Be a Part of the Action
With an average temperature of 75 degrees and more than 300 days of sunshine annually, Arizona is a hub of activity for hobbyists, competitive athletes and die-hard fans alike.
Greater Phoenix: by the Numbers
400+
Hiking Trails
#8
Professional Sports Teams
3+
Annual National Sporting Events
300+
Golf Courses
Hiking Trails & National Parks
With constant sunshine and mild weather throughout most of the year, Greater Phoenix is a perfect location for those who love an outdoor lifestyle. Four-hundred fourteen trails make up 1,502 miles of hiking, not including the vast number of trails and attractions a few short hours away in northern Arizona. The nation’s largest municipal park covering more than 30,500 acres sits right here in Greater Phoenix, and the beauty of Arizona national parks draw over 15 million travelers each year.
Popular Urban Hikes
- Camelback Mountain, Scottsdale
- Piestewa Peak Summit Trail, Phoenix
- Superstition Ridgeline, Apache Junction
- South Mountain Park, Guadalupe
- San Tan Mountains Loop, Queen Creek
- Phoenix Sonoran Desert Preserve, Cave Creek
- Goldmine Mountain Peak, Queen Creek
- Hieroglyphs, Apache Junction
- Tom’s Thumb, Scottsdale
- Apache Wash Trail Loop, Phoenix
Top National Attractions
- The Grand Canyon
- Lake Mead
- The Petrified Forest
- Saguaro National Park
- Montezuma Castle
Biking, Camping, Waterways, Quads & More
Outdoor activities are endless in Arizona. You don’t have to be a competitive athlete to enjoy the beauty, you simply need to embrace adventure to discover something new.
Escape the City
Within two hours you can go from the valley to the mountains and see the red rocks of Sedona, or camp under the stars on the Mogollon Rim.
Image: @jreedute15
Scenic Waterways
- Salt River
- Verde River
- Saguaro Lake
- Bartlett Lake
- Lake Pleasant
- Canyon Lake
- Apache Lake
- Roosevelt Lake
Image: @atlas_loved
Find Your Runner’s High
From competitive national qualifiers to bucket-list races and fun-runs, athletes live and gather in Greater Phoenix.
For the Casual Runner
Papago Park, Arizona Grand Canal Trail, Murphy Bridle Path, Tempe Town Lake and Indian Wash Greenbelt offer scenic views around Greater Phoenix for casual runners.
Bucket-List Trails
The Grand Canyon offers rim-to-rim access for an adventure of a runner’s lifetime.
Pat’s Run
Pat’s Run is held each year honor of Pat Tillman, former Arizona State University and Arizona Cardinal football player who left the NFL to join the Army and was killed on April 22, 2004. This is the largest run in the nation to honor a fallen soldier, the second-largest military race and 18th-largest race in the country.
Nearly 30,000 racers annually run across 24 states plus Washington, D.C. The race also has also offered a virtual run since 2020, when more than 31,000 people participated.
Image via ASU
Marathons & Races
10000+
Attendees at the Phoenix 10K & Half Marathon in 2024
1,000+
Racers in the Buckeye run, which raises money for the Buckeye Youth Scholarship Fund
Source: West Valley View
23.9%
of Mesa Marathon runners qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2024
3
The annual Rock 'n' Roll Marathon on MLK Day takes runners through three cities in the region
Professional Teams
Greater Phoenix is home to eight professional sports teams, including representatives from three of the big four sports leagues.
The Cardinals play in Glendale, and the Diamondbacks, Suns, Mercury, Rattlers and Phoenix Rising FC play in Phoenix.
Collegiate sports
Arizona State University (Tempe), University of Arizona (Tucson), Grand Canyon University (Phoenix) and Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff) all have Div. I sports teams.
Enjoy year-round golfing at over 370 courses across the region.
Keystone Annual Sporting Events
Each year, Greater Phoenix hosts the Cactus League as part of MLB Spring Training, the PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open and the NCAA Fiesta Bowl.
National Sporting Events in Greater Phoenix
Greater Phoenix is consistently competing for high-profile national sporting events. Recently, the region hosted Super Bowl LVII, the 2024 NCAA Men’s Final Four, WNBA All-Star Weekend and NASCAR Championship Weekend. In coming years, the region will host the NCAA Women’s Final Four in 2026 and NBA All-Star Weekend in 2027.
