South Mountain preserve

So now that I am finally getting over my 3-week adventure with the flu and had a few good meals yesterday evening, I wanted to get out and enjoy some fresh air.  I have not yet been to Phoenix's South Mountain Park so I decided to go for a drive to explore this afternoon. It is considered the largest urban park in the United States and boasts an impressive 51 miles of  primary trails for hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding.  Today over 3 million visitors a year enjoy the beautiful desert foliage and breathtaking views t this park.

As always, I had my dependable camera with me and took some pictures of my trip... enjoy!

A beautiful day in Downtown Phoenix as seen from I-10 just north of the downtown core:

Looking south towards South Mountain from I-10:

Travelling south on Central Avenue towards South Mountain:

The South Mountain neighborhood in Phoenix...

Approaching the enterance to South Mountain Park and the end of Phoenix's Central Avenue

Park directional signage:

The summit of the mountain (with dozens of communications towers at the top)

Self-explanatory:

The TV and Radio towers atop the peak of South Mountain:

Downtown Phoenix from South Mountain:

The far southeast valley neighborhoods just south of South Mountain

Close-up of the TV, radio, and cellular towers atop the mountain:

The TV towers as seen from Dobbins lookout point (and my car too...)

At Dobbins Point overlooking the north side of South Mountain towards the Valley:

Downtown Phoenix from Dobbins lookout (The roof on Chase Field (MLB Arizona Diamondbacks)is open on the center right)

Camelback Mountain and Sky Harbor Airport (you can see the control tower in the middle)

The east valley including Phoenix and Tempe near the airport:

The University of Phoenix Stadium (NFL's Arizona Cardinals) and Jobing.com Arena (NHL Phoenix Coyotes) at the Westgate City Center in Glendale in the West Valley as seen from Dobbins Point.  My house is about 2 miles south of the big white-roofed stadium (somewhere in the far left of this picture, can you see it?)