Papago Park
Rating
Price
Free
Duration
1-3 hours
Best Ages
3-12
About
Papago Park is the outing Phoenix parents fall back on when they want their kids outside, moving, and not spending money. It sits on the east edge of the city off Galvin Parkway, and the whole thing is free to enter and free to park. The landmark everyone photographs is Hole-in-the-Rock, a red sandstone butte with a wind-carved opening near the top.
The climb up is short, maybe ten minutes at a kid's pace, but it is steep enough and the rock is smooth enough that you will want a hand on anyone under five. Once you are inside the opening, the view frames the whole valley, and kids who just scrambled up feel enormously proud of themselves.
The park is much bigger than that one rock, though, and the flat parts are what make it work for mixed-age families. The fishing lagoons are ringed by wide, mostly level paths where a stroller does fine, and there is always something to watch: ducks, herons, someone casting a line. Around the lagoons you will find ramadas and picnic tables, which is where most families end up eating, since there is no restaurant in the park.
Elsewhere there are desert trails, more buttes to poke around on, and the small pyramid tomb of former Arizona governor George W. P. Hunt, which is an easy walk up and gets a reliable round of questions from older kids.
The honest caveat is heat and shade. This is open Sonoran desert, and outside of the ramadas there is very little cover. From roughly May through September, this is a sunrise activity or not an activity at all.
October through April is the sweet spot, when a mid-morning visit is genuinely pleasant. Weekend mornings in the cool season fill the lots near Hole-in-the-Rock and the lagoons, so give yourself an extra ten or fifteen minutes to park.
One practical thing that trips up visitors: the Phoenix Zoo and the Desert Botanical Garden both sit within the Papago Park area but are separate, ticketed attractions with their own entrances, hours, and prices. Walking around the park itself costs nothing. If you want to add one of them, buy that ticket separately and check its website for current pricing and hours.
Restroom availability varies by section of the park, so plan a stop before you go, and confirm current facilities and hours with Phoenix Parks and Recreation.
Age Suitability
Parent Logistics
Stroller-Friendly
Limited
Nursing / Changing
Unknown
Kid Meals
N/A
Setting
Outdoor
Rainy Day
Not ideal
Plan Your Visit
Best Time to Visit
Early morning October through April, or the first hour after sunrise in summer when the desert heat is still manageable
Wait Times
No admission line; parking near Hole-in-the-Rock and the fishing lagoons fills up on cool-season weekend mornings, so expect to circle for 10-15 minutes then
Nearby Food
There is no full-service restaurant inside the park, so most families pack in food and use the picnic ramadas. Just outside the park boundaries you are a short drive from the restaurants along McDowell Road and East Van Buren, and the Arcadia and Old Town Scottsdale dining strips are roughly ten to fifteen minutes east. If you are pairing the park with the Phoenix Zoo, the zoo has its own food service; check its website for current hours and offerings.
Why Kids Love It
Hole-in-the-Rock is the star: a short, steep scramble up red sandstone that ends inside a giant natural window looking back over the city, and kids feel like they conquered a mountain in about ten minutes. The rest of the park is wide open desert with buttes to climb on, lagoons where kids can watch ducks and people fishing, and enough space to run without anyone telling them to slow down. It is one of the few Phoenix outings where the entertainment is the landscape itself.
Pro Tips from Parents
- Hole-in-the-Rock is a short climb but the rock is smooth and slick in spots, so keep a hand on toddlers and put everyone in real shoes rather than sandals.
- Go early. There is very little shade in most of the park, and by late morning from May through September the surfaces are genuinely dangerous for small kids and dogs.
- The fishing lagoons are the quietest, flattest part of the park and the best choice if you have a stroller or a kid who is not up for climbing.
- Ramadas and picnic areas near the lagoons are first-come on weekends; if you want a shaded table, arrive before 9 a.m. in the cool season.
- Restroom locations vary by section of the park and are not always open, so plan a bathroom stop before you arrive and confirm current facilities with Phoenix Parks and Recreation.
What to Bring
- More water than you think you need, one bottle per person minimum
- Hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen; shade is scarce
- Closed-toe shoes with grip for the Hole-in-the-Rock climb
- A picnic lunch and a blanket or a claim on a ramada table
- A carrier instead of a stroller if you plan to hike the buttes
Cost Info
Free Admission
Estimated Cost (Family of 4)
Free to enter and free to park, so a family of four can spend nothing at all.
Budget only for water, snacks, and a picnic lunch you pack yourself, plus separate admission if you add on the Phoenix Zoo or Desert Botanical Garden, which sit within the same park area and charge their own ticket prices.
Check each attraction's website for current pricing.
Tips to Save
- The park itself costs nothing, which makes it the best free half-day in east Phoenix.
- Pack a cooler and use one of the ramadas instead of buying lunch out.
- If you want to pair it with the Phoenix Zoo, look for the zoo's discount and member days on its website rather than buying full-price gate tickets, and consider a zoo membership if you expect to come back more than twice in a year.
Hours & Contact
Contact
Have a Question?
Frequently Asked Questions
Tickets & Booking
Some links below are affiliate links. KidPaths may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
