Title
Hiking and Heat Safety Update - Citywide
Description
This joint report by the Parks and Recreation Department and the Phoenix Fire Department provides information about the Parks and Recreation Board approved Phoenix Trails and Heat Safety Program.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
Background
The Parks and Recreation Department (Department) builds healthy communities through parks, programs, and partnerships, and makes the city a better place to live, visit, and play. The Department is home to more than 41,000 acres of desert parks and mountain preserves, and more than 200 miles of trails, and is dedicated to preserving, protecting, restoring, and sustaining cultural and natural resources while providing quality, safety, and accessible educational and recreational opportunities. The Department promotes safe and responsible use of Phoenix trails, through the “Take A Hike. Do it Right.” campaign.
Living in a desert climate, heat has continued to present challenges. For more than a decade, the city has experienced record-breaking heat, and its impact on trail users and first responders can be severe. Strenuous physical activities in high temperatures during long and even short durations can cause heat stroke, heart attack, and/or arrhythmia, and neurological, circulatory, and respiratory issues. For first responders, mountain rescues are complex incidents that require the response and commitment of multiple companies for an extended period. The risk is further elevated because they are required to carry over 145 pounds of equipment (dispersed among the members) up the mountain to treat and transport the patient. The use of Firebird 10 (hoist ship) is a resource within the Technical Rescue Program for safely extracting a patient from the mountain. Although it is not always available due to current weather conditions, maintenance/repair, and the patient's topography and location.
The Parks and Recreation Board (Board), per the City Charter Chapter XXIII and City Code Chapter 2, is the proper authority to take action to close or restrict trail access. Due to concerns about public and first responder safety related to trail use and mountain rescues during extreme temperatures, in 2021, the Board initiated the Trails Heat Safety Program. Each year since 2021, the Parks and Recreation and Phoenix Fire departments have provided program updates to the Board, and the Board has modified the program several times.
The current Trails Heat Safety Program restricts trail access on National Weather Service Extreme Heat Warning Days from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Camelback Mountain, the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail and associated trails at the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, and the Hau’pal Loop Trail, Holbert Trail, Mormon Trail, and access to the National Trail from the Pima Canyon Trailhead at South Mountain Park/Preserve.
Trail restrictions are implemented by providing program information and restrictions to the public via press releases, posting signage on-site, online, and on social media, and through the “Take a Hike. Do it Right.” campaign, which communicates with local hotels and resorts. To restrict trails, parking lot gates are closed where gates exist, and signage is posted noting the trail restriction hours. Park Rangers are also visible at busier trailheads to help inform trail users.
Improvements were recently completed at Piestewa Peak, including an automatic gate, an electronic message board, and cameras. The automatic gates assist in scheduling closures. The message board educates the public before and after extreme heat warning days that the affected trails will be closed. The cameras allow staff to monitor the entry gate remotely. Similar improvements are planned at South Mountain Park and Camelback Mountain in the coming months.
The Parks and Recreation Department, in cooperation with the Fire Department and the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, now has three locations with ice machines for use during heat-related illness rescues. Ice machines are available to first responders at Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak, and the Holbert Trailhead at South Mountain Park / Preserve. An additional ice machine will soon be located at Pima Canyon at South Mountain when needed power upgrades are completed. The coming 2027 renovation of North Mountain Park will include an ice machine as well.
Discussion
The primary objective of implementing trail restrictions is to minimize the risk of heat-related illness and injury for the public and first responders. To evaluate the effectiveness of restrictions already in place and determine if there are any other high-risk areas to consider implementing trail restrictions, mountain rescue data from 2021 through 2025 was reviewed, with a specific focus on the months of May through September. The analysis included the city's three major mountain ranges: Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak, and South Mountain Park.
Data in the risk reduction analysis included, for the years 2021 - 2025, mountain rescues by month and hour with particular attention to trends during the summer months (May through September). Patient chart information was also reviewed for the same time frame for common injury/illness complaints and patient demographics.
Key takeaways included that three out of four years reviewed saw a decrease in mountain rescues on those mountains that had restrictions in place from 2021 to 2024. In 2025, Camelback Mountain saw a 75 percent increase in mountain rescues, and Piestewa Peak saw a 38 percent reduction, while South Mountain saw a 5 percent increase. (Attachment A)
Combined Mountain Rescue numbers by year for Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak, and South Mountain:
• 2021: 51 incidents with 59 rescues
• 2022: 54 incidents with 68 rescues
• 2023: 37 incidents with 40 rescues
• 2024: 40 incidents with 48 rescues
• 2025: 46 incidents with 61 rescues
Ahead of the 2026 summer months (May through September), the Fire Department has responded to 74 mountain rescues for Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak, and South Mountain, from January to May 20, 2026. These numbers suggest an upward trend of anticipated mountain rescues heading into the 2026 summer months from May through September.
The rescue numbers noted above represent the total number of patients the Fire Department assisted. Additionally, rescue call times earlier in the day, just after sunrise, are likely due to hikers attempting to avoid peak heat; however, injury or the inability to complete outdoor activity prior to the start of the trail closure appear to lead to a slight increase in rescue numbers (Attachment B).
Temperature data demonstrates the correlation between rising temperatures and decreasing trail use (Attachment C). According to trail counters, thousands of people continue to visit the parks even on days when temperatures exceed 110°F. There were 17 instances where the Phoenix Fire Department conducted multiple rescues during a single shift (May through September), 14 of which occurred on days with projected highs above 100°F (Attachment D). This mirrors the conditions that led to the implementation of the trail closure policy in 2021.
Patient chart data indicated that illness was more prevalent than injury (85 percent of patients during May - September suffered from heat-related illness symptoms). Demographic information revealed that 61 percent of patients (35 charts) documented Arizona as their primary state of residence, and of those 35 charts, 33 patients resided in the valley. Additionally, an injury resulting in immobility during the summer can quickly lead to heat-related illness for those patients who cannot self-extract and require assistance from emergency responders to get off the mountain.
Other Information
In the summer of 2025, the Parks and Recreation Department partnered with the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation to promote safe hiking practices and prevent heat-related illnesses and trail rescues during the hottest months of the year. Every weekend, Park Stewards and members of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteered at Piestewa Peak, Echo Canyon, and Pima Canyon. During 107 shifts, 265 volunteers spent 818 hours, resulting in over 17,300 hiker engagements, during which they distributed over 14,400 water bottles, 200 cooling towels, and 6,000 electrolyte packages.
Finally, staff will continue exploring new technology options to provide real-time trail closure data and other enhancements to the trail user experience.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and Deputy City Manager Cynthia Aguilar, the Parks and Recreation Department, and the Phoenix Fire Department.