Explore the best rated trails in Mesa, AZ. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Paradise Park Trail and New River Trail. With more than 33 trails covering 306 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The Highline Lateral Canal Path runs along its namesake waterway through the Arizona cities of Phoenix and Tempe and the smaller town of Guadalupe. Open in several disconnected segments, the trail...
The Grand Canal Path is one of the longest multi-use trails in the Phoenix metropolitan area, linking the large cities of Glendale, Phoenix and Tempe. Like many of the area's trails, the Grand Canal...
This short trail serves Hillcrest Ranch and the surrounding communities in Glendale. The trail also provides easy access to the short 67th Avenue Trail and can be connected to the much longer New...
This paved, multi-use trail runs along the banks of one of Cave Creek's tributaries and connects to the longer Cave Creek Wash Trail. The Cave Creek Tributary Trail provides access to numerous...
The paved Rio Salado Pathway runs along both banks of the Salt River in Tempe. The generally dry waterway was expanded into Tempe Town Lake in 1999, and the scenic waterfront area is now a popular...
The Pima Road Trail consists of two disconnected segments along Pima Road in Scottsdale. The longer southern section connects to both the Arizona Canal Path and Central Arizona Project to Arizona...
This trail runs parallel to Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale. The trail consists of several disconnected segments on both sides of the road. The western end has a much more suburban feel than the eastern...
The paved Crosscut Canal Path links Tempe and Scottsdale via a route alongside the Crosscut Canal, which dates to 1912. The trail follows the entire length of the canal thanks to a southern extension...
The Western Canal Path, one of several trails adjacent to canals in the Phoenix metropolitan area, connects the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, Chandler, Mesa and Gilbert on its more than 20 mile, east–west...
This sidepath along Litchfield Road serves to connect the communities of Litchfield Park and Goodyear, just outside of Phoenix. The utilitarian-style path is not a destination, but it is valuable as a...
The Tempe Canal Path parallels the Tempe Canal between the cities of Tempe and Mesa. The trail consists of two disconnected segments, separated by the private Mesa Country Club. Both segments serve a...
The Queen Creek Wash Trail has a more rural feel than other trails in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Located within the community of Queen Creek, and following the banks of Queen Creek Wash, this...
The Southern Canal Path is an unpaved route along the South Canal in Maricopa County. One of several trails along the extensive canal network in the area, the Southern Canal Path links to four others:...
The Stadium Connector Shared Use Pathway is a short but important route in northwestern Mesa, Arizona. It links Hohokam Stadium (the spring training home of the Oakland Athletics) and Sloan Park (the...
The Consolidated Canal Path runs north–south along the entire length of the Consolidated Canal, an 18-mile-long waterway dating back to 1891. The route consists of both a paved path and a...
The Dreamy Draw Bikeway passes through the Dreamy Draw Recreation Area in Phoenix, offering ample scenery and access to the area's rustic hiking trails. The trail begins at a residential neighborhood...
This short trail parallels Gainey Ranch Road from Scottsdale Rotary Park to E. Mountain View Road. It offers a great family recreation opportunity to nearby residents.
This trail passes through a landscaped greenway in an overhead electric utility corridor though the city of Gilbert, just outside Mesa and Phoenix. The trail runs from a junction with the Eastern...
The Kyrene Canal Path runs alongside the Kyrene Canal in Tempe and Chandler, providing a connection between residences, businesses, shopping destinations and the Ken McDonald Golf Course. The trail is...
The Arizona Canal Path is one of the longest multi-use trails in Maricopa County, running between Peoria, Glendale, Phoenix, Scottsdale and the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community along both...
Tucked in the southeastern corner of Phoenix, this trail serves as a connector between its namesake communities of Mountain Park Ranch and Lakewood. The paved path runs within a greenway corridor...
The Old Cross Cut Canal Park Path is a 2 mile multiuse trail that runs parallel to N. 48th Street in Phoenix. It is a useful resource for the community, connecting nearby residences to schools,...
The Queen Creek Wash Trail has a more rural feel than other trails in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Located within the community of Queen Creek, and following the banks of Queen Creek Wash, this...
The Tempe Canal Path parallels the Tempe Canal between the cities of Tempe and Mesa. The trail consists of two disconnected segments, separated by the private Mesa Country Club. Both segments serve a...
The Kyrene Canal Path runs alongside the Kyrene Canal in Tempe and Chandler, providing a connection between residences, businesses, shopping destinations and the Ken McDonald Golf Course. The trail is...
The Skunk Creek Trail runs along the banks of its namesake waterway, connecting Peoria, Glendale and the eastern edge of Phoenix. The trail provides a link to residences, businesses and parks, as well...
The Southern Canal Path is an unpaved route along the South Canal in Maricopa County. One of several trails along the extensive canal network in the area, the Southern Canal Path links to four others:...
The Arizona Canal Path is one of the longest multi-use trails in Maricopa County, running between Peoria, Glendale, Phoenix, Scottsdale and the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community along both...
