Hiking Destination: Phoenix Arizona

Phoenix Arizona was recently featured as one NatGeo's Adventure Travel destinations -- one of the best cities for hiking.  Having been there three times already I can attest to the veracity of that designation... 

The picture below is from South Mountain Park.  This is the area I had the encounter with a Western Diamond Back Rattlesnake!  The Sonoran Desert is a mystical and attractive place.  GOD is indeed glorified by HIS creation...

Best U.S. Hiking Cities: Phoenix, Arizona

By Kate Siber
South Mountain Park
At 17,000 acres, South Mountain Park is the largest municipal park in the world, a veritable wilderness within the city of Phoenix. Javelinas and coyotes prowl the 58 miles of trails studded with saguaros, spindly ocotillos, and cholla cacti that bloom lipstick-pink in spring.
Get Hiking: Park at the Pima Canyon Trailhead and wander a nest of well-mapped trails, or tackle all or part of the 14.3-mile National Trail, which leads to spectacular lookouts on South Mountain over Phoenix and Camelback Mountain, another classic local summit hike.
Après Hike: For more views without the work, head down the street to Rustler’s Rooste, a mountaintop restaurant at the nearby Arizona Grand Resort. Watch the city lights blink on over a dinner of chili and mesquite-broiled steak before two-stepping to a live country-western band.
More Info: City of Phoenix (phoenix.gov/recreation) and Arizona Grand Resort (arizonagrandresort.com)