It’s March and mid 80′s in Phoenix. Perfect for exploring Arizona. Usery Park is located in the far east valley. It features all kinds of outdoor activities such as horseback riding and a shooting range. Amongst it’s many trails is the Merkle Trail which offers wheelchair access.

The trail head has about 5 parking spots and is somewhat unassuming. Merkle Trail could actually be called the Merkle Circle. It’s a 1-1/2 mile long trail around a small mountain. Visitors should come well prepared for desert travel as there is virtually no shade along the trail for a wheeler to pull under, and no water stops. The trail surface is a course gravel, and is is nicely laid out with not too much slope from side to side. The trail climbs maybe 50-100′ in elevation, so with a manual chair there is some uphill pushing required. The trail on the east side of the mountain is a more gradual incline. Almost anybody should be able to push their way up. I left the trail head going around the west side, and you immediately run into a pretty steep slope. Coming back, on the east side, I coasted down the trail braking slightly. (Note: I currently am using a set of eMotion power-assist rear wheels. They often don’t seem to get fully charged and leave me stranded, but today they really did the job. I made it all the way around and was very pleased at their performance.)

I like the trail, and it’s great for exercise, but it’s not my favorite in terms of overall experience. I enjoyed the view but the trail doesn’t really get you up close with any cool rock formations or canyon walls. And the lack of shade was pretty noticeable even in March. If you are in the east valley and have the time, visiting the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum offers far more of a total desert experience. Like Boyce, Usery Park allows dogs so that is always a big plus in my book.

Fellow AZ traveler, Laurie Zentner has also visited User Park and offers these comments;

We hiked the Merkle Trail, Usery’s barrier-free trail, last weekend. Merkle Trail is no lazy nature trail. It is a 1-mile, hard-packed gravel loop around the base of a steep, rocky hill, with amazing views of Usery Pass Mountain and the Superstition Mountains. The trail is well designed with the trailhead at the lowest point of the loop, so the uphill is first, and downhill on the way back. There are also small benches at intervals (especially useful if the camera tripod gets forgotten!). At the base of the south face of the hill, we encountered a couple watching a Gila monster 200 ft up the hill, and were able to see a rare desert reptile. The Merkle trailhead parking includes a picnic area and a playground for kids.

Usery Park – Merkle Trail is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

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 where 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 are 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.

White Tanks Regional Park is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.