South Mountain Park is the largest city park in the US - a rocky mountain ridge, within Phoenix city limits yet still relatively unspoiled, covered by many cacti and giving excellent views across the urban surroundings. There are 60 miles of trails popular for hiking, cycling and horseback riding.
The hills bear typical Sonoran Desert vegetation of ocotillo, palo verde, creosote bushes, mesquite, saguaro, opuntia and other smaller cacti, and are covered with a mixture of clean, coarse sand and weathered granite boulders; together with the frequent far-reaching views over the flat Phoenix suburbs.
