South Mountain Park is the largest city park in the world.  There are several entrances, but the main one is where Central Avenue dead ends into the park.  At the Central Avenue entrance there is an Environmental Learning Center, as well as ramadas, and the summit road where you can look out over the city.

Fat Man's Pass and Hidden Valley are some of the favorite areas you can reach one the many trails in the park.  You can reach these areas from both the Guadalupe & 24th Street entrances.  If you have a favorite hike in South Mountain Park you'd like to see posted here, please email the website administrator at

South Mountain Facts (taken from http://www.ci.phoenix.az.us/PARKS/hiksofac.html)

Highest Point
Mount Suppoa (not accessible to the public) reaches 2,690 feet. Dobbins Lookout, at 2,330 feet, is the highest point in the park accessible by trail.

History
The history of South Mountain as a city of Phoenix park dates back to 1924. Prominent local citizens, with the help of Sen. Carl Hayden, bought 13,000 acres from the federal government for $17,000. In 1935 the National Park Service developed a master plan for the park with riding and hiking trails, picnic areas and overlooks, all in rustic regional character. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built many of the facilities in the park, based on this master plan. Visitation at the park has gone from 3,000 a month in 1924 to three million a year today. Photos and artifacts at the South Mountain Environmental Education Center give a glimpse into the early history of the park and the CCC's construction work.

The major plant species found in the park are bursage, brittlebush, creosote cush, palo verde trees and saguaro cactus. More than 300 species of plant life are found in the park. Only the hardiest plants survive, and even they grow slowly. The varieties of cacti include: saguaro, barrel, hedgehog, pincushion, jumping cholla, christmas cactus, staghorn, cholla and prickly pear. Palo verde, mesquite, elephant and ironwood trees, along with the ocotillo plant, are also numerous in the park.

The fauna found in South Mountain is typical of the lower Sonoran Desert ecosystem. The desert arthropoda - sun spiders, scorpions, centipedes, beetles and ants are common, but mostly nocturnal, spending the day underground due to high daytime temperatures. Reptilian inhabitants include desert tortoises and several species of snakes, including rattlesnakes, and lizards - Gila monsters, horned lizards, geckos and chuckwallas. The mammal population, which is restricted by food supply, habitat and the presence of man, includes the California jackrabbit, cottontail rabbit, ground squirrel, mice, ringtail, coyote, javalina, gophers and kit fox. Bird populations vary according to season and moisture but include Gambel's Quail, great horned owls, roadrunners, mourning doves, and red-tailed and Harris's hawks.