I’m in an arboretum, in a riparian zone, in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, in the nation’s fifth largest national forest, an hour from downtown Phoenix. And as I watch butterflies flit between stalks of lavender and the fiery blooms of caesalpinia pulcherrima, I’m smirking. It’s the face I get whenever I think of outsiders eschewing my desert as just hot sand and dirt.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum, the state’s oldest botanical garden, was founded as an arid plant preserve and a global collection of the trees that thrive best in the climate. You’ll find a healthy representation of natives
— agaves, aloes, barrel cacti and saguaros—along with some transplants like the eucalyptus and boojum.

Nine scenic paths cross the state park and arboretum, including the 1.5 mile Main Trail that winds past the founder’s Picket Post Mansion and beside cottonwoods drinking from Queen Creek. We started at the short Sonoran Desert Exhibit loop and continued on the Main Trail toward the greenhouses.

The nearby Children’s Horticulture Garden dazzled with orange Queen butterflies and the smells of herbs.

Father down the path, the Cactus and Succulents Garden offered some up-close investigation of barrel cacti and other forms that look like the spinier cousins of a coral reef.

Rushes line the lips of Ayer Lake, a reservoir created for irrigation. From here, you’ll get your first glimpse of Boyce Thompson’s Picket Post House perched on the hill beyond. The historic mansion is closed except for special occasions, but the trail takes you up close to its crenelations in a volcanic cliffside.

At the easternmost edge of the park, you’ll have an option for your loop back along Queen Creek. The High Trail hits the views, but we opted to stick to the Main Trail so we’d trek through the Eucalyptus Forest. After standing on the suspension bridge, of course. Keep an eye out for hummingbirds.

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Already otherworldly, the fantastic forms of succulents and towering saguaros get a special treatment in Klip Collective’s “Electric Desert” exhibition, opening October 12 at the Desert Botanical Garden. As part of an Influencer Preview Night, I was treated to an early peek at the interactive evening experience.

Seven sites along the Garden’s trails now burst with mesmerizing light displays, carefully mapped over individual plants. Snaking cacti arms wriggle with patterns. Prickly pincushions shimmer with rainbows. And a hillside of saguaros sings as “Desert Chorale,” where light undulates from blowing winds to dune-like waves.

The experience draws visitors along from the garden entrance, where barrel cacti ringed at the base with LED halos flash gently in time to ambient music. The Cactus and Succulent Gallery is my particular favorite. The surreal colors and light patterns mimic something of an undersea encounter—if coral reefs were powered by magic mushrooms.

Viewed either from the Sonoran Desert Nature Loop Trail or the Ullman Terrace, the powerful “Desert Choral” sequence is captivating for minutes on end. I sat and watched from a patio chair as the hillside swam with patterns and striped the tops of organ pipe cacti in the field around us. The chasing lights invoked a desert storm and the movements of a snake, and I got a bit emotional listening to the inspiring, often playful electronic soundtrack.

Artists Klip Collective bring another fantastic nighttime transformation to the Desert Botanical Garden, where Bruce Munro once graced the same paths with immersive light displays (I visited three times). For anyone who’s strolled the garden during the day, it’s just another excuse to come back after hours. You can even buy a combination ticket for a daytime visit and admission to Electric Desert for $40. Electric Desert only tickets range from $24.95-$29.95 for adults. The exhibit is open through May 12, 2019.

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If you are visiting Phoenix for the first time or want an introduction to Sonoran Desert scenery, get Papago Park on your list. It’s the perfect short jaunt for after-work sunset sightings, or to try trail running, mountain biking or scrambling up the sides of the buttes off-trail.

The park also shares a footprint with two of Phoenix’s best attractions, the Desert Botanical Garden and Phoenix Zoo.

Getting There

Papago Park is divided by Galvin Parkway into east and west sides. The east side boasts Hole in the Rock, a famous formation you can climb into after a short hike, plus fishing lagoons, trails and the curious pyramid tomb of Arizona’s Governor Hunt. The west side is best for hiking and offers loop trails around sandstone buttes.

