Usery Mountain Regional Park sits at the western end of the Goldfield Mountains on Mesa's northeast edge, next to the Tonto National Forest. Flat desert loops for an easy hour, and two climbs that earn the view.
Park entrance: 3939 N. Usery Pass Rd., Mesa, AZ 85207. From central Phoenix, I-10 east to US 60 east, then Ellsworth Road north to the park.
Check before you go. The county posts closures and trail updates on the park's page.
Usery Mountain Regional Park is outlined in orange. The other county parks are outlined in blue. Tap any park for its size and a link to its county page.
Usery Mountain Regional Park Other county parks
Park boundaries are the official Maricopa County Parks and Recreation GIS boundary layer, retrieved 7 October 2026. Street map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Pass Mountain, known locally as Scarface, is the landmark you see from the park road. The Wind Cave sits high on its face, where volcanic tuff meets granite. Water seeps from the roof of the alcove and keeps hanging gardens of rock daisy alive in the desert.
The Superstition Mountains rise to the east, the Goldfields to the north and the McDowells across the Salt River to the northwest. Usery Pass was once a livestock route for sheep drives between northern Arizona and the Salt River Valley. The park takes its name from King Usery, a cattleman here in the late 1870s and early 1880s.
Ranked from easiest to hardest. The level comes from the county's own rating, and a trail goes up a level if the county rates any section of it harder than the rest. Within each level, trails are ordered by elevation change, then length. Lengths are one way unless marked *, which is the county's full loop or round-trip distance.
| # | Trail | County rating | Length | Elevation change | Use | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | ||||||
| 1 | Merkle Trail | Easiest | 0.9 mi* | 68 ft | Barrier-free | Barrier-free loop around a small mountain. |
| 2 | Desert Hawk Trail | Easy | 0.5 mi* | 11 ft | Hike only | |
| 3 | Channel Trail | Easy | 1.2 mi | 33 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 4 | Meridian Trail | Easy | 0.9 mi | 43 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 5 | Levee Trail | Easy | 1.6 mi | 63 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 6 | Ruidoso Trail | Easy | 1.3 mi | 70 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 7 | Moon Rock Trail | Easy | 1.4 mi | 75 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 8 | Spillway Trail | Easy | 1.2 mi | 80 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 9 | Chain Fruit Trail | Easy | 1.0 mi | 87 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 10 | Blevins Trail | Easy | 3.0 mi* | 98 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 11 | County Line Trail | Easy | 1.0 mi | 104 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 12 | Lost Sheep Trail | Easy | 1.6 mi | 177 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Part of the Maricopa Trail. |
| 13 | Talon Trail | Easy | 2.1 mi | 369 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| Intermediate | ||||||
| 14 | Signal Wash Trail | Moderate | 0.5 mi | 29 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Wash trail. Floods fast in storms; loose sand. |
| 15 | Nighthawk Wash Trail | Moderate | 0.5 mi | 49 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Wash trail. Floods fast in storms; loose sand. |
| 16 | Crismon Wash Trail | Moderate | 0.9 mi | 96 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Wash trail. Floods fast in storms; loose sand. |
| 17 | Amigos Wash Trail | Moderate | 1.2 mi | 101 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Wash trail. Floods fast in storms; loose sand. |
| 18 | Noso Trail | Moderate | 1.0 mi | 119 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 19 | Cat Peaks Trail | Moderate | 1.1 mi | 139 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 20 | Vista Trail | Moderate | 0.5 mi | 162 ft | Hike only | |
| Advanced | ||||||
| 21 | Cat Peaks Pass Trail | Moderate to difficult | 0.3 mi | 66 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 22 | Pass Mountain Trail | Difficult | 7.5 mi* | 731 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Circles Pass Mountain. Managed jointly with the Tonto National Forest. |
| 23 | Wind Cave Trail | Difficult | 1.5 mi | 812 ft | Hike only | The park's most popular hike. Managed jointly with the Tonto National Forest. |
Source: Maricopa County Parks and Recreation, the park's trail table and the county's trail data, retrieved 10 October 2026. Ratings are the park table's. Short spurs, connectors and campground paths are left out. The county rates trails at least one level harder in hot or humid months. The county's printable park and trail map (PDF) shows every trail and trailhead.
November through April. Summer is hot and the trails are exposed. Go early on any warm day, carry more water than you think you need, and turn around when half of it is gone.
Amigos, Crismon, Nighthawk and Signal Wash run in sandy washes that flood fast. Skip them when storms are in the forecast.
Nov 1 to Apr 30: 8am to 4pm daily. May 1 to Oct 31: 7am to 2pm, Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday. Ranger-led hikes and stargazing are on the county calendar.
The Buckhorn campground has 73 sites with water and electric hookups for RVs up to 45 feet, plus restrooms with hot showers. Two group campgrounds are dry camping. Reserve through the county.
Nearly 100 targets on six courses, with a shaded shooting area. The range hosts more than 30 tournaments a year. Daily supply fee $4, under 15 free.
Most trails are shared. A trailhead staging area has hitch rails and room for horse trailers. Expect riders and bikes, and yield accordingly.
If a mountain park within a short drive is part of what you want nearby, I can tell you which East Valley neighborhoods put you closest to one like this.
Address, hours, Nature Center hours, the Wind Cave, the setting and the archery range: Maricopa County Parks and Recreation, Usery Mountain Regional Park, with its history, hiking, trails, camping, archery and directions pages. Mileage and the trailhead staging area: the county's park and trail map, dated 7 April 2026. Size and the year it joined the county system: the park page, the county's 2024 Natural Resource Plan and its 1965 Regional Park System Plan, which already lists Usery as a county park. Campground size: the camping page and the 1993 Usery Mountain Recreation Area Master Plan. Entry fees: Maricopa County Parks fee schedule. Trail lengths, ratings and elevation change: the park's trail table, checked against Maricopa County GIS trail data (Trail By Name and Trail By Segment layers). Park boundaries: Maricopa County GIS Park Boundary layer. All checked 10 October 2026. Fees, hours and closures change, so confirm with the park before you go.