This trail passes through a landscaped greenway in an overhead electric utility corridor though the city of Gilbert, just outside Mesa and Phoenix. The trail runs from a junction with the Eastern...
The paved Rio Salado Pathway runs along both banks of the Salt River in Tempe. The generally dry waterway was expanded into Tempe Town Lake in 1999, and the scenic waterfront area is now a popular...
This trail and its short spur pass through the communities of Paradise Park Manor and Paradise Park Trails in Scottsdale. While the trail primarily serves residences, it connects to the Central...
The Cave Creek Wash Trail is a paved multi-use trail along the banks of Cave Creek in Phoenix. The trail consists of two disconnected segments, the longest of which is the southern section. This...
The Central Arizona Project to Arizona Canal Trail links its two namesake waterways via a winding route through the north side of Scottsdale. Along the way, the trail connects to a number of other...
The Eastern Canal Path spans the entire length of its namesake waterway through Mesa, Gilbert and Chandler in suburban Phoenix. The trail, which at times has a smooth paved surface and at others a...
The New River Trail parallels its generally dry namesake waterway through the populous Phoenix suburbs of Peoria and Glendale. The entire route is paved and uninterrupted, with undercrossings offering...
This short trail parallels Gainey Ranch Road from Scottsdale Rotary Park to E. Mountain View Road. It offers a great family recreation opportunity to nearby residents.
The Indian Bend Wash Path follows the banks of Indian Bend Wash between Scottsdale and Tempe. Along the way, the paved path connects a number of public parks, schools and businesses. A highlight of...
The Grand Canal Path is one of the longest multi-use trails in the Phoenix metropolitan area, linking the large cities of Glendale, Phoenix and Tempe. Like many of the area's trails, the Grand Canal...
The Consolidated Canal Path runs north–south along the entire length of the Consolidated Canal, an 18-mile-long waterway dating back to 1891. The route consists of both a paved path and a...
The Highline Lateral Canal Path runs along its namesake waterway through the Arizona cities of Phoenix and Tempe and the smaller town of Guadalupe. Open in several disconnected segments, the trail...
The State Route 51 Trail parallels Arizona State Route 51, also known as the Piestewa Freeway, on a paved route between the Reach 11 Recreation Area and the golf course at E. Cactus Road near N. 42nd...
The Tempe Canal Path parallels the Tempe Canal between the cities of Tempe and Mesa. The trail consists of two disconnected segments, separated by the private Mesa Country Club. Both segments serve a...
The Pima Road Trail consists of two disconnected segments along Pima Road in Scottsdale. The longer southern section connects to both the Arizona Canal Path and Central Arizona Project to Arizona...
This short trail carves its way along a greenway corridor through the neighborhoods of Bent Tree, Preston Hills and Casa Rica in Scottsdale. The trail provides recreational opportunities to residents...
This trail runs parallel to Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale. The trail consists of several disconnected segments on both sides of the road. The western end has a much more suburban feel than the eastern...
This short trail parallels N. 67th Avenue in Glendale and follows the edge of the Thunderbird Conservation Park. The trail provides a connection between nearby residences and Mountain Ridge High...
This sidepath along Litchfield Road serves to connect the communities of Litchfield Park and Goodyear, just outside of Phoenix. The utilitarian-style path is not a destination, but it is valuable as a...
This paved, multi-use trail runs along the banks of one of Cave Creek's tributaries and connects to the longer Cave Creek Wash Trail. The Cave Creek Tributary Trail provides access to numerous...
Tucked in the southeastern corner of Phoenix, this trail serves as a connector between its namesake communities of Mountain Park Ranch and Lakewood. The paved path runs within a greenway corridor...
The Cave Creek Wash Trail is a paved multi-use trail along the banks of Cave Creek in Phoenix. The trail consists of two disconnected segments, the longest of which is the southern section. This...
The Highline Lateral Canal Path runs along its namesake waterway through the Arizona cities of Phoenix and Tempe and the smaller town of Guadalupe. Open in several disconnected segments, the trail...
This short trail parallels Gainey Ranch Road from Scottsdale Rotary Park to E. Mountain View Road. It offers a great family recreation opportunity to nearby residents.
The Old Cross Cut Canal Park Path is a 2 mile multiuse trail that runs parallel to N. 48th Street in Phoenix. It is a useful resource for the community, connecting nearby residences to schools,...
The Sonoqui (pronounced so-NO-kee) Wash Trail is a 5.8 mile multi-use trail through the community of Queen Creek, Arizona. The rural trail weaves through aesthetic native desert, and is open to both...
The Arizona Canal Path is one of the longest multi-use trails in Maricopa County, running between Peoria, Glendale, Phoenix, Scottsdale and the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community along both...
The Queen Creek Wash Trail has a more rural feel than other trails in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Located within the community of Queen Creek, and following the banks of Queen Creek Wash, this...
The Central Arizona Project to Arizona Canal Trail links its two namesake waterways via a winding route through the north side of Scottsdale. Along the way, the trail connects to a number of other...
