North Pima News

During the Valley's warm weather months, the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department recommends hiking during the early morning or evening hours when it is cooler and there is more shade.

To help with that recommendation, extended summer hours are in effect annually from June through September at three of the City's popular hiking destinations – North Mountain Park and Piestewa Peak Trailhead in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, and Pima Canyon Trailhead in South Mountain Park/Preserve.

To provide an extra two hours of availability and promote hiking after 7 p.m., parking lot entrances are open until 9 p.m. at those locations. Year-round at those three trailheads, parking lots open at 5 a.m. and trails are open until 11 p.m.

The Phoenix Parks and Recreation and Phoenix Fire departments remind trail users to "Take a Hike. Do it Right." when enjoying the city's desert parks and mountain preserves. All trail users should follow these important and potentially life-saving hiking safety guidelines:

• Watch the Weather: Yes, "it's a dry heat" - but Arizona's temperature can be deceiving and deadly. Hike when it's cool outside, try early mornings and evenings when there's more shade.
• Dress Appropriately: Wear proper shoes, clothing, hat and sunscreen.
• Bring Water: Hydrate before you go. Have plenty of water, more than you think you need. Turn around and head back to the trailhead before you drink half of your water.
• Keep in Contact: Carry a mobile phone.
• Team Up: Hike with others. If hiking solo, tell someone your start and end times, and location.
• Be Honest: Do you have a medical condition? Asthma, heart problems, diabetes, knee or back problems? Don't push yourself! (Even trained athletes have been caught off guard by getting dehydrated on Arizona trails.)
• Don't Trailblaze: Enjoy the Sonoran Desert's beautiful and undeveloped landscape, but please stay on designated trails.
• Take Responsibility: Don't be "that person" - the one who wasn't prepared, shouldn't have been there for health reasons or ignored safety guidelines. Be the responsible hiker, who takes a hike and does it right!

For the safety of pets, dogs are prohibited on any City of Phoenix trail when the temperature is 100 degrees or warmer. The Arizona Humane Society advises that temperatures in the 90s are also unsafe for pets to be outdoors.

Visitors to Phoenix's desert parks and mountain preserves should also be aware that the annual ban of open fires went into effect on May 1.

Original source can be found here.