Watson woods is a calming gem in the middle of industrial and housing areas along busy highway 89…read more There are two access points, the southernmost is off Rosser St and has a nice short loop through the riparian area along the revegetated Granite creek. Numerous species of cottonwoods provide beautiful fall color and there are several interpretive signs describing the history of the watershed and the plant species. You can make a longer hike by going north along the west side of the creek and under the Prescott Lakes road to a lush area close to the main entrance to the preserve on Sundog Ranch Road. This is the bigger parking lot as it also provides access to mountain bikes for the Peavine trail heading north. As these are urban trails you will have road noise, but that is a small trade off for the easy access. Dogs and bikes are not allowed in the Preserve, though this is sometimes ignored.

Trail is absolutely amazing and beautiful. It has some nice sculptures to pass by along the way and…read morewhen you reach the top it gives a beautiful view of all of Prescott and Prescott valley. It can be exhausting or rough, but there are plenty of benches you can stop at along the way to take a breather. As well as bring plenty of water too. You can also stop by the nearby radio towers too but can't go inside but that's good. Overall I would recommend this spot to get some air and enjoy the scenery. Just make sure to use your GPS so you don't get lost along the way.

This 4.2 mile out and back trail offers 360 degree views from the top, a rarity for such a short…read moreand easily accessible trail right in town. The parking area is found at the SW intersection of Antelope Ln and N Castle Dr and is quite large. I went on a cold weekday and only saw 5 other hikers but undoubtedly this gets very busy on a weekend judging by the size of the parking lot. There is an installation of contemporary artwork of foraging deer / horses as you start the trail. The trail itself is very wide and a mix of dirt with some rock and climbs at a gradual incline all the way up. At each of the major switchbacks there are nicely maintained picnic tables offering great views of the valleys to the east and north. A handful of interpretive signs offer information about wildlife, geology and history of the hill. There are also GPS and mile markers at regular intervals. As you approach the top a few of the switchbacks are a bit steeper but the view at the top is worth it as you are now able to see the southern and western mountain ranges as well as all the way around to the east and north. A picnic table is also situated the top along with additional historical info. The top can be windy so be prepared, also this is not the best trail to take right after a rain or snow. I went two days after a snow and even though the majority of snow had melted it felt like I had an extra 2 pounds of mud on my boots at times !

This is a beautiful hiking spot with plenty of trails and nice scenery. The views of the mountains…read moreand the rock formations are extremely beautiful. What is also really nice is since this trail is near most of the ranches and farm land, there are ranchers and farmers who take their horses through here to help get them air and train them as well as practice with them too. What I really like about this trail is how there are parts that seem to show the remains of maybe where ranches maybe used to be. The fences and the feeding trays for livestock are still here and it's nice to see. And then there is the distance as well as time it could take to complete certain trails too. So be careful you don't get lost or miss the exit and end up looping around in circles. I would still check out this trail but watch your step as the horses may leave feces on the trail.

On this visit we took trail 308 from the parking lot but turned right this time on Mint Creek wash…read moretrail and after about 1/2 mile saw petroglyphs and hiked down to the creek which was flowing nicely and had a few small pools.

I have camped in Prescott before, but never at this lake. I had heard great things about Lynx Lake…read moreand have always wanted to check it out. This lake was formed in the 1960s when they dammed Lynx Creek. It is stocked for fishing and has a campground and hiking trails around it. There are lots of animals that are native to this area like mule deer, osprey and bald eagles. I booked a campsite here during the summer because I own a kayak and wanted to get out on the water. After setting up my site, I headed over to Lynx Lake. I was a little disappointed to see the water so low. I guess in late 2024, the lake was partially drained to fix a mechanical failure in the dam's outlet valve. It has to rely entirely on natural rain and snow to be refilled and could take years to get back to normal. So we just did a hike around the lake and headed back to our campsite. Lynx Campground has around 35 campsites with a picnic table, fire ring and a grill at each site. There are no RV hook-ups, but they do have drinking water and toilets. The campsite is about half a mile directly south of Lynx Lake. We enjoyed our campsite and had a fun time. We had to partially share our site with another family because their giant tent spilled onto our site (which was annoying). But we made the most of it. The nice thing is that the Town of Prescott isn't too far away if you need any food or supplies. As for kayaking, we were able to do that over at Watson Lake. You can book a campsite ahead of time on Recreation.gov.

