Margaret T. Hance Park 67 West Culver Street phoenix.gov/parks It’s not always seasonally appropriate to bring a book to a Phoenix park, but when the weather cooperates, there’s nothing lovelier than turning some pages under a gentle sun and a light breeze. And ever since the city’s revitalization project gave the western edge of the Margaret T. Hance Park a heavy-duty makeover, the whole strip has come alive. The park connects opposite sides of Central Avenue in down- town Phoenix, features a beautiful array of trees and desert fauna, and provides space for families, skateboarders, joggers, and dog walkers. Most importantly, it also features ample spots to post up and read for a few hours during those beauti- ful days when we can bear to be outside. ✥✥✥✥✥ gets you off the pavement but leaves you smack-dab in the heart of the city? On Murphy’s Bridle Path, which was established more than 120 years ago by developer William J. Murphy, you’ll find families on bikes, middle-aged athletes out for a power walk, and marathoners rac- ing past. This is a city-approved path for both bikers and hikers, one that provides real live shade via dozens of mesquite trees strategically planted along Central Avenue. It runs from Dunlap Road down to just past Bethany Home Road and af- fords keen looky-loo views of some of our most gorgeous residential architecture. ✥✥✥✥✥ McDowell Sonoran Preserve 18333 North Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale 480-312-7013 scottsdaleaz.gov/preserve Lilia Menconi Perfect for both veterans and first-time hikers, this guide by a lifelong Phoeni- cian will have you jonesing for the perfect trail. And now you’ll be able to find it, quickly and easily, among more than 75 great hikes in and around town. Take a Hike Phoenix, published by Moon Travel, allows readers to compare difficulty rat- ings and elevation gain with easy-to-read charts. Specifics like where to find the best wildlife and which trails are wheelchair- accessible are included here, too, as are detailed descriptions of what you’ll find along each trail. Menconi offers maps for each trail as well as handy tips about desert safety and how to hydrate. Kid- and dog-friendly trails are reviewed, and lists of best views and driving directions make this the only hiking guide you’ll need. ✥✥✥✥✥ Murphy’s Bridle Path What’s better than an in-town trail that The McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale is more than 30 times the size of New York’s Central Park. It’s the larg- est urban preserve in the United States, and it certainly feels that way when hik- ing — whether you approach from Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, the Fountain Hills side, or from the far north. Within its roughly 120 miles of trails, there are so many unforgettable sights and experi- ences: the wind rushing and whistling at Windgate Pass, the dramatic stony face of Tom’s Thumb, the way the rocks can abruptly change from slate-blue to Martian-red. Sometimes, you even see people on horseback. Always, it’s a much- needed escape from the right angles and digital screens of life in the city. ✥✥✥✥✥ Holbert Trail 10919 South Central Avenue phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/south- mountain This 2.5-mile out-and-back trail is perfect for anyone looking to fit in a short, but not I t’s sort of silly, but you sometimes like to get on your bike and play a game you call Desert Tour Guide. In your favorite pretend scenario, you’re the director of a guided excursion through Papago Park and its amenities. “Don’t forget to admire the Hayden Flour Mill,” you shout over your shoulder to your imaginary clients as you point your Schwinn Hybrid onto Mill Avenue Bridge, headed toward Phoenix. “But first, check out Tempe Town Lake! Woo hoo!” You explain to your fantasy group that the lake is man-made and actually a reservoir full of water from Colorado. You don’t mention that the west side of the dam that contains the lake collapsed one time, causing it to drain like a tired water balloon; you figure even make- believe tourists don’t like disaster stories while they’re riding over a bridge. In- stead, you point out the paddle-boaters who took off from Tempe Beach Park, with its live-music amphitheater, its baseball diamond, and its Splash Play- ground that’s magically kept puddled with two inches of water for year-round kiddie splashing. You wave toward Moeur Park on your right, pointing out that this former rest stop is filled with historic shade structures and seating areas created by the Works Progress Administration in 1936. And then, all at once, you’re turn- ing into the 1,500 acres of hiking and biking trails that are Papago Park, where you really start rolling with your best pretend-tour-guide schtick. “The range of Papago is made mostly of sandstone,” you hear yourself saying in your head, “with massive buttes that rise and fall throughout the park. There’s an archery range here, as well as a fishing la- goon, a golf course, and the Hall of Flame Museum.” You wave in the direction of the mu- seum and think, not for the first time, that the best thing about make-believe tourists is they don’t ask to actually visit 72 the places on your tour, they’re content to have you just point them out and say things about them. That comes in handy as you pedal past the entrance to the Phoenix Zoo, because actual sightseers would want to go inside and look at the giraffes. You’ve seen them — the sloths and the pelicans and the cotton-top tamarin, too — so you pause just long enough to rattle off a brief history of the zoo, which was founded in 1961 by the owner of Maytag Appliances. Today, it’s home to a world-class collection of black-footed ferrets, Chiricahua leopard frogs, narrow-headed garter snakes, thick-billed parrots, and a whole lot of monkeys, all courtesy of a guy who made washing machines for a living. “So think about that the next time you’re doing a load of whites,” you al- ways like to say at this point in your imaginary tour. By now, you’re bike-trailing it past Hunt’s Tomb, that little white fenced-in pyramid where Arizona’s first governor and his family are interred, then circling around to get a gander at Hole in the Rock. “It’s a natural geological formation,” you tell your invisible customers, “a bunch of openings eroded into a hill of red sandstone formed about 12 million years ago. It’s said that the Hohokam used sunlight shining through Hole in the Rock as a kind of sundial to mark the passing of seasons.” And then you’re off again, headed toward your personal favorite: the Des- ert Botanical Garden, its 140 acres a beautifully spare home to more than 4,000 species of desert plant life. At its entrance, you’ll wax poetic to a bunch of people who aren’t really there about the garden’s agave collection, its commit- ment to cactus preservation, and its on- going exhibits by glass artist Dale Chihuly. And for a moment, you’ll be so caught up in your love of your beautiful desert home, you’ll forget there’s no one there to hear you. BEST OF PHOENIX 2021 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2021.C0M | SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 fu n & g a me s Galvin Parkway B E S T P A RK T O R E A D IN B E S T HIKING A R E A B E S T T HIKING G ak e a Hik e Phoenix E UID B E S T S H OR T HIK E B E S T IN-T O WN W A LK
