Customize your hike as easy or challenging as you like at this metro Phoenix park
Bounded by two desert waterways, a Central Arizona Project canal, freeways, isolated mountains and the geometric grid of cul-de-sac communities, Paloma Regional Preserve is an island of natural outdoor space.
The ephemeral character of desert rivers creates seasonal shows of monsoon surges that fade into trickling rivulets and residual pools, all along feeding swaths of lush greenery in otherwise dry, prickly places. A walkable tour of this critical cycle is on display on the trails of the preserve.
The mostly flat block of open space straddles the floodplain of New River east of the Agua Fria River in Peoria.
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The preserve is anchored by Paloma Community Park, which opened in 2020. The amenity-rich site has playgrounds, a dog park, restrooms, sports fields and picnic ramadas. Access to the hiking trails begins at a gate near the dog park where Multi-Use Path A heads east away from the barking commotion.
Wide and sunny, the path serves as a gateway to the preserve’s 12-plus miles of trails that link with the Westwing and Eastwing mountain preserves as well as Sonoran Mountain Ranch Park.
With a backdrop of mountain vistas and acres of saguaros, the path soon enters the floodplain of New River. Mud flats, sandy drainages and water-scoured channels fringed with mesquite and paloverde trees clinging to embankments speak to the power of running water.
At the 1.1-mile point, Multi-Use Path A encounters its first major junction where it meets the New River Trail, a multi-use pathway that runs from Bethany Home Road in Glendale to Pinnacle Peak Road in north Phoenix and serves as a main artery running north-south through the preserve.
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Park maps available online and well-signed junctions with QR codes and emergency help locator decals make getting around and staying safe a cinch. While each trail offers excellent hiking, the not-to-miss route on the menu is the Compass Rose Trail.
The 1.42-mile, moderate path ascends a knoll overlooking the New River Dam for sweet views of the river’s course through the landscape.
The extra height also opens up views of the Cave Creek Mountains to the northeast and the Sierra Estrellas to the south.
From the high point, the brilliant connectivity of the preserve trail system is obvious. The grid of trails below hints at the dozens of options for completing short loop hikes or long-distance treks in and around this distinctly desert-water-centric environment.
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Paloma Regional Preserve
Length: More than 12 miles of interconnected trails.
Rating: Easy to difficult.
Elevation: 1,369-1,550 feet.
Trail hours: Sunrise to sunset daily.
Park hours: 6 a.m.-10:30 p.m. daily.
Admission: Free.
Getting there: Paloma Community Park, 29799 N. Lake Pleasant Parkway, Peoria. From Interstate 17, take Exit 221 for Loop 303 and go west to Lake Pleasant Parkway. Turn south and go 1 mile to the park entrance on the left. Trailhead is at the gate at the end of the road near the dog park.
Construction note: As of this writing, the Loop 303 exit was closed. Use State Route 74 (Carefree Highway) as an alternative. Take the SR 74 exit 223B and head 6 miles west to Lake Pleasant Parkway. Turn left and go 3.5 miles south to the park entrance on the left.
Details: https://www.peoriaaz.gov.
Read more of Mare Czinar's hikes at https://arizonahiking.blogspot.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Outdoor things to do in Peoria, AZ: Paloma Regional Preserve