I've been to Lynx Lake a few times, and this recent visit was pretty similar to my past…read moreexperiences. I'm giving it a 3-star review mainly because the lake has recently been drained and they want it to refill naturally, so it's unclear when water levels will return to normal. There is also a $5 day-use fee to enter the park. You can pay cash or card. Currently, the park opens at 7:00 AM and the gates close at 5:00 PM. The trail around the lake is about 2.5 miles and offers a few different routes, including at least one path that leads to a small waterfall (or what would be a waterfall if the lake wasn't drained). The west side of the lake is more paved and level, making it easier for walking, while the east side is more rugged with a dirt trail. One thing to add, the bathrooms were clean, but they had smell in them was hard to ignore and really unpleasant. Overall, it's still a nice area for a casual walk around the lake, especially if you're in the area.

We were invited to a wedding here and loved it. The couple reserved a Ramada and it was enough room…read morefor 50 people. The lake itself was beautiful and clear. Lots of people were fishing. Too cold to swim in for March even though it was hot out (80s). Only $3 to park, National parks pass does not work since it's a City of Prescott lake. Overall, we loved it, very peaceful. A Prescott gem.

Visited on Saturday, November 1st, and arrived around 1 PM. Parking was $3. We first stopped at the…read morelower lake since the upper area was pretty busy, but quickly learned that the lower lake is lure fishing only--no bait allowed. So, we made our way back up to the upper lake, where bait is permitted. The upper lake was fairly crowded and a bit noisy (sound really carries there), but it's a beautiful spot overall--small, peaceful, and scenic. We stayed for about two hours, didn't catch anything, but did spot a few fish swimming around. Still a pleasant visit!

This easy to moderate 2 mile trail takes you up and down through boulders with views in all…read moredirections, a variety of plant life providing intermittent shade especially in the early hours, and an end point at some petroglyphs. There are two parking spots. For a longer walk with some city views, park at the small dirt lot on the north side of Westridge Dr just west of Gail Gardner Way. Follow the signed trail a few hundred yards west along the road to where you head north away from the road and across a wooden bridge. After the monsoon rains, a variety of flowers can be seen especially in the first section. Midway along the trail you will be just below an area of housing development which may have some construction noise, but it was very minimal on the Monday that we went. The second parking lot which is further up and closer to the petroglyphs is at 951 Downer Trail. There are some switchbacks climbing up hill towards the end of the trail where you will be rewarded with a large boulder that has a variety of petroglyphs. Just before this signature boulder is another boulder with a few additional petroglyphs. You cannot climb to the very top, so bring your telephoto lens if you want sharp closeups, though I got a decent shot with just an iPhone. This trail has minimal shade mid day, so start early or hike on a cool day.

Great place to start! Good parking and so many trails from this spot. Highly recommend the…read moreTrailforks app to guide you in addition to the pretty good signage.

There several trails from this parking lot located a couple miles west of the Thumb Butte…read moreRecreation area. We did a loop of the 318, 332 and 325 trails. Portions of this hike were in valleys near drainage areas, some with paths wide enough for ATVs, though I am not sure if they are allowed. You cross through Willow Creek about a third of the way in and in February it was flowing with a small stream and was quite peaceful and lush. There are views towards Thumb Butte from the 318. Overall the is a nice, relatively easy workout close to town. The trails can be busy with cyclists and hikers, no doubt due to the easy access on a paved road and free parking. Go on a weekday if you can.

The trail head at Green Gulch offers a lot of variety with open grass and shrub at the beginning,…read morerocky stream bed forested trails, and valley views from the Red Mountain trail. You begin on #9419 Charcoal Gulch trail which is a wide double track road suitable for ATVs. At about one mile the trail meets up with Red Mountain Trail #43 to the right which becomes narrower and rocky and winds through beautiful stream beds with abundant shade. After about a half mile on #43 switchbacks start climbing up to Red Mountain which offers great views to the east and north to Prescott Valley. This climb is rocky and a bit steep so will get your lungs going. Good hiking boots are needed, prefab let high top for ankle stability. We did a total of about 3 miles out and back but you can make this much longer as this trail connects to #42 Prospector Trail which is part of Lynx Lake. We will plan to go back and checkout a bit of #42 next time. On a cloudy and cool Friday in December we encountered only one person on the flat beginning section of the trail so this a great area for some solitude.