Outdoor Recreation

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North Phoenix has a tremendous amount of open space for a metro area, including several parks with designated mountain hiking trails. See our North Phoenix Map to find major recreation areas or explore the list below.

Cave Creek Regional Park: Hiking, Biking, Horseback Riding

Solitude and sweeping views in all directions reward those willing to make a relatively short hike in this 2,922-acre park. Cave Creek Regional Park has more than 11-miles of joint-use trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. An additional 44 campsites with excellent facilities along with 51 individual picnic sites beckon the whole family.

Deem Hills Recreation Area: Hiking, Biking, Horseback Riding

This nearly 1,000-acre park, smack in the middle of the North Phoenix metro area, is a great nearby location for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking, all just west of I-17. Two hills are crisscrossed by five well maintained trails totaling some 14.5 miles in length. Two trailheads — east and west — provide access. A large community park at the West Trailhead offers a children’s playground, a soccer field and a dog park.

Lake Pleasant Regional Park: Boating, Fishing, Hiking

One of eleven regional parks in the Maricopa County Park system, Lake Pleasant Regional Park is the only one with a lake — the second largest lake in Arizona. There are two marinas serving as launch points for a full range of water sports, from boating, sailing and skiing to fishing or kayaking. Plus there are several trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. For resident in the North Phoenix area this nearby water paradise — just 20 minutes off I-17 — has become a Sonoran Desert treasure.

Phoenix Sonoran Desert Preserve: Hiking, Mountain Biking and Horseback Riding

This expansive preserve spans 21,500 acres — more than 33 square miles — of undisturbed desert mountains, washes and plains that wind through and around several communities in North Phoenix. There are some 34 miles of well maintained trails, with three separate trailheads around the Valley, for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.