South Mountain Park

Judith Tunnel Trail
I’ve lived in Phoenix for 35+ years, and I’ve never been to South Mountain Park. Shame on me because the park has one of the best wheelchair trails in Arizona.

First off, the park is quite big. With over 16,000 acres, South Mountain Park/Preserve is one of the largest municipal park in the country. The park has 51 miles of primary trails for horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking for all ability levels.

The Judith Tunnell Trail begins just after you enter the park. The trailhead is located just behind the education center, which has some nice picnic tables, water and plenty of shade.

The trail starts off gradual and is made of hard packed gravel. It’s a very good trail for any type of chair. Half way up the hill you come to a well-constructed, yet oddly steep foot-bridge that takes you across a dry creek. And this is where the hill kicks in! For the next ¼ mile, it’s a great cardio push. I usually let Karla push me a little 'cuz it's so good for her calves. ;-)

Once you reach the end, there is a welcome ramada. Around the shaded table is a circle that offers some real up close views of the desert and rock out cliffs. There is even a water fountain up here. Good job, Phoenix.

Coming back down happens pretty quick. You can really pick up some speed. The trail is actually a loop, which allows you to take an alternative path home.

The park definitely has wild critters living nearby. As the sun went down we could hear a large pack of coyotes howling in the rocks above us. We saw rabbit, quail and snake tracks all over which means we we rolling through the coyote's grocery store. The view of Phoenix is as great.

While you are at the park, don’t miss the chance to drive up to the top of South Mountain and enjoy Phoenix’s finest view. Be warned, it’s a steep, curvy road that will really test someone’s abilty to drive with hand controls. Going up is easy but coming down is a whole lot of breaking and turning (and preying). Good stuff!

Getting there: The main entrance to the park is about seven miles south of downtown Phoenix. From Phoenix or the west Valley, drive south on Central Avenue until it ends. Its easy!

If you aren't from Phoenix or at least the southwest, getting to this park will feel like you crossed the border. This sure ain't Scottsdale! But relax and enjoy.

South Mountain Park Info

South Mountain Park Photos at Flickr

Japanese Friendship Garden

The Japanese Friendship Garden (Ro Ho En)is a pretty cool little park. The authentic 3 1/2 acre park located in downtown Phoenix has a little lake that is full of Koi fish. We are talking about a lot of big colorful Koi.

Around the lake is a perfect trail. It's not too steep, not too narrow, and has some nice shady spots to stop and enjoy. There is a stream bringing water into the pond lake and an impressive 12-foot waterfall. There's plenty of water birds to watch and you can buy Koi food at the gift shop. The pond has some nice footbridges for getting out over the water. The wheelchair access is perfect.

If you are in a chair and are looking to impress a date or maybe take granny somewhere tranquil, this is a nice hideaway.

As a rolling photo enthusiast, the place has 2-3 hours worth of things to shoot. The only complaint I have is that it now closes at 3pm. Thats way too early.

Japanese Friendship Garden

Ben Avery Shooting Range

Editor's note: It's my goal that Accessing Arizona not become another web site with canned descriptions of places. I hope the site offers insight that only comes from "hands-on" rolling about a place. Having said that I am posting this entry somewhat prematurely. Its been 20 years since I've been to Ben Avery Shooting Range. But I'm posting this 'cuz my ol' buddy Guerry Dalrymple says the new accessible trap and skeet field is a winner.

Ben Avery Shooting Range has recently completed new fields for shooters who use mobility aids. The combination trap and skeet field is specially remodeled to accommodate wheelchair shooters.

Per their web page; the unique fully-paved design of this field allows for much easier access and maneuverability than traditional sidewalk-style fields found at most clay target facilities. In addition there is a large covered awning, as well as, an accommodating portable restroom.

Standard colored concrete was used to fill in the field area and all the regulation lanes and shooting stations were done in an accenting color dyed concrete. Red concrete represents the trap lanes, while maroon concrete was used to indicate the skeet stations. The end result is a very smooth surface that is very easy for wheelchairs mobility and other mobility aids to use. And The colored lanes and shooting stations clearly identifies where to shoot from.

The new field is not just restricted to shooters using wheelchairs. It is a multi-use field for all patrons.



Directions

The Ben Avery Clay Target Center is located on the grounds of the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in north Phoenix. The entrance to the Clay Target Center is off Carefree Highway, about 1/2 mile west of I-17. (Just west of mile marker 30)

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So it's on my list to go blast some clay birdies soon. Or at least photograph the fun.


Ben Avery Trap & Skeet Info

Ben Avery Shooting Range

White Tanks Regional Park

White Tanks is located on the far west side of Phoenix. It’s a big park with many areas for camping and picnicking. The park has some excellent hiking trails for the walking-type folks. It also features two trails for wheelers.

Waterfall Trail
The name is only true if you come after a rain. And then you get a treat we don’t see much in the desert, a 75’ waterfall. But even without the waterfall, the trail takes you through some scenic desert.

This is defiantly not a leisure trip if you are going to traverse the mountainside trail in a manual chair. The incline isn’t overly steep but the trail which is made of “stabilized granite” isn’t too stabilized in many places. The first 50 yards is pretty bad. My 4” casters were useless. They just plow into the unpacked rock and dirt. It’s not fun.

