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I go to South Mountain at least once a week, rain or shine. For it to close during the summer blocks my easy escape from the dense urban lifestyle surrounding it. Especially as it gets hot, South Mountain is more crucial to provide a local escape from the concrete heat island that the Valley has become.
Our high school mountain bike team has been regularly practicing at South mountain for 8 years starting in July. We begin our rides at 6:30am and finish by 9am, before the temperatures exceed 95 degrees.
We are out there with a full staff of coaches and plenty of water, and we are always sure to keep the riders from over exerting.
The 8am closure would significantly impact our team training. And such an early closure time really is excessive. Please reconsider closing at a more reasonable time, maybe 10am before temperatures get too hot.
Thank you.
As a local resident and avid user of the South Mountain Park trail systems, l disagree with the proposed trail closure policy. Responsibility of well being is on the individual, not the City to govern.
Diminishing the rights of persons to utilize a public facility is not proper as there are other methods that can alert, educate and monitor the trail systems.
I mountain bike and hike on south mountain regularly. I've volunteered as bike patrol and assisted with trail maintenance. I'm one of the many people who've made a choice to move closer to the mountain for recreation. Please don't take this away from me.
Trail 100 is my favorite trail to run. I know my limits regarding the heat. I know my personal time constraints and when I can fit a run in. We do not need government oversight to dictate when I can be on our Arizona trails. If my mental state isn’t good at a particular time and I know that movement is what I need to get my endorphins going, I don’t need permission to get out and go for a run, walk or bike on the trails, I need to go get some miles. I am the adult, I need to dress properly, water up and protect myself. Leave it up to me. Keep government out of my decision making. Keep the trails open.
As a 38-year-old born and raised in Arizona, I, along with many others, understand and respect the temperature extremes of the desert. As a former first responder (8 years) who often worked outside in high temperatures, I’ve been a part of rescues and seen plenty of heat related-illnesses. Sure, it’s a real risk in the Phoenix area. However, applying blanket laws and restrictions does no good and only frustrates the 99.9% of responsible trail users who come prepared.
Exercise and outdoor time has been scientifically proven to ail mental illness and increase psychological well-being. As a pilot (for over 15 years) and trained weather spotter (16 years) I pay attention to the weather in this area. We often see summer monsoon days where the morning temperatures are cooler. How does the blanket approach account for the beautiful mornings where the temps are in the 80s and trail users are excited to hit the trails for a good workout and appreciation of nature? Think summer of 2021 where we had record monsoon rains and mornings where it was not even 80 degrees F?
It is also unacceptable for the City of Phoenix to restrict the trail use times because for many people, driving much longer distances to use other trails far away from the Phx metro area is not always feasible due to high cost of gas, transportation times, etc. Keep these trails that are in fairly close proximity open to all city residents without time restrictions due to heat so that people have close and convenient access to explore nature.
Authoritarian government approaches don’t do any good, as we’ve seen the past several years with other blanket government approaches in this country. They don’t go over well. As other petition signers have mentioned, provide education to residents instead, by engaging first responders with the community. From there, if people still choose to be stupid and not come prepared for the weather extremes, it should not be the other prepared residents who get stuck paying the price.
The people who’ve lived in Phoenix, who are acclimated to the summer heat, and know what to do to stay cool and hydrated on the trails shouldn’t be punished because of the few who went out unprepared, not acclimated, or simply ignorant to the heat. The hours proposed for closure are excessive. Arizonan’s know when not to go out - during the hottest hours of the day on the trails. Efforts should be focused on on educating new residents, younger individuals, and enforcing required water amounts. PR items like ice bandanas, shady platforms along trails, and updated warning signs on trails should be invested in, instead of restricting public access to these parks!!
I have used South Mountain trails off my neighborhood for over 20 years. The joy of that means everything to me. I use the trails at 5:30 AM in the summer and have never had a problem. I am 70 years old.
People should be allowed to go enjoy nature whenever they want. There should be penalty for those who need rescue for being irresponsible but don’t let the small percentage ruin it for the majority of us who are responsible. During the summer trails should be accessible much earlier to avoid heat issues. Many of us are acclimated and enjoy the less crowded times during the summer when we can enjoy peaceful hiking and biking with minimal tourists.