"0"^^ . "Leave the tourists to Camelback Mountain-- you cannot beat South Mountain Park!\n\nAs the largest municipal park in the United States (bet you just learned something), South Mountain park has plenty for everyone to enjoy. There is a plethora of trails ranging from easy to difficult that span the park and rangers have told me some feature hieroglyphs from ancient residents!\n\nYou can access the park easily from Ahwatukee and South Phoenix, there is ample parking next to trail heads leading up the mountain. \n\nIf you want to have a family picnic, there are plenty of ramadas throughout the park! You don't have to rent them, but you do have to get there early, especially on weekends and holidays. Beer is allowed but only if you have a permit, and NO glass! \n\nThe last Sunday's of the month are Silent Sundays, where rangers don't allow any motorized vehicles on the roads, so if you'd like to walk up to the top or ride your road bike, this is a perfect time to do it! \n\nPets are allowed, just make sure you bring enough water for them and plenty of bags to clean up after them! \n\nThe panoramic view at the top cannot be beat! You can see all over the Valley. \n\nI'm grateful to live within 5 minutes of some of the best hiking in AZ!"^^ . . . "5"^^ . "2012-04-10T00:00:00"^^ . "1"^^ . "5"^^ . .