Papago Park

A must-visit spot while you’re in town! I often travel solo for work and always look for places that are both fun and feel safe—this hike checks both boxes. It’s less than a mile, and once you park, it’s easy to find your way up by walking around the rock. If you’re into taking photos, I highly recommend going early in the morning—it’s peaceful and the lighting is perfect. I tried both morning and evening hikes, and while the evening had beautiful views, it was much busier with engagements, kids, and general crowds. Even if you don’t hike up, the base area is worth a visit—lush with palm trees and a serene pond, perfect for a relaxing walk.

Great place to hike! Huge variety of easy to moderate to difficult trails with some paved parts and ramadas and other more steep, mountainous parts. The rock formations are especially cool with lots of fun holes which can be entered and decent shade. It gives scenic views of the desert and cacti and on one of the trails was a pull-up bar and trail heads not only with trail markers but with interesting images and walking stick tricks on them. The desert wild-life including birds and snakes are also visible and existent.

Absolutely gorgeous park! Plenty of spots to sit and chill with breathtaking views of the mountains. The grounds are clean and well maintained. There are plenty of walking and biking paths, which is nice for a bit of solitude even when other people are there. There are picnic areas, water fountains, and restrooms as well. The famous hole in the rock formation overlooks the park, however it was slightly crowded when I went so I chose not to climb it. It was still pretty cool to see! Good place to kick back and enjoy some fresh air. Parking is easy and close by to everything.