Thunderbird Park: 67th Ave & Patrick Lane

The City of Glendale website lists all the trails available at Thunderbird Park.  At the 67th Avenue and Patrick lane entrance you are greeted by a small trailhead but have access into the Western end of the park.  All of the trails are rated easy to moderate, so it's great for a leisurely hike, have a picnic, get back into the swing of hiking after an injury, or for a quick outdoor fix on your way between the East and West sides of Phoenix.

Check out the City's website for maps, trail information and other details. http://www.glendaleaz.com/PARKSANDRECREATION/parksandfacilities/thunderbirdpark.cfm

Source of Map: City of Glendale

Photos & art by Amy Bartlow

Mileage: Each trail intersects with each other, so it's likely your hike will cover sections of more than one trail.  For context looking at the map above, trail H-1 is 5 miles in entirety, while H-3 is 3 miles. However, if you take H-3 you'll end up hiking a portion of H-1 to make it a loop so you're nearing 5 miles with that custom loop.

Elevation Gain: If you're looking for elevation gain check out the topo map on the City's website. It appears that the bottom elevation at all the trailheads is around 1350'. The top of H-4 which is the nearest hump to the 67th entrance takes you up to about 1650' so about 300' over a short distance.  Over to the north on trail  H-3a you can reach 1800'. And the top of trail H-2 appears to hit 1850'.  

Experience Needed:  Nothing special. Get out and walk!

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate.

Parking:  At the stoplight of 67th Ave and Patrick Lane, a dirt trailhead parking lot sits to the east. On a busy Saturday late afternoon in March (the best time of year in AZ) there was no trouble parking even though the lot is fairly small.

Pets: Dogs, cats, and this park is also open to trail stock (aka horses)

Hours:  Sunrise to Sunset.  Gates will lock you out at sunset.

Safety: Watch for mountain bikers and dogs. I've heard of some car vandalism/theft so lock your valuables up and out of sight. Take your cell phone with you on the hike. Remember as always to carry enough water, and bring a headlamp just in case you get stuck. It's not hard to find your way, visibilty is great, and these are well traveled trails so be courteous to other hikers.  

People Meter: Lots of people, young and old, with canes, bikes, dogs, and babies.

My Experiences:

For more info and photos from the H-3 loop that's easy to access from the 59th Ave entrance, check out that post here: Thunderbird Park: 59th Ave, North of Deer Valley Road