Run Run Reba: Favorite Runs: Papago Park in Phoenix, AZ

This post is hopefully the first of a series where I discuss some of my favorites: runs, gear, books, races, etc. For my first installment, I wanted to share a favorite place to run that I discovered several weeks ago during my trip to Arizona: the trails at Papago Park.

Beautiful shot of the park and some of the trails (1)

I really liked this park for several reasons: it was a convenient, the trails were nice, and the scenery was beautiful. Papago Park is located sort of in the central area of Phoenix and encompasses not only running/biking trails, but also the Phoenix Zoo and the Desert Botanical Gardens. Since I was staying in Tempe for part of my trip, getting to the trails took all of about 5 minutes in the car so it was great spot to run.

Papago Park is by the red arrow

There are some beautiful places to run in AZ, but some of the trails in state and national parks require an entrance fee to access the trails. However, Papago Park is owned by the city of Phoenix and parking/entry is free and plentiful. The park has standard amenities at its entrance including drinking fountains, restrooms, and picnic facilities.

The park has nine trails that you can run, ranging from 825ft in length to 2.7 miles. Many of the trails intersect one another so it's pretty easy to create a longer route. The trails themselves are all considered "easy" and consist of a mix between paved and unpaved surfaces. There's no significant elevation gain on any of the trails, but there are some small rolling hills here and there which keeps the run interesing. One of the very best things about the unpaved trails is that the dirt is well packed and the trails don't have a lot of big, ankle-turning rocks and crevices.

One of the trails in the park (2)

In addition to well-maintained, well-marked trails, the scenery in the park is beautiful as well. While there's not a lot of shade (probably not the best place to run mid-day in the summer), there's a lot to look at. The park is a Sonoran Desert oasis, with lots of scrub, cacti, and even two buttes! I took several pictures while running on the trail, but they didn't turn out. So here are a couple of pictures from other visitors that capture the beauty of this park very well.

Butte (3)

Amphitheatre (5)

One of the Papago Ponds (4)

Given the convenience, trail condition, and overall beauty of this park, I definitely recommend that if you're ever in Phoenix and looking for a place to run, you check out the trails at Papago Park!