Black Mountain Summit Preserve
Nature preserve
168 acres0.4 mi of trail
Black Mountain Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0COutdoors
Outdoors in Carefree
Few parks or trails are on the map in Carefree
7 acres are parks and preserves, 2.0 per 1,000 residents. 36% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Carefree’s land is conserved, about 220 acres.
Ahead of 33% of U.S. towns · #124 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
220 acres · of 8.8 sq mi of land
Trails
3.1 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
7 ac
2.0 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
36%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
10 mi
10 mi lanes
Highest peak
3,379 ft
Black Mountain
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Carefree have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Carefree is ahead of 33% of U.S. towns, #124 of 140 in Arizona. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Carefree’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical AZ town 14% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · AZ 1.1 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land2.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (7 acres) · AZ 8 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home36% of residents within a half mile of a park · AZ 56% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 33%
LessMore
Arizona towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 12%
Arizona towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Carefree’s 4% is ahead of 25% of Arizona towns, while its trails per square mile lead 12% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Black Mountain Summit Preserve, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Carefree Desert Gardens
Park
2 acres0.3 mi of trail
Desert Gardens Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Carefree Galloway Wash Preserve
Nature preserve
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
220 conserved acres
4% of Carefree’s land. Who manages Carefree’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County172 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits56 ac
Town or city3 ac
Local Conservation Area · 187 acPrivate Conservation · 41 acLocal Park · 3 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Mountain Summit Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 172 | Restricted |
| Desert Foothills Land Trust Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 41 | Closed |
| Carefree Galloway Wash Preserve Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 11 | Open |
| Black Mountain Preserve North Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Open |
| Carefree Desert Gardens/Sundial Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Carefree
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Carefree
Black Mountain3,379 ft elevation · In Black Mountain Summit Preserve
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.6 mi
Black Mountain Trail0.4 mi
Desert Gardens Trail0.3 mi
Biking & sports
10 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
10 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
7Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Stoneman Road Military Trail SegmentSite · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
April is the best month for walking in Carefree
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 64 | 67 | 73 | 80 | 89 | 99 | 102 | 101 | 95 | 85 | 72 | 63 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.4 |
June is the driest month (0.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 102 °F). 1.7 inches fall in January, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 102 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Carefree →
Next door
Carefree and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carefree | 4% | 0.4 | 2 | 36% | C |
| Scottsdale | 30% | 2.4 | 15 | 71% | A |
| Cave Creek | 55% | 2.1 | 557 | 37% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Carefree
Where can I hike in Carefree?
The longest trail networks: Black Mountain Summit Preserve, 0.4 miles; Carefree Desert Gardens, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Carefree is conserved land?
4% of its land, against a typical 14% for an Arizona town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Carefree’s trails?
Black Mountain Summit Preserve and Carefree Desert Gardens don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Carefree?
10 miles of bike routes are on the map: 10 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Carefree?
113,626 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Carefree or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Carefree have?
Ahead of 33% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #124 of 140 in Arizona. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Carefree neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →