Great Blue Heron taking flight.jpg
Harald Nagel · CC BY-SA 4.0

Zoo Staff Only is a 2.2-mile out-and-back in Papago Park - Tempe near Marlborough Park, AZ. It climbs 343 ft and is mostly dirt. It scores 0/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi1,181 – 1,329 ft3.2 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 33.45058, -111.94119
Nearest town Marlborough Park, AZ

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Zoo Staff Only

2.2 mi · ▲ 343 ft · 54 min

Elevation 1,181–1,329 ft

Out & Back · Papago Park - Tempe

Trailhead: 33.45058, -111.94119

Weather Sep 4: Overcast, high 100°F / low 84° · precip 5% · wind 2 mph · sunrise 6:05 AM · sunset 6:51 PM

Transit-accessible: College Ave & McKellips Rd stop 576 m from the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading SE.
  2. 0.1 miContinue straight onto Zoo Staff Only, heading SW.
  3. 50 ftBear left, heading S.
  4. 250 ftBear right, heading E.
  5. 50 ftTurn right onto Crosscut Canal Multi-use Path, heading E.
  6. 50 ftTurn left, heading E.
  7. 0.3 miTurn right, heading SE.
  8. 50 ftBear left, heading SE.
  9. 350 ftTurn left, heading S.
  10. 50 ftBear right, heading S.
  11. 150 ftBear right, heading SE.
  12. 50 ftBear left, heading SE.
  13. 0.1 miTurn right, heading S.
  14. 200 ftBear right, heading SE.
  15. 50 ftTurn right, heading E.
  16. 0.1 miTurn left, heading SE.
  17. 0.2 miBear right, heading E.
  18. 450 ftSharp left, heading W.
  19. 50 ftBear right, heading W.
  20. 50 ftBear right, heading W.
  21. 150 ftReach the turnaround, then head back the way you came.
  22. 150 ftBear left, heading NW.
  23. 50 ftBear left, heading NW.
  24. 50 ftSharp right, heading W.
  25. 450 ftBear left, heading W.
  26. 0.2 miTurn right, heading W.
  27. 0.1 miTurn left, heading NW.
  28. 50 ftBear left, heading W.
  29. 250 ftTurn left, heading SW.
  30. 0.1 miBear right, heading SE.
  31. 100 ftBear left, heading SE.
  32. 150 ftBear left, heading SE.
  33. 50 ftTurn right, heading SE.
  34. 400 ftBear right, heading NE.
  35. 50 ftTurn left, heading NE.
  36. 0.3 miTurn left, heading E.
  37. 50 ftBear left, heading E.
  38. 300 ftBear right onto Zoo Staff Only, heading NW.
  39. 450 ftArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

62% dirt8% sand7% paved23% unspecified

Weather

OvercastTemperature 100°F84°
Feels like97°Precip5%Wind2 mphUV8Humidity25%
Rained 0.1″ 4 days ago
Hourly temperature
100°80°
Sunrise 6:05 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM9 PMSunset 6:51 PM
Sat 101°80°
Sun 102°79°
Mon 103°90°
Tue 105°93°
Wed 104°91° 24%
Thu 103°87° 29%

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.1 mi in (~2 min). Leave by 6:29 PM for the 6:51 PM sunset. Back at your car by 7:08 PM — 8 min before dark.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Transit-accessible: College Ave & McKellips Rd stop 576 m from the trailhead

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