Papago Park

Trails on the west side of Galvin Parkway The parking lot located on the western end of Papago Park Drive has a drinking fountain, bike rack and picnic ramada with a few tables (not reservable). There are no restroom facilities on the west side of the park. (**Please note: though not indicated on the above map, West Park Drive has been closed to through traffic.)

West Park Accessible Trail

Length: about 1.2 miles
Elevation gain: minimal
Difficulty: easy. The second half of the trail becomes more difficult for wheelchair users with a few slopes that exceed 5 percent grade.

The trailhead is located on the Papago Park Road - head west on the road from Galvin Parkway just north of Van Buren Street. (Heading east on Papago Park Road off of Galvin Parkway leads to the main park entrance).

This is an asphalt surface that follows accessible guidelines for the first .6 of a mile. There are three benches along the way and this first part of the trail goes near Eliot ramada. The second part of this trail has the same surface but has a few slopes that exceed 5%.

West Park Loop Trail

Length: 4 miles
Elevation gain: minimal, about 50 feet
Difficulty: Easy

This trail begins from the parking lot on the west side of Galvin Parkway. To the east of the parking lot is a single track, dirt trail that heads north towards the big buttes. It continues counterclockwise around the big butte and heads south around the smaller butte. It continues west around the golf course eventually leading back to the parking lot. This is an easy trail for hikers and mountain bikers

Trails on the east side of Galvin Parkway

This is the main part of the park. There are restrooms, drinking fountains, picnic ramadas, and fishing lakes.

Nature Trail

Length: .25 mile
Elevation gain: none
Difficulty: easy

This trail begins at the ranger office (follow the signs from the park entrance). This easy trail features interpretive signs that describe Sonoran Desert plants and animals.

Hole-In-The-Rock Trail

Length: Very short, about 1/10 of a mile.
Elevation gain: about 200 feet
Difficulty: easy

This very short trail leads to a very popular landmark with some very good views. Even though this trail is very short it gains all of its elevation in a very short distance.

Highest Point

Elevations rise up to 1,700 feet but these elevations are on Buttes not accessible by trail. Developed trails primarily are around 1,200 feet above sea level.

History

The history of Papago Park begins back in 1879 with the area being designated as an Indian reservation for the Maricopa and Pima tribes.

On Jan. 31, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed Proclamation No. 1262 declaring the area as the Papago Saguaro National Monument. It remained until April 7, 1930, when Congress passed an act that was amended on July 7, 1932, abolishing the monument.

During World War II, Papago Park housed a German prisoner of war camp. The camp was occupied from 1943 to 1946 by over 400 prisoners of war. After the war, the camp was used as a Veterans Administration Hospital from 1947 to 1951 and the District Headquarters for Arizona's largest Army Reserve unit from 1953 to 1966.

Today, the Army Reserve Motor Park at 64th and Oak streets retains the role it held in the prisoner of war camp. Also, the camp's Officers Club now serves as the Scottsdale Elks Lodge.

By 1958, almost all of the parkland was within the boundaries of the city of Phoenix. Senate Bill 144, introduced in the 23rd Legislature, paved the way for purchase of Papago Park by the city of Phoenix. Papago Park was officially sold to the city of Phoenix on Feb. 25, 1959.

The park today covers 1,200 acres and has numerous picnic sites with ramadas, tables, grills, water and electricity. The park also contains fishing lagoons and bike paths as well as a zoo, a botanical garden, fire museum and a golf course. Two of east Phoenix's best-known landmarks are in the park, Hole-In-The-Rock, a natural geologic formation; and Hunt's Tomb, a white pyramid burial place of Arizona's first governor.

Geology, flora and fauna

The red rock (iron oxide-hematite) of Papago Park was formed six to 15 million years ago. The Papago Buttes are a sedimentary formation. The holes, called tafoni, in Hole-In-The-Rock were formed by water breaking up the minerals in the rock. Throughout the park, a thin veneer of sand and rock overlie a bedrock landform, with some areas worn away to reveal the outcropping of bedrock.

At Hole-in-the-Rock, a naturally eroded rock formation of arkosic conglomerate sandstone, the Hohokam noticed that a hole in the ceiling of the rock shelter creates a ray of light that changes positions on the floor throughout the year, depending on the seasonal movements of the sun across the sky. Subsequently, the Hohokam marked the occurrence of the summer solstice by grinding a bedrock metate slick at the location where the ray of light falls during that day around noontime. The winter solstice is marked by the ray of light interacting with a natural seam in the bedrock. The Hohokam also marked the equinoxes, the seasonal halfway point between the summer and winter solstices with a bedrock metate slick. Furthermore, boulders located near the Hole-in-the-Rock appear to provide additional solstice and equinox markers. Although more research is needed to better understand the Hohokam's knowledge of astronomy, Hole-in-the-Rock is a significant example of the cultural accomplishments of these amazing desert people.

Because of urban encroachment, large mammals normally are not seen in the park. Smaller animals including jackrabbits, ground squirrels and mice, as well as a variety of birds populate the park.