Hassayampa River Preserve, Wickenburg AZ

Sadly the river is just a trickle, and the pond is artificial with no native fishes. Was hoping for a wilder experience. Trails are very sandy, like walking on a beach.

You do have to pay but the rest area right now has the same river. Beautiful to walk through the river if you wear sandal down to the river side. Very shallow, maybe mid calf deep and shallower.

Good: was very quiet on a weekday visit. A few scenic spots. Well maintained trails.

Bad: constant road noise from the highway and lots of bugs and spiderwebs. Unique area from an environmental standpoint but honestly not very scenic in most places.

Overall: 3/5 Mostly because of road noise. Also I should have looked into it more but I didn’t realize how short the nature trails were. Maybe 5 miles of trails total.

I took no photos but the whole nocturnal tour was phenomenal. The ranger, Derek, did an amazing job guiding my daughter and I through the Hassayampa River Preserve. We got a personal tour since we were the only ones! Lots of info! Some things we seen were Javelina, Skunks, Scorpions, Bats, Ants, Spiders, A Bull haha.

Derek handled everything professionally and was friendly. Staying on topic while being kind. Thank you for keep our adventure alive.

I've been here twice before about 4 years ago and it seems to have changed.

Of course nature changes, and I still think the preserve is beautiful and fun. Lots of lizards, birds, and interesting bits of information. Trails are easy but a little sandy. Lots of benches and neat places for a picnic. Young and old can enjoy this place.

There used to be several pretty hummingbird feeders and decorations out front that have disappeared. They made the place really inviting and special. Now, it's pretty sad looking. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal but it was really something to see all those birds and bees in the garden.

Also, the people used to be friendlier. The lady at the front desk was a little rude and didn't smile or seem happy to see us. Again, I understand people are human, but she made us feel bad for visiting the place.

Finally, the hours that were listed on Google were wrong. We showed up thinking we had 3 hours to walk around and we only had 90 minutes. Kinda sucked considering it's a 45 minute drive. We would have saved it for another day had we known the hours.

Trails close at 330, park closes at 4.

Good experience. Some of the lion trail goes through some deep sand; it may be difficult for the mobility impaired. Be aware that though the hours state 8-5pm, the trails close at 3: 30 and the visitors center actually closes at 4pm during the summer. This was very frustrating when we arrived at 2pm thinking we would have three hours to hike around.

We tried to come here today May 20,2023 but before I even made it into the visitors center to pay the $5 I found a rattlesnake by the building. The lady herself said that there are snake sightings everyday since it is a persevere and I am deathly afraid of snakes so we left. No thank you!

Enjoyed a wonderful morning of hiking and birding. We saw flycatchers and kingbirds and humming birds. Beautiful place, definitely will go again!

Place closes at 3: 30pm not 5pm. Not kid friendly. It’s more for older folk. The ladies at the front desk were rude. Overall, I would not recommend this experience to families with kids under the age of 10. I gave this two stars because the nature is pretty and the trails seem nice, but they need new staff who are not mean to children and families.

I was a table presenter at the preserve for a Mesquite Festival where you learn everything there is to know about Mesquite trees Mesquite pods, flowers, herbal uses, edible uses too with two different tasting tables. They had tables giving nutritional information, learning how mesquite trees grow, where they grow and more. It was all very interesting and without feeling pressured or hindered as you're walking down the trail. You could stop and learn about something or not. What I loved the most was the extreme natural beauty, the wildlife and oh my, the cottonwood trees with the little tufts of cotton gently falling, looking like snow! I did not have a single bug flying around me or bug bite! The trail was very even, very easy to walk and the surroundings were calm and serene. That is definitely a destination for anybody who wants to walk a little and just 'be in the moment' in nature!

The hidden gem of Wickenburg and not too far from the big city. I would love to come back when the other trails west of the river are not blocked off, then it's easy to spent all morning here. Full of greenery and song birds. Great for bringing your bino and telelens for birdwatching and you mostly have the place to yourself if you come in at opening time. Plenty of benches and shades along the way. The staff at the Reserve are helpful and take the time to answer questions. Be happy to be back for another of their program tours. As other has mentioned, you do hear the highway when the trails get close to it. (Also unrelated, caution for low vehicles and tell ADOT to fix the miles of potholes on the H-60 road nearby outside the Reserve.)

Always a beatufil place to go for a days trip i believe it was $5 to enter and its a peaceful walk with a pond in the center tons of creatures to see *birb watchers happy place' with plenty of sitting within mabey 10ft of each other and even though its close to the freeway you barely hear anything and best part its about a 2hr drive max great place to take kids and friends for a day full of peace its also 20 minutes from wickenburg its another beatufil small town to check out

Hassayampa River Preserve was beautiful as always. The river was flowing much higher and faster than usual.

Only a 30 minute drive for us, we love going to Hassayampa to see a little more green and a whole lot more wildlife! It's well worth the annual pass since it's good at lots of other parks!

This is a great hidden oasis, and only a 25 minute drive from the 303 & US60 junction! I visited in late January to get great weather and hopefully catch water in the river and I was not disappointed. There are several loop trails to hike, which are all fairly easy, so novice hikers and kids are welcome. The trail up to the lookout point is a fairly steep trek on a narrow path though, so be prepared. The foliage and tree cover is a nice reprieve from the sun and even though the preserve is close to the highway there is no noise pollution.