Photo: Cygnusloop99 · CC BY-SA 3.06% of Mesa’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Temple Square (2.8 mi), Eastmark Great Park (2.1 mi), Desert Trails Park (1.8 mi). 91 miles of mapped trail cross Mesa, 0.6 per square mile of land. 6% of Mesa’s land is conserved, about 5,803 acres.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #56 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Mesa?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Mesa have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mesa is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #56 of 140 in Arizona. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Mesa ranks #249 on Outdoors.
Arizona towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Mesa’s 6% is ahead of 34% of Arizona towns, while its trails per square mile lead 29% of them.
Park acres per resident are where Mesa trails most U.S. towns: 7.6 per 1,000 against 12.6 typical, since 513,656 people share 3,876 acres.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Temple Square, with 2.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Desert Trails Park
Riverview Park
Desert Arroyo Park
Park of the Canals, Brinton Desert Botanical Garden
Eagles Park
Red Mountain Park
All 205 parks & preserves
5,803 conserved acres
6% of Mesa’s land. Who manages Mesa’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 277 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Trust Land State Resource Management Area | State Department of Land | 2,323 | Restricted |
| Red Mountain District Park Local Park | Town or city | 843 | Open |
| Lower Sonoran Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 647 | Open |
| Dobson Ranch Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 145 | Open |
| Usbr Federal Other or Unknown | Bureau of Reclamation | 142 | Unknown |
| Usery Mountain Regional Park Local Park | Regional agency | 67 | Open |
| Desert Arroyo Park Local Park | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| Gene Autry Park Local Park | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Hohokam Park Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Desert Trails Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
328 places to go in Mesa
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 4 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
19 more playgrounds
273 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Plus 14 peaks without a name on the map.
20 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
10 more trails
416 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
31 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 17 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
19 more on the History page.
April is the best month for walking in Mesa
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) | 10.2 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 68 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 94 | 104 | 106 | 104 | 100 | 89 | 76 | 66 |
| Rain (in) | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.9 |
June is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 106 °F). 1.2 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 106 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Mesa →
Mesa and its neighbors
Mesa has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesa | 6% | 0.6 | 8 | 98% | B+ |
| Gilbert | 4% | 0.9 | 12 | 99%+ | A− |
| Tempe | 5% | 1.0 | 9 | 98% | A− |
| Chandler | 4% | 0.9 | 10 | 99%+ | A− |
| Apache Junction | 65% | 2.2 | 3 | 51% | B+ |
| Queen Creek | 18% | 0.9 | 13 | 93% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mesa
Where can I hike in Mesa?
The longest trail networks: Temple Square, 2.8 miles; Eastmark Great Park, 2.1 miles; Desert Trails Park, 1.8 miles; Riverview Park, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mesa is conserved land?
6% 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 Mesa’s trails?
Temple Square and Eastmark Great Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mesa?
416 miles of bike routes are on the map: 382 of painted or protected lanes, 29 of off-road paths and 4.7 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Eastern Canal Path and Sun Circle Trail.
Is there public land near Mesa?
93,402 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mesa or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,508 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Mesa have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #56 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 Mesa neighbors.
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 →