Parks, Trails and Outdoor Places in Peoria: From River Paths to the Northern Preserves

Peoria runs a long way north, from the older neighborhoods near Grand Avenue to desert mountains and the shore of Lake Pleasant. Its outdoor places follow that shape. The city counts more than 30 parks and over 20 miles of trails, with paved paths along two washes in the south and center of town and nearly 31 miles of mountain hiking trails in the north.

November is when most of it comes back into use. Here is how the pieces fit together, and what the city asks of people who use them.

The three community parks

Rio Vista Community Park, at 8866 W. Thunderbird Road just west of the Loop 101, covers 52 acres. Around its 2.5-acre urban lake are a walking and jogging path, an orienteering and pacing course, a skate park, sand volleyball and a StoryWalk for young readers. It is also home to Peoria's Veterans Memorial and to a trailhead for the New River Trail.

Pioneer Community Park, near 83rd and Olive avenues, is larger at 83 acres, with a 5-acre fishing lake, a dog park, ball fields and shaded playgrounds. Look for Forge, the large public artwork by Thomas Sayre that can be seen from 83rd Avenue.

In the north, Paloma Community Park opened in October 2020 at Lake Pleasant Parkway and Dixileta Drive. Its 85 acres include a fishing lake with a deck, lighted pickleball courts, a lighted dog park, an inclusive-design playground and an overlook plaza, and a trailhead at the park leads into the Paloma Preserve.

All three lakes are part of Arizona's community fishing program, so anyone 10 or older needs a state fishing license. A short drive west of Pioneer, near 91st Avenue and Olive, Foothills Sports Medicine Physical Therapy runs a Peoria clinic with an open gym space alongside its treatment rooms.

River paths: New River and Skunk Creek

The paved multi-use paths are where Peoria walks, runs and rides. The New River Trail follows the wash north from Bethany Home Road in Glendale to Happy Valley Road, and the Skunk Creek Trail runs 5.7 miles from Rio Vista Community Park to 51st Avenue in Glendale. Trailheads include Rio Vista, Westbrook Village on 83rd Avenue, Fletcher Heights near 76th Avenue and Deer Valley Road, and the Skunk Creek trailhead at 15091 N. 83rd Avenue.

These paths sit in washes, and that matters after rain. Following heavy storms at the start of November, the city closed the lowest sections of the New River Trail beneath Thunderbird Road and at Grand Avenue while they were underwater, kept the upper terraces from Thunderbird north to Jomax Road open, and closed the muddy Skunk Creek trailhead at 83rd Avenue for a few days. Its advice holds for any storm: watch for debris, stay on the hard surface, keep away from moving water and never go around a barricade, even if the water looks lower.

Electric bikes are welcome under the usual bike rules as long as they can't exceed 28 mph. If your own bike needs attention first, Bikers Edge Cycle & Fitness on 83rd Avenue downtown handles flats and tune-ups.

Mountain preserves in the north

North Peoria's hiking is in a string of small mountain preserves. Westwing Mountain and Sunrise Mountain trails both start at WestWing Neighborhood Park on Westwing Parkway. Eastwing Mountain's trailhead is at Sonoran Mountain Ranch Park on Miner Trail, and Calderwood Butte has its own trailhead on 99th Avenue. The Paloma Preserve trails start at Paloma Community Park. The city rates its trails from easiest, on paved or hard surfaces with no obstacles, through moderate to difficult, with loose rock and large elevation changes, so you can match a route to who's coming.

At the city's northern edge, Lake Pleasant Regional Park has been part of Peoria since 1996, although Maricopa County operates it. Its 23,362 acres take in camping, boating, fishing and hiking. The lake usually sits at its lowest in October and November. The county has closed the park's Pipeline Trailhead from November 10, 2026 through March 10, 2027, so check its alerts before planning a hike from that side.

Staying safe in every season

The city posts a heat warning for its trails from April through October. Its guidance is to hike in the early morning or evening and to turn around before half your water is gone, planning a third of your water for the way in, a third for the way out and a third for the unexpected. It also lists the warning signs of heat exhaustion, including dizziness, heavy sweating, clammy skin and nausea. Trails and trailheads are open from sunrise to sunset.

The rules are short. Dogs stay on a leash no longer than six feet, and owners pick up after them. Motorized vehicles are prohibited on trails, and so are alcohol and glass at trails, trailheads and parking areas. Keep right, pass on the left, yield, and leave plants and wildlife alone.

Peoria's park rangers patrol the parks and trails, take calls on a ranger hotline and run outdoor classes each fall and spring. This season's list includes Intro to Hiking on November 14, orienteering for beginners on November 21, a Neon Night Hike on November 27 and introductory fly fishing in December.

Maps and trail conditions

The city's interactive trails map lets you switch on layers for parks, bike lanes and transit, and its hiking page links a PDF map for each mountain preserve along with the multi-use path map. Closures and reopenings after storms go out through the city newsroom, and Lake Pleasant's alerts are on the Maricopa County Parks site.

Pick one park close to home and one trail a little farther out, and you have a winter's worth of mornings.