Phoenix - Suburbs

Mesa – Parks and Trails

Steven Gerner

The city of Mesa sits east of Phoenix and Tempe. It’s the gateway to some of the Phoenix metro area’s top trail running spots. 

Red Mountain Park: Red Mountain is a large community park situated at the corner of East Brown Road and North 80th Street. The best bet for running here is the 1 mile circuit around the lake and courts. Bonus: Lit at night!

Pioneer Park: Another fairly small, but worthwhile park near central Mesa. Add some distance to the south around the Mesa Arizona Temple, which is especially pretty when lit up for Christmas. A loop is roughly 1.5 miles.

Usery Mountain : Usery Mountain Regional Park is a substantial hiking area in the far northwest reaches of Mesa. There are 29 miles of trails in this 3,600 acre park, with varying levels of difficulty. The trails on the south and west side of the park are markedly less technical than the Pass Mountain and Wind Cave sections. TRAIL MAP

Saguaro Lake: The Butcher Jones Trails, to the north at Tonto National Forest’s Saguaro Lake, are a bit more technical but absolutely gorgeous. The main trail around the lake is 4 miles, with a 300 foot elevation gain. It’s a bit narrow.

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