Once you get up the path a ways, you hit some very well packed earth. It’s much easier to push through and you can actually take your eyes off the path long enough to enjoy the view. As well, it’s pretty easy to spot the petroglyphs made by ancient Hohokam Indians. I imagine a bunch of teenage Indians running around pounding art into the rocks much like kids do with spray paint these days.

About a ½ mile up, you reach a little ramada, which marks the end of the accessible trail. I went another 100 yards up with Karla and the trail begins to narrow and become steep. I suspect a power chair could motor up the last incline to the falls but we were out of gas.

Coming down the hill is enjoyable. That is until you hit the sections of unpacked gravel. Then everything is a monumental struggle.

Black Rock Short Loop
We were pretty tired from traversing the Waterfall Trail so we didn’t try this trail. Based on the map and were we saw the trailhead, it looks as if it doesn’t have the inclines of the Waterfall Trail , so it could be a less rigorous trek. The park map says it too is a ½ mile long. Perhaps we’ll try it next time.

Overall, there is other trails around Phoenix that offer a better wheelchair experience. If someone has an off-road power chair, they’ll love it. Or if a para really wants a grueling hill, they’ll be huffing and puffing, but Papago or South Mountain is a better overall trail.

White Tanks Photo Set at Flickr


Photo: Karla & Annie, the best exploring partners you could ask for.

Cresent Moon Picnic Area

Editor's note: This entry marks the first of hopefully many future essays by contributing writers.


By: Laurie Zentner

The Cresent Moon Picnic Area is located just east of Red Rock State Park on Oak Creek. Which puts it just outside of Sedona.



The location has a great view of Cathedral Rock. The picnic tables and bathrooms are accessible, and there are small accessible paths winding around that area. If you can transfer out of your chair, there is a small bridge which you can sit on and put your feet in the water of a small creek (not Oak Creek itself). At the far eastern end there is a field, with amazing views. There is a trail that goes along the river leaving from the far end of the field which we were able to traverse with the all-terrain wheelchair. One path goes out to a rock ledge which is sometimes covered with water. Beyond that trails lead upstream, but none are accessible. For the able-bodied, there are beautiful rock stacks that people put together with the volcanic rock just beyond the rock ledge. We have combined a day here with trips to Sedona, Cottonwood/Jerome, and Prescott.

Coconino Forest Web Page

Patagonia Lake

Location: Southern Arizona

[Revised 3/16/08] Patagonia Lake is off the beaten path. It is located between Tucson and Nogales on Scenic Highway 82. Too many people imagine southern Arizona as sand dunes, sidewinders and searing heat. In fact, the lake is at 4,000 ft elevation and is surrounded by rolling hills scattered with Juniper trees and in the distance are some rugged mountains. Route 82 and its sister, Route 83 are great roads to explore.

The lake is 10 miles outside of the fun little town Patagonia and only 17 miles from the border town of Nogales. The lake isn’t too big (2 ½ miles long), but it’s definitely beautiful.

The lake has 2 accessible docks for we rollers to enjoy. One near the main picnic area, and one near the very small marina. For a lake, there's good access all around the cove where the marina (ie bait shack) sits. The dock and pier has been adapted to allow a wheeling angler easier access to their catch and the additional dirt trails are flat and well packed.

We rented a pontoon boat for the afternoon. I rolled right on and we shoved off. The lake sits in a very scenic canyon with some nice coves to explore and plenty to photograph. They also offer paddle boats, row boats and kayaks to rent, and the Park Service offers daily pontoon boat tours.

If you look in the photo’s background, you will see one very inaccessible pedestrian bridge. I went to the bridge thinking I'd coax enough people to push me to the top. But it's steep as in sheer plunge down and people seemed to disappear when I began looking for recruits. There's a road that gets you around to the other side as well so lets hope the ADA lawyers stay way away.







Patagonia Lake web site

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Location: Central Arizona

Boyce Thompson Arboretum is not the most wheelchair accessible state park in Arizona, but that aside, it is a really interesting place. Having lived in Arizona most of my life, I am use to seeing a lot of desert, but here is like a tiny oasis with pine trees and palm trees growing right next to cactus and fruit trees. Adding to it, is the sheer rock cliffs surrounding the park and the little lake and stream running through it. It gets high marks because it is dog friendly too.


If you have a power chair or a good Sherpa (ie friend who can push), then you will be able to get to 99% of the park. The trails are wide and well kept. There are places where the trail is quite steep, but in late February with the temperature around 70, the pushing wasn’t bad. The park has a great layout and you can easily spend 4 hours rolling about. There is a really elaborate suspension bridge across the creek that is fun. We didn’t head up the far side but my hunch is that its not chair friendly.

Here’s the bummer. As you get towards the far end of the main trail, you are cruising right along the side of the creek. The trail reaches a jagged rock cropping and gets narrow. Too narrow. I tried it and got stuck. Some beach! So you have to head back and go around the other way to see the lake and the rest of the park but it is not all that bad. I can’t believe they cant get some Boy Scouts or someone to come in with some blasting caps and make the trail 6 inches wider.

The Arboretum was founded in the 1920s by mining magnate Col. William Boyce Thompson. The park encompasses 323 acres, and has some shopping, a snack bar and plenty of shade. The Arizona State Parks Board entered into agreement with the Boyce Thompson Arboretum Board and the University of Arizona in 1976 to cooperatively manage the Arboretum, and they are doing a good job.

The park is due east out of Phoenix on Highway 60, near Superior. It is about an hour from the east valley.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park