Outdoors · East side
Palmer Park mesa trails
A large mid-city park with a web of dirt trails on the mesa — short loops for a lunch break, longer links if you want an hour of steady climbing.
Palmer Park is the practical answer to 'I have an hour and I don't want to drive far'. The trail network is dense enough that you can pick your effort: flat mesa-top loops, or the steeper connectors up from the lower lots.
Trails are unsigned in places and cross frequently. Download or photograph a map at the trailhead board, and pick a turnaround time rather than a distance the first few visits.
Footing is loose gravel and rock in sections. Trail shoes make more difference here than in most city parks.
trail network mesa views trail running close to town