Hole in the Rock: Is Papago Park’s crowded trail worth it?

The Hole in the Rock trail leads adventurers to a natural geological rock formation in the middle of Papago Park. This unusual rock formation features cave like holes eroded into the sandstone.

We wanted to know if visiting this popular tourist spot was worth it.

In this guide:

• Hole in the Rock trail stats
• What to expect
• Is the trail worth it?
• Practical info for your trip

Hole in the Rock trail stats

Interactive Trail Map

What to expect on the Hole in the Rock trail

In 2023, according to AZ Office of Tourism, over 45 million people visited Phoenix. They weren’t all at Papago Park the day we visited, but we most certainly were not alone. Maybe if we showed up July 8, 2024, Phoenix’s hottest day ever on record (118 degrees), we could have enjoyed the views all to ourselves.

We arrived at the park around 4:45 p.m. on a weekday to check out the famed Hole in Rock trail. To be fair it was a holiday week, so that may explain the extra visitors. It also could have been the sunset.

We didn’t have any trouble finding a parking spot despite the number of visitors, but we did wonder what we got ourselves into. Here is the view of the hole from the parking area.

We had come all this way; it was time to begin the hike.

The entrance to the viewpoint is behind the sandstone rock formation. The short trail, around 0.3 miles, goes to the right of the rock and ends up traversing some stone stairs to the finish.

But first, you can enjoy this lovely warning sign about bees. We didn’t have the pleasure of any on the day we visited.

You can also view Hunt’s Tomb from the trail. The tomb was built in 1931 by the first Governor of AZ, George W.P. Hunt. The tomb was placed on the National Register of Historic places in 2008.

Or these unique rock formations.

The whole journey up to the final stretch will take around 5 – 10 minutes.

After traversing up the stairs, it was time to enter the hole and soak in the views.

Views from the top

The area at the top is quite rocky and slanted. The day we visited, there were limited seating options to enjoy the view.

We were able to snap a few pictures of the scenic views.

It was quite hazy the day we visited.

And, of course, we watched the sun go down.

After having our fill of the official hike, we meandered down the trail in a loop and wandered off to a pond nearby to see the final rays of sun disappear.

Needless to say, it was an amazing sunset.

We were also treated to a magnificent full moon and some shots of hikers up on the trail after the sun was long gone.

Is hiking the Hole in the Rock trail worth it?

Rating: 3.0 Mooses

What we liked:

• The views from the “hole” area were nice. You can see the surrounding valley, a small pond surrounded by palm trees and you can watch the sun go down (or up).
• The trail is short and quick to get to the viewing area.
• It’s neat to see stone steps carved in the rocky trail.

What we didn’t like:

• The trail was incredibly crowded and there wasn’t a place to sit in the viewing area.
• The hole itself isn’t all that impressive.
• Many visitors were blocking the views so photographs were difficult.

Verdict: If you’re in the area, it’s a quick stop and opportunity to stretch your legs on a short hike.

Practical info for your trip

Current trail conditions

• Check Alltrails for recent trail conditions.
• Check the National Weather Service for temperature forecasts.

Papago Park Hours

The gates are open at Papago Park from 5 a.m. – 7 p.m. and the park officially closes at 11 p.m. Be sure to get there before 7 p.m. if you want to watch the sun go down.

What to bring

Be sure to check the weather conditions and pack appropriately.  This is what we brought for this hike:

Standard Gear:

• The 10 Essentials.  These are a must for us on every hike. 

Special Items of note:

• Hiking Boots or closed toe shoes – There were a lot of rocks on the trail. We recommend wearing either hiking boots or trail shoes with good grip on them. We saw plenty of people in a variety of inappropriate footwear, but we can’t recommend it. We saw many people climbing on top of the rock formation. The rock had some grip to it, but it didn’t look safe to us.
• Water / Snacks – There is no running water available at the trailhead. Bring plenty of water (especially in the hot summer months) and snacks.

Trailhead Amenities

This is an urban park and has plenty of amenities in the surrounding areas (including the Phoenix Zoo). You’ll find covered picnic areas, plenty of parking, restrooms, trail information and dozens of other visitors.

We also saw this building, but it didn’t appear to be anything visitors could take advantage of.

More info for your trip to Scottsdale / Phoenix, AZ

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