Phoenix South Mountain Park

At 16,000 acres, this park is one of the largest reserves in the United States. This park, famous for its horseback riding, biking, and hiking, has several entrances and parking lots in different sections of the park. The parking lots and gated access close at 7:00 PM, but you can hike on the trails well into the evening, as they do not officially close until 11:00 PM. 

It boasts 51 miles of trails, and this is a great place to get in a long walk and wear out your canine. On any and all of these trails, a leash is required. These trails are shared by a number of different activities and motorists, so the leash is for your canines' safety as well as the safety of other visitors to the park. There is no dedicated or fenced off-leash area in the park. This means you are not permitted to remove your leash anywhere within the confines of the park. As this is mostly hiking trails, even if you could, it would be unwise to do so. 

There is ample wildlife in this park, and your dog could chase down and pick a fight that it can't win. Overall this is an amazing park that could lend itself to endless hours of hiking and enjoyment for you and your canine. If you are looking for a good place to get in a nice long walk and get some fresh air and exercise, you couldn't pick a better place in the whole of Arizona.

This park features 20 backpacking campsites, a beautiful river, and an 80-foot waterfall. The views you can get of the park from the summit of some trails are just breathtaking, going up to nearly 3,000 feet in elevation. Two separate picnic areas are available, both with shelter, grills, seating, restrooms, and water fountains. Outside of these grills, fire is typically banned from the remainder of the park due to high fire conditions and dry vegetation.