There are two parking lots to access the west side. The more accessible lot is located off of Galvin Parkway, and there’s also a tiny pullout along eastbound McDowell Road, if you just want to start from the amphitheater. The east side has plenty of parking near Hole in the Rock and surrounding the lakes.

Papago Park East

I snuck in from my preferred parking lot near the canal. These bighorn sheep may be living life on the edge, but they are far from wild: They’re Phoenix Zoo residents coming to watch the sunrise.

Governor Hunt’s Tomb

What on earth is that white pyramid on the hillside overlooking the park? A 1930s tomb for an eclectic governor, of course. George Hunt is entombed here with his wife and some close family members. His interest in Egyptian history inspired the shape, and I suppose his chops as a politician permitted him the unconventional burial place in the middle of town.

You can get here and enjoy the views by walking up the trail that leads from a parking lot below.

Hole-in-the-Rock

This natural sandstone “cave” is accessible from a .3-mile uphill walk, and peeks out over the lagoons below toward downtown Phoenix. It’s a great viewpoint without a lot of work, which also means you’ll be sharing it with several other onlookers. Come for a sunset and stake out a spot inside the rock opening to watch, or if you are daring, climb up onto the landmark.

Hole-in-the-Rock refers not to the large opening, but a smaller hole in the top that Phoenix’s ancient masterminds of civilization planning—the Hohokam—used to track the seasons.

The ponds

You can fish from these three palm-lined ponds, or just enjoy the reflections.

Papago Park West

It’s your hike, your way on the trails around the buttes on the west side of the park. The main path is the Double Butte Loop, which takes you 2 miles around both formations. You can also access the Little Butte Loop, or climb onto the butte itself. The Big Butte Loop circles the formation closest to McDowell Road and through the amphitheater on the north side. The CCC built these stone seats back in the 30s, and the 3,500-person amphitheater historically housed Easter sunrise services; now it’s solely used for runners getting their heart rate up on a morning exercise routine.

Obviously be careful, but the buttes are fun to climb off-trail. There are alcoves and great views up there.

As a creature of habit, my path when hiking Papago Park is to start off on the west side of the Double Butte Loop, running uphill to the Little Butte and walking around the top, then walking to the ramada in the middle before circling the Big Butte.

Bonus: Tempe’s Papago Park

Since I live just blocks east of the park, I sneak in from the Crosscut Canal Path starting near Evelyn Hallman Pond. My typical route is to actually cut south into what my husband and I unofficially refer to as “Tempe Papago,” or the trails around Curry Road.

There is an entire system back here for climbing on buttes and following trails through wild desert. It’s an after-work ritual in the cooler months before the sun sets. We’ve also played disc golf in the course off of Mill Ave.

If you want to really spend some time out here, there is a tunnel under Curry that connects the upper and lower half of the trails. Climb the Loma Trail to the ramada, and you’ll be elevated for views of the 202 freeway and beautiful skyline of downtown Tempe over the water. You’ll also be standing on the ruins of Loma del Rio, an ancient Hohokam ruin. I like the sensation of watching roaring traffic and sleek buildings from 1500-year-old stones.

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It’s a phrase that’s become a common joke with my hiking friends. Midway through almost any scenic trail, recency bias inspires us to proclaim it’s the best we’ve ever trekked.

So one day years back on South Mountain’s Mormon Trail to Hidden Valley Loop, it was designated “favorite.” And since I’ve hiked it each year since, I’m starting to think it might actually be one of the best in town.

South Mountain Park & Preserve is a hiking wonderland in itself. Just 20 minutes from the core of the city, this massive 16,000-acre slice of the Sonoran Desert offers crisscrossing trails for all hiking levels. You can climb up to the highest accessible point at Dobbins Lookout, or wander the 12-mile National Trail from its East to West ends.

And if you want to have some fun clambering over, through and under lots of rocks, Hidden Valley is your pick.

Hidden Valley via Mormon Trail

Length: 3.4-mile lollipop loop

Duration: 2 hours

Season: Spring is the best for scenery – the trail will be filled with yellow brittlebush and other wildflowers. Winter is great for cool temperatures, and mornings in the late summer/fall are also approachable if you finish before the midday sun. The trail is completely exposed except for the short tunnel.

