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| - Since I was feeling fat and lazy, I wanted to challenge myself to a longer hike at a more challenging venue (based on the web reviews).
At more than 16,000 acres, South Mountain Park/Preserve is one of the largest municipally operated parks in the country. You do see petroglyphs at some point, as well as Sagauro cactus.
I parked and started from the Central Ave. main entrance at around 3pm. I had been visiting from out of town and NEVER been here, so heed my advice - if it's hot, and you start in the late afternoon -
1. know where you're going or bring a map
2. bring water and snacks
3. gauge your time, and don't start too late
I'm too confident for my own good, I did NOT follow my own advice, except I did have a bottle of water with me.
If I recall correctly, I started out on the Los Lomitas trail, and made my way to the Holbert Trail. Pay attention to the Los Lomitas trail from the parking lot it's got a lot of shortcuts and switchbacks that might be pretty confusing. Note that the Los Lomitas is fairly easy and gets you to a paved portion of the Holbert Trail, and a secondary Holbert trailhead that starts taking you up the mountain.
It's considered moderate to challenging, so even though parts of the trail might level off at some points, note that you're consistently going UPHILL. You reach a saddle and follow along the upper part of a wash with a small box canyon at the end. The intersection with the short, steep trail up to Dobbins Lookout is near the top of the small canyon.
The trail could be narrow in certain places, and if you keep looking out, or looking back, you get breathtaking views at some points.
The climax, of course, is Dobbins Lookout, which is the most breathtaking view of Phoenix and downtown that I have ever seen. It's well worth the hike, and Dobbins Lookout consists of a sheltered vista point, a few benches, and a few rocks to perch yourself on - from which you can appreciate Phoenix.
Note that I had never heard of Dobbins Lookout before this; I kept hiking because I wanted to know where the trail would end up. I do not recommend this mantra, and note that I do not follow my own good advice to others.
The total hike, round trip, including Las Lomitas plus Holbert, seemed to be over 6 miles, so I barely made it within 3 hours - and before the sun went completely down. You might want to check the park trail map to double-confirm.
In the heat and all, the hike seemed long and tiring and very singular on the way up, though much to my chagrin - once you get to Dobbins Lookout - you discover that a well-traveled road actually goes up there with heavy crowds, parking, and restrooms.
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