Deem Hills Recreation Area

Reminder: The park is closed at 7pm. All hikers /​riders are to be off all trails at this time or face a stiff fine like my friend received when he returned to his car at 8pm to find a Park Ranger waiting for him.

This is a great spot. Never crowded, smooth trails so very ankle friendly, but it is a challenge if you go to the top. Beware though, lots of rattlesnakes and the trail facing happy valley has very close cholla cactus. Bring tweezers in case your dog steps on some.

It was a 4 star until the recently took out every rock from the trail. Now you could ride a road bike on it almost. Its really sad what they are doing.

The trails are much more dirt than rock, which is a nice change from the typically trails you’ll find throughout Phoenix. This hike is well worth the 30 minute drive to reach the trail head from most places in the Valley.
The combination of vegetation and wild life in addition to perfect trail running paths make this one of the best hikes in Phoenix. You can find picturesque points of view around every turn, especially in the spring when the flowers bloom.

Lots of parking, and the trails are not too crowded. You’ll see some cacti on the way… and the trails are quite long as well. The view from the top is great. If you make it that far. It is a desert climate but there is a strange section on the side of the mountain that the sun blocks that has some tall weeds/​grass that you usually don’t see in the Phoenix area. My only complaint is the lack of signage to explain how far there is left on the trails. There are markers but no information on them.

The hike was excellent. We took the route that takes you around the base of the mountain that is just over 3 miles. Easy enough for our 7 year old, but still will give you a good workout. My wife, me and our two boys enjoyed it.
Only thing that prevents this from being perfect is the address listed on Unilocal is wrong.
Turn north on N 55^th off of Happy Valley. Look for the tall lights around the athletic field and turn on W. Deem Hills Parkway.
Free parking and plenty of it. There is a playground for the tiny ones up to 12 years old. Basketball hoops and a soccer field too.

This is one of my favorite places to hike. It’s not too crowded and there are several trails to choose from.

Thought about doing the 3 mile one but ended up doing the 6 mile by accident, and thought, «oh well, we’ve gone too far (actually just a half mile) to turn around…» And just stuck with it out of stubbornness. With the rain from last weekend, everything was in bloom and it was absolutely beautiful. The 5.9 mile trail around the circumference is full of rolling hills. Most grounding was nice on the north side of the loop but the south side of the loop was a little run down from the crazy rain. There are areas with steady inclines but relief is soon found with long stretches of flat elevation perfect for trail runners looking to do interval training. The trail is clearly marked until you get to the back (north) side, where you end up all the way at the bottom of the «mountain”/rolling hills and you question if you’re going the right direction because you eventually end up in another parking lot at the end of a neighborhood to continue to the rest of the trail. This part of the trail is absolutely flat and runs in the east to west direction (or vise versa depending how you started) and it feels isolated. You can see a lot of bike trekking on this part but kind of boring compared to the beautiful scenery on the south and east sides. Continue running (or walking) and you end up near the canal and turn left onto what’s basically another much larger dirt road and have one tall hill before you see the 5.9 mile trail market on the left side and you return to the rolling hills that very gradually increase in elevation until you end up heading south again. Going this direction brings you through prettier terrain with more interesting plants and rocks again and you eventually see the parking lot where you first started again.
Parking?
Entered off Happy Valley Rd and 55^th to a large parking area and cool recreational park and the trail started right there. Too crowded? Well, there is another entrance with a tiny parking area to the 5.9 mile trail through a neighborhood on the northeast part of the loop but haven’t figured out how to drive there yet, since this was my first time here.
Level? The 5.9 mile circumference trail is moderate on the rolling rocky hills and easy on the flat areas. You can make it more challenging if you add some of the summit climbs in which is what I will try to do next time!

Great hidden gem hiking trails. It has to be on of my favorite trails in town. No traffic or people and lots of options on paths. We only passed one biker. Gorgeous views that make you feel your in N. AZ.

I am writing this review based on the hiking trails. The trails are absolutely gorgeous and so well marked! I did the 6 mile loop and it was a great workout. I will be coming here often!

Beautiful, quiet spot on the outskirts of town. Good trails for beginners, preggers or the athlete. Bring a picnic lunch and make a day out of this little spot with a new park and play area. Good for the whole family and well used by local residents. Seems a nice park and neighborhood for random graffiti though. Not sure what that’s about.
If we’re ever again in the area, we will go again!

This area is really good for a great Hike. Nice and Gradual elevation increase
I started my hike from 51^st Avenue and Deem Hills Parkway (main entry area) and continued on circumference trail till I reached a point where I can start the Ridgeline trail. At the end of the Ridgeline trail I took a right turn to return to the point where I started the Ridgeline Trail. I should have taken left which would have taken me back to parking
Take the map with you.

This is a great place to let your children play. The park is clean and has equipment for a variety of ages. We enjoy having a park, soccer fields, basketball courts and hiking trails close to our house.
While this park is quite popular, there is always room for the crowd. We are always able to find quiet place to fly our kite or kick around our soccer ball.
The only downside is that sometimes the bathrooms are messy. I think that has more to do with the users of the day, though.

I love trail running here because it is so close to Thunderbird by my house but much less crowded and slightly less strenuous overall. I always have a good time running around with my dog without having to worry about other people as much on a weekend. Plan of seeing horses. I enter off Deem Hills Rd and 55^th. Nice trails that converge together frequently. Can’t wait to be back!

Nice place to hike. Not to challenging on the 3mile hike so I will be back to try the 6 mile hike. Not to steep either but nonetheless a nice scenic trek.

Great park for kids of all ages!
Play areas for multiple ages — soccer fields — basketball courts. There is also some nice trail heads… nothing too hard. Just some nice hikes.
Area is always clean — bathrooms are kept decent.

I love this trail!!! With the nearby trails of Thunderbird Park always busy when the weather is great, I bring myself to this trail.
The trails are more challenging than Thunderbird also and longer!
Its hidden because at first, you see a park where they have soccer/​football games going on and don’t realize the trails behind the park leading to the mountain. The view from the top is so great, you get to see lots of desert and cacti.
If you haven’t gone there yet, please do so because its such a hidden gem. I rarely see people on the trails there whenever I go.

Apparently, this park just opened. the address listed is one i found online, and i believe it is to the main entrance… the one with a dog park, bathrooms, and a big parking area. i went to a different trailhead off Pinnacle Vista Road. much smaller lot with only a drinking fountain and a shade structure.
first time out, so i downloaded a trail map and headed there. took me about 30 minutes from old town scottsdale, so it’s not a quickie-​after-​work ride.
the trail is wonderful. from the get-​go, it was a leg burning climb to the top of this little mountain with splendid views. as any time i go biking, i feel i do more climbing than downhill, but oh well. the downhilling that follows that climbing is spectaculary fun.
it’s all singletrack and there are a few different loops. everything is clearly and well marked. the longest single trail is the circumference loop at 5.9 miles, but you can make this into a nice 10 miler by doing a figure 8 formation.
difficult to get lost as you can pretty much see houses or civilization from any point on the trail. but today was hot and i saw 2 rattlesnakes on the trail… small ones, but yikes anyway. so be careful.
great new ride and/​or hike. oh, it’s horse friendly too, so to my mtn bike buddies out there… yield to them. horse and hike people can make it or break it for us.