Crowds: It’s South Mountain’s most popular trail, so expect some steady traffic.

Difficulty: Moderate. The initial climb is steep, and there are sections on the loop that require some rock navigation and careful footing. The trail is hard to follow at points, so know your route and keep an eye out for other hikers.

Dogs: Yes, on a leash – and if they have some clearance to clamber over a few rocks.

Mormon Trailhead to National Trail

The hike begins at Mormon Trailhead, a small parking lot on 24th St. It will likely be full, unless you are there for the sunrise; overflow parking stretches on both sides of northbound 24th.

You’ll get your heart pumping right away on a 1.1-mile ascent up the wholesomely-named Neighborhood Canyon. The views look over the surrounding homes out toward downtown, and the higher you climb, the better they get. You can spot Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak and the Papago Buttes in the distance; Four Peaks is also visible out to the east. There are a few spots to take a break and a photo opp on the canyon rocks.

When you reach the junction of Mormon Trail and Mormon Loop, you are presented with three options: A vantage point you can climb for a great view looking north, a trail for Mormon Loop to the left, and a straight southward trail to continue on Mormon Trail. Do not take the loop trail (but climb the hill and back if you want)! Your route should take you straight south, on a sandy path that’s blissfully level after the climb. Here, you’ll reach a sign that indicates a turn off for National Trail.

National Trail Connector

You’ve finished the lollipop stick, and have the choice of which way you want to go around.

Going right: This is the preferred way if you are unfamiliar with the trail, or want an easier descent down rocks instead of a climb up. Head right on the National Trail for .4 miles, and you will see a sign for Hidden Valley/Fat Man’s Pass to the left.

Going left: This is my personal preference because I like the challenge, and am familiar with where the trail leads. I love the gradual approach to higher views and clambering up instead of down. If you decide to go right, you will take a .2-mile jaunt on the National Trail before reaching a turnoff for the Natural Tunnel.

Fat Man’s Pass

To enter Hidden Valley, a challenge awaits: Squeezing through the rock crevice known as Fat Man’s Pass. It’s not a requirement for proceeding; you can hike around to the left if you want. Otherwise, kick your claustrophobia, take off your pack and slip sideways through the rock.

Oh, there is another way over. You can slide on your butt down a sloping rock, slicked with wear from other intrepid hiker butts. My inner child requires I try this at least once every time. Trust me and be cautious if you’re in shorts that might ride up and give you rock burn. Which is definitely not what’s happening in this video…

Hidden Valley

Tucked away from the bustle of bikers and hikers on National Trail, Hidden Valley is aptly named. The .5-mile section of the trail winds through saguaro sentinels, sandy flats and lots of intriguing rock formations. Slow down to play, if it’s in your schedule. You can hop in and around several different pathways and small outcroppings.

Natural Tunnel

The end of your Hidden Valley journey is a 40-foot rock tunnel. Have fun investigating the formations on the sides, and for the adventurous spirits, climbing up on top of the tunnel to explore the rocks above.

If you came from the right, you will have a .2-mile connector on the National Trail back to Mormon Trail, the lollipop stick. Enjoy the views on the way back down to the trailhead.

Preview the Trail with Google Trekker

In 2017, I had the opportunity to be part of capturing the Mormon Trail to Hidden Valley Loop with Google Trekker. This 360° camera technology is the off-road version of Google Street View. To literally put this trail on the map, my team at Visit Phoenix took turns shrugging on the giant, 45-pound camera backpack and walking steadily down the trail. Awkward? Yes. Painfully heavy at times? Oh yeah.

But we did this for you, curious hiker! Check it out, and if you see a gap in the footage, it’s where we had to turn it off to painstakingly slide it down to each other over sloping rocks. Good times.

Click through the hike below or open in a new tab here.

Start of the trail:

Inside the natural tunnel. And yes, that is me, captured for all online posterity as a creeper on the rocks. This way, Hobbitses!

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