhead, contact the Preserve staff (480-312-7013) and they will do their best to relocate the snake.

You can pickup hard copies at any of the trailhead locations or at:

The Preserve is open everyday, sunrise to sunset, free of charge. All trailheads open and close at specific times throughout the year.

Please observe all rules and regulations including no alcohol, smoking or fires.

Dogs in the Preserve are a privilege. If you bring your dog it is your responsibility to follow the rules:

If it is over 90 degrees at any time in your hike, it's too hot for your dog.

Dogs must be on hand held leash, no longer than 6 feet at all times.

Waste must be pick up immediately and disposed of in a trash container or carried with you until you reach a trash container.

Dogs do not actually sweat. They exchange heat through panting and to a minor degree, through their feet pads. Additionally, our canine friends do not tolerate high environmental temperatures as well as humans do.

The risk groups are much the same as humans: Old, obese, suffer from medical conditions or take medicine. Certain breeds are more susceptible to heat emergencies than other breeds. These breeds with a broad, short skull: Boxers, Bulldogs, Pugs, etc.

Worsens if dog vomits, becomes unsteady, lethargic, unwilling to move (Core temp in the 104 degree range)

Immediate cooling of body with water, cool packs to groin, where legs meet the body, neck

Get to Veterinarian (Consequences of heat emergency = kidney failure, heart irregularities, other system failures, death)

Cool vests and trail booties for dogs are available and are very efficient

A Special Use Permit is required for special activities and organized events including professional photography and filming, special events, weddings and other ceremonies, and community club activities such as group hikes and rides. Please fill out a special use permit request form to begin the process. It typically takes 7 to 10 business days for a permit to be issued. Call 480-312-7013 for more information or read the Preserve's Special Use Guidelines. (PDF)

4worldlovers: Car and horse trailer parking, restrooms, shade ramada, interpretive and orientation signs, no drinking water, accessible Camino Campana Trail

Car and horse trailer parking, restrooms, shade ramada, interpretive signs, no drinking water

Parking, restrooms, shade ramadas, interpretive signage, water, horse trailer parking, hitching rails, water trough, accessible Jane Rau Nature Trail

Covered amphitheater, shade ramadas, restrooms, water, interpretive signage, maps, suggested routes for different lengths of hikes, bike rides, and equestrian routes. Large paved parking lot with extra long parking spaces on the northeast side for vehicles with bike carriers. Separate equestrian parking lot with shade ramada, hitching rails, and horse water trough.

Parking, restrooms, shade ramadas, water, accessible Bajada Nature Trail, horse-trailer parking, hitching rails, water trough, interpretive signage

Car and horse trailer parking, water, restrooms, shade ramada, interpretive and orientation signs, accessible Kovach Family Nature Trail

4worldlovers: The Base and Meridian Wildlife Area is located 17 miles west of Phoenix at 115th Avenue and the Gila River in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Common vegetation includes assemblages of cottonwood, willow, salt cedar, seep willow and desert broom, mesquite and many other herbaceous and woody species.

The area is used by Ferruginous hawks, coots, gallinules, quail, doves, egrets, herons, and the federally endangered Yuma clapper-rail and Western yellow-billed cuckoo.

Common mammals include coyotes, foxes, bobcats, common raccoons, skunks, Greater Western mastiff bats, and other small mammals.

Acquisition of the Base and Meridian Wildlife Area (1973) was made possible with cooperation of county, state and federal agencies including the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, Bureau of Land Management, USFWS and Maricopa County’s Department of Transportation, and Flood Control District.

Volunteer your time, or donate to help us with conserving and protecting our wildlife. When you purchase a hunting or fishing license online, resources go back into wildlife conservation.