The Western Canal Path, one of several trails adjacent to canals in the Phoenix metropolitan area, connects the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, Chandler, Mesa and Gilbert on its more than 20 mile, east–west...
The Consolidated Canal Path runs north–south along the entire length of the Consolidated Canal, an 18-mile-long waterway dating back to 1891. The route consists of both a paved path and a...
The Skunk Creek Trail runs along the banks of its namesake waterway, connecting Peoria, Glendale and the eastern edge of Phoenix. The trail provides a link to residences, businesses and parks, as well...
It's such a beautiful park & the trail is going to be connected to the Sonoqui Trail! The Q.C. Wash Trail leads to another new park in Queen Creek That has fishing, & a fun splash pad. Both parks, & all the trails are just stunning. Everything is well maintained. I take my little girl to both parks & both trails. We ride our bikes, walk our dog, & she rides her scooter too. She loves it all as much as I do.
This trail is a work in progress. We rode about 9 miles, from North Country Club Drive East/South to where the pavement ended. The concrete is smooth and wide in most sections, but became the width of a standard sidewalk near the end.
I hope they continue to pave it, but at least 6 feet wide would be better.
There are also numerous road crossings. Most of them had lights, or where not across heavily traveled roads, but few were pretty busy with no pedestrian crossing lights because they were too close to vehicular intersections.
Some busy streets to cross with no crosswalk or lights. For the most part not user friendly. Some parts of trail are very nice but crossing streets with cars going 60 miles an hour is not safe.
There were small portions of the trail starting at the northern end that were nice (Union Hills and 4th) but within a half mile it quickly became trashy. The trails end abruptly and you’re left without a clue which direction to ride. Pressing south the trails became filled with trash and debris until you hit the golf course. There things started looking better but the asphalt along the course was rough and the lawn mowers spewed the cut grass and rocks onto the trail. I’m tempted to start my ride again at the golf course heading south and see how that looks. As I told my friend - there were two things I liked about that ride: 1) the weather was nice and 2) I was in my bicycle. This ride falls to the bottom of my list of trails in this area!
Fun ride, but misleading. We got on at N 68th Street in Scottsdale, and it is neither paved or concrete. Very rough ride along the canal. Some parakeets in a tree and some other art along the way, but be advised it isn’t paved the whole way.
The trail is scattered with homeless people, shopping carts, & trash. I don't feel safe. They need to patrol the canal roads & clean them up to make them safe.
If you are rollerblading, this trail has a fair amount of gravel. If you are an intermediate skater, then it’s probably not a major problem. I can definitely see a beginner taking a few spills.
This is a nice paved trail, not flat but no big hills. Once on the trail, I only saw one road that had to be crossed while running, the others had underpasses which was nice. This does go partially along a flood zone, so that doesn't happen often but I wouldn't go there after a heavy day/night of rain. Plenty of parking at the Horse Park. I didn't see any obvious restrooms or water fountains. I didn't like the fact that you had to cross Riggs Rd to get to the trail. Riggs Rd is getting widened and about to become a main rd for traffic patterns around the area. It's 5 or 6 lanes wide and no close lights or crosswalks to cross at. All things considered, I'm local so I'll def be back for more runs here. Thankful for all the trails we get to enjoy!
First, the map shows the east end at Alma School Rd. The east end is at Dobson Rd. I was there 2 wks ago.
The trail is paved from Dobson to the 143. There is usually some water in the river east of Tempe Town Lake. You can get on/off at Riverview Park in Mesa, Tempe Marketplace, Tempe Town Lake and all the major streets you cross.
It looks like they are going to extend the trail from the 143 to about 32nd St. If they do it will be awesome to be able to ride from 19th Ave in Phoenix to Dobson Rd in Mesa.
Easy parking at the Equestrian Center. Very nice asphalt path through the wash. Pleasant vegetation and vegetation with plenty of wildlife. The old stagecoach well was interesting and with the covered bench seating a pleasant rest stop. This is a solid short trail for a quick ride in the desert. Note this is a portion of the Maricopa County Trail system so it will be getting longer, eventually.
The trail is wide, and gently uphill. The rough surface is more suitable for mountain bikes and hybrids, not good for a road bike. Approx 1 mile is paved, presumably to keep the dust down for a nearby subdivision.
To get to the trail, turn right as you exit the Horne Rd gate. The trail begins on the other side of the road, on the left side of the canal.
You will pass an orange grove and many horse properties for the first half of the ride. Look for large carp swimming in the canal.
At the small hydro power station at E McDowell Rd, stay left to go though the underpass rather than going up a steep concrete incline.
About half way along the trail you will pass under the Red Mountain Fwy and the populated area ends abruptly.
Their are spectacular views across to the McDowell’s as you follow the Salt River (dry). It’s all desert landscape from this point to the Salt River Dam.
You may see wild horses.
It’s gently downhill as you head back along the canal to the Park of the Canals.
It’s worth wandering around the small Brinton Botanical Garden-good place to stretch your legs and rehydrate.
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