The Waterfall Trail in White Tank Mountain Regional Park is the easiest way into the largest regional park in Maricopa County. A short walk to rock art and, after a real rain, a waterfall most of the Valley never sees running.
Park entrance: 20304 W. White Tank Mountain Road, Waddell, AZ 85355. Follow White Tank Mountain Road into the park to the Waterfall trailhead.
White Tank 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.
White Tank 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.
Nobody built these tanks. Flash floods did. When heavy rain hits the range, water tears down the steep canyons and scours bowl-shaped depressions into the pale granite near the base. Those basins hold water long after the storm passes. They are the white tanks.
You see the classic example at the end of this trail: a pool worn smooth into the canyon floor at the foot of the falls.
The waterfall is seasonal. Without recent rain there is rarely water running. With it, the falls run for a short window, and that window is the whole point.
A level, barrier-free path into Waterfall Canyon. Watch the dark, varnished boulders on both sides. That is where the carvings start.
About 0.4 mile in. The largest collection of rock art in the White Tanks, carved more than 1,000 years ago. Spirals, circles, grids and animal figures.
The surface turns to dirt and rock and the canyon narrows. After rain, water drops down a wall Arizona Highways puts at 75 feet into the pool below. Dry, you see how white and smooth the floods have worn the granite.
Lengths are one way, from the county's own trail data. Elevation change is the county's figure where it publishes one. Short spurs and connectors are left out.
| Trail | Length | County rating | Elevation change | Use | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterfall Trail | 0.9 mi | Easiest | 262 ft | Barrier-free | Barrier-free to Petroglyph Plaza; not past it |
| Black Rock Trail - Short Loop | 0.5 mi | Easiest | 32 ft | Barrier-free | |
| Black Rock Trail | 1.0 mi | Moderate | 73 ft | Hike only | Passes Hohokam village remains |
| Wildlife Trail | 0.2 mi | Easy | 15 ft | Hike, bike, horse | To the wildlife-viewing pond |
| Gray Fox Trail | 0.9 mi | Easy | 94 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| Waddell Trail | 1.0 mi | Easy | 98 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| Ironwood Trail | 0.9 mi | Moderate | 87 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| South Trail | 1.0 mi | Moderate | 181 ft | Hike, bike, horse | First 0.1 mile is part of the Maricopa Trail |
| Bajada Trail | 1.1 mi | Moderate | 146 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| Willow Canyon Trail | 1.6 mi | Moderate to difficult | 336 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| Mule Deer Trail | 3.4 mi | Moderate | 143 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Part of the Maricopa Trail |
| Mesquite Canyon Trail | 5.0 mi | Moderate | 1,483 ft | Hike, bike, horse | County notes it turns difficult after the first mile |
| Goat Camp Trail | 6.3 mi | Extremely difficult | 1,734 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Moderate below and above Goat Canyon |
| Ford Canyon Trail | 7.4 mi | Moderate | 1,408 ft | Hike, bike, horse | 1.9 miles in a narrow canyon rated extremely difficult; not suitable for horses or bikes |
| Sonoran Loop Competitive Track | 8.2 mi | Depends on use | Bike race track, shared | Built for speed and racing; beginner and technical segments too |
Source: Maricopa County Parks and Recreation trail data, retrieved 7 October 2026. The county's printable trail map (PDF) shows every trail and trailhead.
The Hohokam lived in these canyons from roughly 500 to 1100 A.D. Archaeologists recorded their sites when the park was established. These were small satellite settlements, likely used for gathering cactus fruit and hunting. Their rock art includes animal figures and complex designs.
Earlier still, most of the petroglyphs in the White Tanks are attributed to the Western Archaic culture, desert nomads who may have been here as early as 2000 B.C. That is where the 4,000 years comes from. Their work is abstract: lines, squiggles, sets of circles and grid patterns.
The nearby Black Rock Trail leads to the remains of one of the park's Hohokam village sites. They are easy to walk past, so go slowly.
Stay on the trail. Never touch, chalk or wet the carvings. Skin oil damages the desert varnish they are cut into. Low morning light makes them easier to read, and binoculars help.
Water, even for a short hike. The canyon is exposed. Shoes with grip for the rocky finish.
At the park entrance. Nov 1 to Apr 30: 8am to 4pm daily. May 1 to Oct 31: 7am to 2pm, Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday.
If a mountain park at the end of the road is part of what you want from a home, I can tell you which neighborhoods put you closest to it.
Park size, hours, address, Nature Center hours and the origin of the name: Maricopa County Parks and Recreation. Entry fee: Maricopa County Parks fee schedule. Hohokam and Western Archaic history: White Tank Mountains Conservancy. Trail surface, Petroglyph Plaza and waterfall height: Arizona Highways. Waterfall Trail length and elevation change: Maricopa County trail data. All checked 7 October 2026. Fees and hours change, so confirm with the park before you go. Trail conditions change after storms.