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

Zoo Staff Only is a 2.3-mile out-and-back in Papago Park - Tempe near Marlborough Park, AZ. It climbs 352 ft and is mostly dirt. It scores 0/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi1,181 – 1,329 ft3.4 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 33.45154, -111.94220
Nearest town Marlborough Park, AZ

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Zoo Staff Only

2.3 mi · ▲ 352 ft · 57 min

Elevation 1,181–1,329 ft

Out & Back · Papago Park - Tempe

Trailhead: 33.45154, -111.94220

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

Transit-accessible: Phoenix Zoo stop 583 m from the trailhead · Drinking water at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead

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

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

Trail surface

60% dirt11% sand7% paved22% 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 (~4 min). Leave by 6:27 PM for the 6:51 PM sunset. Back at your car by 7:10 PM — 6 min before dark.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Transit-accessible: Phoenix Zoo stop 583 m from the trailhead
  • Drinking water at the trailhead
  • Parking lot at the trailhead

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