This Fall, Thunderbird Conservation Park Has One Open Front Door

Until December, every hike at Thunderbird Conservation Park starts on the west side at 67th Avenue and Patrick Lane. The City of Glendale's posted construction schedule has the 59th Avenue lot closed from April 6 through December 2026 and the 55th Avenue lot closed from July 13, 2026 through February 2027. Those two windows overlap, so for the whole first stretch of cool-weather hiking season, the 67th Avenue lot is the only one open. The city's Thunderbird Conservation Park page says in capital letters that all trails stay open during construction. With one lot open, the trails closest to your car are now on the west end, and the rest take a longer walk.

For anyone used to parking at 59th Avenue for the viewing blinds, or at 55th Avenue and Pinnacle Peak for a quick lap of Flatlander, the park is backwards this season.

The Overlap, Lot by Lot

The project is redoing all three parking lots and trailheads on staggered schedules that overlap. Here is how the city's current schedule looks from late October:

The city says these dates are subject to change, and the 55th Avenue date has already moved. The city's April 1 announcement said work there would start in August 2026. The current park page says July 13. Go by the park page, and call the project information hotline at (602) 532-6250 if you want to confirm before you drive over.

What Starts at Patrick Lane

Two of the trails on the city's list start at the 67th Avenue lot, and they're very different hikes.

• Desert Iguana is about 0.75 miles, rated easy, and runs from the 67th Avenue lot to parking lot B. It's the shortest way into the park from the only open entrance.
• Coach Whip is about 5 miles, rated easy, and runs from 67th Avenue and Patrick Lane to 51st Avenue and Potter. The city notes it is not a loop. If you walk the whole thing, you either walk 5 miles back or arrange a pickup at the far end.

Coach Whip matters most this fall. It crosses the park from west to east, and the other trails branch off it. Ridgeline, about 0.4 miles and rated moderate, leaves Coach Whip and connects to the Sunrise trail. Sunrise is about 2 miles including its west branch, which meets Coach Whip on the west side of the park. That gives you a few moderate options on the west half without having to head far east.

The East Side Is Now a Hike-In

The trails tied to the closed lots are where the reversal shows. Flatlander, the roughly 1.25-mile easy loop, starts at the 55th Avenue and Pinnacle Peak lot. Cholla Loop, about 3 miles and rated moderately strenuous with some difficult sections, ends at Coach Whip near 55th Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Road. Arrowhead Point, about 1.5 miles and also moderately strenuous, starts south of the Pinnacle Peak lot along Coach Whip and ends at Ramadas 14 and 15.

Until the 55th Avenue lot reopens, all three are reached the same way: start at Patrick Lane and head east on Coach Whip. A short, flat loop you could finish before breakfast now comes after a long walk in. Plan your time and water for the full distance out and back, not just the loop. The city's safety advice on the park page applies: bring more water than you think you'll need, and turn around before you run out.

The wildlife viewing blinds work the same way. Four blinds sit along the north side of the sedimentation basin. Three are reached from the trails off Pinnacle Peak Road. The fourth, the accessible one, is off 59th Avenue. The city says the basin draws more than 50 species of birds and wildlife. With the 59th Avenue lot closed through December, the blind built for easy access has no open parking lot near it this fall. If someone in your group was counting on that blind, wait until the city confirms 59th Avenue has reopened.

January Moves the Front Door

This setup is temporary, and so is the next one. The city has the 67th Avenue lot closing in January 2027 and staying closed through August 2027. The 59th Avenue lot is listed as closed "to December 2026," and neither the park page nor the city's announcement gives an exact reopening day. The city plans the closures so that at least one trailhead stays open throughout, which AZFamily reported when 59th Avenue closed in April.

Put together, the posted schedule looks like this. This fall, the west side is the way in and the east side is a long walk. In January, the expected switch flips that: 59th Avenue in the middle of the park becomes the way in, 55th Avenue stays closed through February, and Patrick Lane closes. Desert Iguana and the west end of Coach Whip then become the long walks. If you hike Thunderbird every week, plan on two different routines in the same winter.

One December date lands right on that changeover. Glendale Parks and Recreation lists the free, all-ages Jingle Bell Hike at Thunderbird for Saturday, December 12, 2026, from 9 to 11 a.m. It's described as a family-friendly hike to see Santa, with a reminder to wear comfortable shoes and bring water. The registration listing showed 107 of 150 spots filled, with registration open through December 12. It gives the park's 22800 N. 59th Avenue address and doesn't name a lot or meeting point. With 59th Avenue scheduled to stay closed into December, check with the city on where to park before the morning of the hike.

What All the Closures Are For

The city's April announcement lists the upgrades: paved parking areas, shade structures, new restrooms, historical and environmental signs, and new native plants. The whole project is expected to finish in late summer 2027. AZFamily also reported that the redesign aims to improve how traffic moves in and out of the lots. In that report, Glendale Parks and Recreation Director John Kennedy said parts of the trailhead infrastructure had reached the end of their useful life. He also said of the closures, "These are just affecting the trailheads. The trails will remain open throughout the project."

The park has a long history for this to build on. Thunderbird covers 1,185 acres of the Hedgpeth Hills, which are named for early homesteader Robert Hedgpeth. The park's name comes from the World War II pilot training field about four miles south. Glendale first acquired the land in 1951 through a federal lease and took full ownership in 1956 with help from the Glendale Women's Club and the Glendale Rotary Club. Volunteer groups built the roughly 15 miles of multi-use trails that hikers, mountain bikers, runners, and horseback riders use today. The new historical signs will have plenty to cover.

Before You Head Out

A few things stay the same no matter which lot is open:

1. Hours. The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset, and the city recommends hiking early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
2. Dogs. Dogs and cats are allowed on Glendale trails on leashes no longer than six feet, and you need to pick up after them. On a Coach Whip hike-in, that's a lot of leashed miles, so bring water for the dog too.
3. Fires. Open fires are prohibited in Glendale parks under Glendale City Code 16-16. Report park violations to the Park Ranger at 623-695-3004.
4. Breakfast after. Two spots share an address south of the park at 19420 N. 59th Avenue. Gold Brew Coffee Bar in Suite D-415 serves coffee plus breakfast like avocado toast and breakfast burritos. Biscuits Cafe at #101 serves breakfast and lunch. Either one is an easy stop on 59th Avenue after parking at Patrick Lane.

Like the trail schedule, the north Glendale housing calendar has its own timing. If you're thinking about a move around the park in the next year and want to talk timing for your street, Erica Cherry is happy to help. Schedule your free consultation, and bring your Thunderbird trail questions too.