North Mountain Park Closes in December, and Every Hike It Served Has Another Trailhead

North Mountain Park, at 10608 N. 7th St., closes for renovation in December and stays closed through early 2028, according to the City of Phoenix trail page. The city lists the North Mountain Visitor Center and the other Phoenix Mountains Preserve trailheads as staying open.

So you lose one entrance on 7th Street. The mountain behind it stays open. The long ridge walk, the steep dog-friendly climb, the easy stroll and the summit each have an open trailhead within a short drive. The park you're losing has also been running on workarounds for nearly three years.

What closes with the park

Here's what sits inside the park, according to the city:

• The park itself, about 37 acres on the west side of 7th Street at Peoria Avenue
• The Penny Howe Barrier Free Trail, two small loops totaling 0.3 miles with interpretive plant signs and 40 feet of elevation change, which the city lists as starting at North Mountain Park
• The park ramadas, including Maricopa, Pima and Yavapai. The city requires reservations for them, made in person at a Phoenix Parks and Recreation facility.

If you have a ramada booked for December or later, check with Phoenix Parks and Recreation directly, since that reservation falls inside the closure window.

Right next door, the city lists the Maricopa Trailhead at 10600 N. 7th St. as the starting point for North Mountain National Trail. That's the steep asphalt-and-dirt climb, 1.6 miles with 614 feet of elevation change, with views of downtown and north Phoenix. With construction starting at the park next door, check the city's trail page before you count on that start this winter.

Match the hike you do to the trailhead that stays open

All three open alternatives keep the same posted hours as the park: trailhead parking from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., and trails open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. What changes is which trailhead fits the hike you used to start on 7th Street.

The Visitor Center is the closest stand-in for most 7th Street regulars. It sits on the same road, north of the park and south of Thunderbird Road. You don't have to do all 10.7 miles of Trail 100 to get a good morning out of it. The volunteer hiking group at the North Mountain Visitor Center has run a 3-mile, roughly 90-minute outing from the building. It heads east through the tunnel, climbs a small ridge on Trail 100 and returns on a gentle, winding unmarked trail.

Shaw Butte is the harder workout, and it ends at a piece of local history. At the top, the trail passes the concrete foundation of Cloud Nine, an upscale restaurant from the early 1960s that burned down and was never rebuilt. From there you get 360-degree views of the Valley.

Mountain View II Park, on 7th Avenue, covers the short, easy walk. The Penny Howe loops served that need inside the park.

A summit route that starts at the Visitor Center

You can also start a North Mountain summit climb at the Visitor Center. The city's preserve map shows North Mountain Park and the Visitor Center as separate access points on one trail network. It labels Trail 44 as North Mountain National, Trail 100 as Charles M. Christiansen Memorial and Trail 306 as Shaw Butte.

A 2012 trip log on HikeArizona describes the route. It follows Trail 100 from the Visitor Center to the junction with Trail 101, then takes the steep paved road that runs to the summit. A short trail near the gate leads to the far side of the towers for a panoramic view of the Valley. Trails get rerouted, so check the city map before you count on this route for your usual climb.

The park has been on stopgaps since early 2024

The full closure caps a long stretch of partial closures. In May 2024, North Central News reported that the city closed the park's playground structure in late February of that year for safety reasons. The structure was old enough that replacement parts were no longer available. The restroom at the old Ranger Station closed permanently over plumbing problems, which left three restrooms near the Pima, Maricopa and Yavapai ramadas. The swing set stayed open "until renovations begin," a Parks spokesperson told the paper.

That same article said the city planned to start renovations in summer 2025. The schedule moved. The city's project page, updated September 25, 2026, now lists construction starting in winter 2026/2027 and estimated completion in winter 2027/2028. That's about a year and a half later than the 2024 target. For most of that time, families have used a park with no playground structure and one fewer restroom.

The work is now close to starting. The Parks and Recreation Board approved the master plan on November 16, 2023. Final design began in July 2025 under J2 Environmental Design, and the design is listed at 90% complete, with permitted plans targeted for winter 2026/2027.

The new playground and restrooms replace what closed in 2024

Several items on the city's improvement list replace the things that closed in 2024. According to the city's project page, project PA75200612-1 includes:

1. An interactive nature-themed play area to replace the playground structure that closed in 2024
2. Three new restrooms, including family and ADA-accessible options, plus a new sewer connection replacing the outdated septic system
3. A newly designed ADA-accessible Penny Howe Trail
4. A new sustainable trail alignment connecting North Mountain Park to Tower Road
5. Pedestrian improvements that move walkers away from park roads, a walkable entry from 7th Street and Peoria Avenue, and a new pedestrian connection south of Peoria from 7th Street
6. More shade, from expanded canopies, shaded picnic areas with tables and grills, and shaded scenic viewpoints
7. Chilled drinking fountains with bottle fillers, plus ice machines to help first responders during rescues
8. Excess asphalt removed to cut heat, along with restored native vegetation, green stormwater infrastructure that harvests rainwater, LED lighting and automatic gates

For hikers, the biggest change is the new trail to Tower Road. When the park reopens, the 7th Street entrance is planned to connect directly to Tower Road on the new alignment.

Breakfast after the hike

Two places near the open trailheads work for a post-hike meal. Moon Valley Cafe, at 502 E. Thunderbird Rd., is a breakfast diner open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., a short drive from the Visitor Center. To the south, Luci's at the Orchard, at 7100 N. 12th St., serves breakfast, lunch and coffee daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you live near 7th Street and Peoria and want to know how a two-year park renovation could affect your home's value before and after it reopens, Celina Acosta can pull the recent sales near North Mountain and walk you through them. Start with a free home valuation or schedule a consultation, in English or Spanish.