Honey Bee Biological Corridor
Nature preserve
689 acres7.2 mi of trail
Sausalito Wash TrailWapa Line #180
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: The original uploader was Danman083 at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Oro Valley
Oro Valley has 78 miles of mapped trails, 2.2 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Honey Bee Biological Corridor (7.2 mi), Cañada del Oro River Park (7 mi), Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve (6.1 mi). 7% of Oro Valley’s land is conserved, about 1,617 acres. 769 acres are parks and preserves, 16 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #39 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,617 acres · of 35.1 sq mi of land
Trails
78 mi
2.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
769 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
70%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
105 mi
69 mi lanes · 37 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Oro Valley?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Oro Valley have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Oro Valley is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #39 of 140 in Arizona. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Oro Valley’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical AZ town 14% · U.S. 4%B+Trails2.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (78 mi) · AZ 1.1 · U.S. 0.4APark land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (769 acres) · AZ 8 · U.S. 13BParks close to home70% of residents within a half mile of a park · AZ 56% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 81%
LessMore
Arizona towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 73%
Arizona towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Oro Valley’s 7% is ahead of 36% of Arizona towns, while its trails per square mile lead 82% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. 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 Honey Bee Biological Corridor, with 7.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cañada del Oro River Park
Managed by Pima County
607 acres7 mi of trail
CDO Access Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
218 acres6.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Naranja Park
Managed by Oro Valley Parks and Recreation
207 acres4.5 mi of trail
Naranja TrailNaranja East Archery CourseNaranja West Archery Course
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Tohono Chul
Park
50 acres2.1 mi of trail
Desert View TrailSouth Loop TrailSaguaro Discovery Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Honey Bee Canyon Park
Nature preserve
79 acres1.9 mi of trail
Loop TrailSausalito Wash TrailPetroglyphs TrailDam Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
James D. Kriegh Park
Managed by Oro Valley Parks and Recreation
23 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 18 parks & preserves
Honey Bee Biological Corridor689 acres · 7.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCañada del Oro River Park607 acres · 7 mi of trail · Pima County
DirectionsVistoso Trails Nature Preserve218 acres · 6.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNaranja Park207 acres · 4.5 mi of trail · Oro Valley Parks and Recreation
DirectionsTohono Chul50 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHoney Bee Canyon Park79 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsJames D. Kriegh Park23 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Oro Valley Parks and Recreation
DirectionsRiverfront Park32 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHohokam Park9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Wildlife Ridge Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCatalina Vista Recreation Center4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Sun City Vistoso
DirectionsCopper Creek Neighborhood Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVistoso77 acres · Vistoso HOA
DirectionsSteam Pump Ranch15 acres · Town of Oro Valley
DirectionsDesert Oasis Recreation Center5 acres · Sun City Vistoso
DirectionsCatalina State Park2 acres
DirectionsSunset Park2 acres
Desert Vista Common Area C Recreation Area2 acres · Desert Vista Home Owners Association
DirectionsWho protects it
1,617 conserved acres
7% of Oro Valley’s land. Who manages Oro Valley’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County872 ac
Town or city777 ac
State Department of Land42 ac
U.S. Forest Service4 ac
Local Conservation Area · 651 acUnknown Easement · 544 acLocal Park · 430 acState Resource Management Area · 67 acNational Forest · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 467 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 9 of 20 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honey Bee Biological Corridor Local Conservation Area | County | 468 | Unknown |
| Naranja Park Local Park | Town or city | 211 | Open |
| Flap Local Conservation Area | County | 169 | Unknown |
| Honey Bee Canyon Park Local Park | Town or city | 76 | Open |
| State Trust Land State Resource Management Area | State Department of Land | 67 | Restricted |
| Tohono Chul Park Local Park | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| West Lambert Lane Park Local Park | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Canada Del Oro Riverfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| James D. Kriegh Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Steam Pump Ranch Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
69 places to go in Oro Valley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Oro Valley
Circular Playground
Directions36 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Oro Valley
9 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Oro Valley
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Oro Valley
9 peaks without a name on the map.
Trails & water
17 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.3 miHorses · 3.0 miUnpaved · 18.9 mi
Naranja Trail2.6 mi
CDO Access Trail1.5 mi
Big Wash Trail1.3 mi
Petroglyphs Trail1.1 mi
Naranja East Archery Course1.0 mi
Wapa Line #1801.0 mi
Loop Trail0.9 mi
Naranja West Archery Course0.7 mi
Desert View Trail0.5 mi
Sausalito Wash Trail0.5 mi
7 more trails
South Loop Trail
0.2 miHoneybee Medow
0.2 miOld US 80 (Abandoned)
0.2 miDam Trail
0.1 miSaguaro Discovery Trail
0.1 miHoneybee Connector
0.1 miWest Lambert Road Access
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
105 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
69 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
37 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
72Tennis
43Basketball
43Golf
30Equestrian
29Pickleball
20Baseball
9Soccer
9Beach volleyball
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). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Steam Pump RanchDistrict · listed 2009
About itWhen to get out
April is the best month for walking in Oro Valley
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 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 65 | 68 | 74 | 81 | 90 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 94 | 85 | 74 | 64 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.4 |
May is the driest month (0.2 in) and June the warmest (highs of 100 °F). 2.3 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 100 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Oro Valley →
Next door
Oro Valley and its neighbors
Oro Valley has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oro Valley | 7% | 2.2 | 16 | 70% | A− |
| Casas Adobes | 3% | 0.6 | 8 | 68% | B− |
| Catalina | 39% | 3.9 | 1 | 21% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Oro Valley
Where can I hike in Oro Valley?
The longest trail networks: Honey Bee Biological Corridor, 7.2 miles; Cañada del Oro River Park, 7 miles; Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve, 6.1 miles; Naranja Park, 4.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Oro Valley is conserved land?
7% 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 Oro Valley’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Naranja Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Oro Valley?
105 miles of bike routes are on the map: 69 of painted or protected lanes and 37 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Oro Valley?
29,844 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Oro Valley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 774 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Oro Valley have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #39 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 Oro Valley 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 →