San Tan Mountain

There are three designated trails at the park.  The park is open to non-motorized use, including hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding.

Trails

• Goldmine: 1.1 mi (1.7 km)
• Moonlight: 1.2 mi (2.0 km)
• San Tan: 5.7 mi (9.1 km)

San Tan Mountain Regional Park offers over eight miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Park trails range in length from 1.1 miles to over 5 miles, and range in difficulty from easy to strenuous.

If you are looking for an easy, relatively short hike, the Moonlight Trail is the perfect choice, as it provides a scenic and rather mild hike for all to enjoy. If you are looking for a longer more difficult hike, try the 5.1-mile San Tan Trail. This trail winds you through the Broken Lands and Central Valley portions of the park to the top of the Goldmine Mountains. In addition to its length, some may consider certain areas of the San Tan Trail difficult due to washes, soft soil and slick or rocky steep mountain slopes. We encourage hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders to use extreme caution in these areas. Another visitor favorite is the Malpais Hills Trail as it displays a unique perspective of Rock Peak and the Malpais Hills. Don't forget to keep an eye out for wildlife such as javelinas, coyotes, and Gila Monsters!

The trails within the San Tan Mountain Regional Park are very popular because they offer a unique perspective of the lower Sonoran Desert with wonderful wildlife, plant-life and scenic mountain views. Whatever your heart desires, San Tan Mountain Regional Park has a trail to fit your hiking, biking or horseback riding needs.

All trails are multi-use unless otherwise designated. All trail users are encouraged to practice proper trail etiquette.

History

The San Tan Mountain Regional Park is placed at the crossroads of diverse communities, regions, and cultures. The park is in demand to meet the needs of a regional area extending south from central Maricopa County and the East Valley of metropolitan Phoenix, into northern Pinal County. It is important that certain irreplaceable natural open space resources be preserved and that conservation management guidelines be established by the residents of the region to insure the integrity of the San Tan Mountains against degradation.

Located just south of the Maricopa/Pinal County line near the Town of Queen Creek, the San Tan Mountain Regional Park has been used for decades for various recreation activities such as hiking, equestrian riding, and wildlife photography. The park is rich with unique historical, cultural, and biological resources. This master plan seeks to provide programmed recreation activities that meet the needs of the existing users, future park visitors, and the growing East Valley population while protecting the park's natural, Sonoran Desert mountain environment. The master plan has considered both the 7,938 acres of currently designated park land and 2,260 acres of adjacent Maricopa County land.

Currently, the park consists of 10, 200 acres south of Hunt Highway in Pinal County. Restroom facilities and water are available at the San Tan visitor center.