South Mountain (Phoenix)

Fat Mans Pass South Mountain is a very popular hiking/mountain biking area with many trails to choose from. We decided to hike through Fat Mans Pass (which is pretty narrow and you don't have to go through it in order to continue hiking, it's optional).

In order to get here, we took Mormon loop up connected with the trail which takes you through it. Not gonna lie it wasn't 100% clear as to which way to go...but we were able to figure it out. This was an easy 3.5 - 4 mile roundtrip hike that we did not spend more than 2 hours completing. BE CAREFUL! My buddy and I found a nice area to explore and he ended up slipping, sliding off a rock. Which looked to me like a cliff edge and I assumed he was gone. luckily it was only a 6-foot drop and he managed to land on his feet.

Holbert to National, Kiwanis and Las Lomitas Trail Loop

This loop was about 7.5 miles and took me about 2.5 hours to complete with no stopping essentially. The parking at the Phoenix Preserve Complex was free on the Sunday I went. Park anywhere, but to start the Holbert Trail, you'll need to be at the further end of the second parking area. Holbert Trail was very busy and a nice challenge of a 1,115 foot elevation. Once I got passed the turnout for Dobbins Lookout, it seemed like all the people disappeared. Which was quite nice, as I love being in nature and not hearing people chatting and music blasting. After connecting with National Trail (right hand turn) then I passed a few people. Silent Sunday was going on, so the main road was closed to vehicles and many cyclists took advantage of this. As I approached Kiwanis Trail, many hikers were here as they had hiked up the other side of South Mountain, Telegraph Pass Trail. Here you continue right onto Kiwanis Trail, which was empty as well for the most part. All the way down to Las Lomitas Trail and back to the parking lot. For an avid hiker like myself, this was an easy loop. I had read it can take up to 5-6 hours to finish....I just laughed and said watch it'll be less than 3 hour...and that is exactly what happened. *****I typically don't stop or bring water, as I pre hydrate with a lot of water prior to the hike. Which does make me have to pee on the hike, HAHA. But I RECOMMEND you always have water and take breaks as you need to.