Family-Friendly Hiking Trails Near Prescott, AZ: Start at the Highlands Center

Cathy Cunningham has been leading children on our trails since 2003. She still remembers a girl who showed up one morning with a fake stomachache, having begged her mother to let her stay home. By the end of the day, the girl held Cathy’s hand on the way back to the bus and said: “This was the best day of my life.”

That is not an unusual story around here. It is a common one.

Our trails are inside Prescott National Forest on the Lynx Lake campus, on an 80-acre campus off Walker Road. Parking is free. No entrance fee. Leashed dogs are welcome. The trails are open every day of the week, whatever the season.

Here is what to know before you come.

The Trails at the Highlands Center

We have three miles of trails on our campus, with two named loops that suit different kinds of visitors.

Stretch-Pebble Loop (Trail #443). Three-quarters of a mile. Wide, flat, and gravel-surfaced. Accessible to most visitors, including strollers and those who need a level path. This is the trail for first-time visitors and families with young children. It passes the Stretch Pebble Conglomerate, a geologic feature unusual enough that we offer a free written interpretive guide at the trailhead. Restrooms available. Complementary trail guides available at the center.

Highlands Trail Loop (Trail #442). One and a half miles. Moderate incline. At the highest point, there is a 360-degree view of the Lynx Creek basin and Prescott Valley. This trail is for visitors comfortable with some climbing and uneven terrain. Also has restrooms at the trailhead. A written interpretive guide covers the geology and history of the site.

Both trails connect to other trails within Prescott National Forest, giving you direct access to the Lynx Lake Recreation Area hiking trails. You can park at the Highlands Center, walk to Lynx Lake, and return without moving your car. Verify current trail conditions and hours on the Highlands Center trails page before visiting, especially during monsoon season or winter.

What Makes These Trails Different

Prescott has no shortage of hiking options. Thumb Butte, Granite Mountain, the Peavine Trail, the Lynx Lake Loop. All of them are good.

The Highlands Center trails add something most do not have: context for what you are walking through.

Tom Benson, one of our founders and a longtime trail guide here, put it plainly: “The beauty of this site is that it has a woodland, a riparian area, a grassland, and a chaparral. It has all the factors we needed.” Four distinct plant communities within a short walk of the parking lot. You do not have to drive from trail to trail to see the range of what the Central Arizona Highlands contains. It is all here.

The site also sits at approximately 5,500 feet elevation, which means the ponderosa canopy provides real shade and the air temperature runs noticeably cooler than the valley. For families coming up from Phoenix, that difference is felt immediately.

Hiking Here with Young Children

The Stretch-Pebble Loop is the right starting point for families with children under ten.

It is short enough that a four-year-old can finish it without being carried. The surface stays mostly level. There is no scrambling, no exposed edges, and restrooms are close. The interpretive guide gives older children something to look for along the way: specific rock formations, plant communities, and seasonal changes in the creek corridor.

Leslie Schuler, a former national park ranger who has led trail groups at the Highlands Center for over two decades, describes what happens when children slow down on this trail: “We laid down on our stomachs on the earth, on our elbows, looking at the pine needles and what could be underneath them. At some point we rolled over on our backs and looked up at the trees and the sky. Somehow in that process of laying on the ground, we literally got grounded.”

She tells parents and grandparents the same thing: lay on the ground with your kids. It works.

After the Stretch-Pebble Loop, many families continue into the James Family Discovery Gardens, a fully accessible path through five plant zones found in Yavapai County. Benches throughout. Open to strollers and wheelchairs. No additional fee.

Hiking Here with Dogs

Leashed dogs are welcome on our trails.

A few things worth knowing before you bring yours. Prescott summers are warm, even at elevation, and dogs can run through water fast on a trail. Bring more than you expect to need. The granite surface on parts of the trail can heat up by midday in June through August. Early morning starts are smarter in summer.

The Stretch-Pebble Loop stays mostly shaded. The Highlands Trail climbs into more open terrain, so the heat exposure increases toward the upper section. Both are fine for most dogs in the cooler months.

Verify the current pet policy on the Highlands Center trails page before your visit, as rules may vary in specific areas of the campus.

Connecting to Lynx Lake from Our Trails

One of the practical advantages of parking at the Highlands Center is trail connectivity.

Our trails connect directly to the Prescott National Forest trail network near Lynx Lake, including the route to Lynx Lake. The lake sits at approximately 5,500 feet elevation in a ponderosa pine setting. The Lynx Lake Lakeshore Trail is a two-mile loop, mostly accessible, with scenic viewpoints and fishing access. Lynx Lake is periodically stocked with trout by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. A valid fishing or combination license is required for anglers 10 years of age or older.

Families who park at the Highlands Center and walk to Lynx Lake are getting a longer outing without a separate parking fee or car shuffle. Check current Lynx Lake Recreation Area conditions and day-use fees directly with the USDA Forest Service before your visit, as fees and access can change seasonally.

When to Come

Our trails are open every day of the week, year-round.

Spring (March through May) is the easiest season. Temperatures are mild, wildflowers appear along the riparian section of the Stretch-Pebble Loop in late March and April, and the creek is often running.

Summer (June through August). Come in the morning. By early afternoon, thunderstorms move in fast at elevation. The forest after a monsoon rain is a different place than the forest before one, and worth the uncertainty if you time it right. Always check the forecast before heading out.

Fall (September through November) is what many regulars consider the best time. Cooler mornings, quieter trails, and the light through the ponderosa canopy changes in a way that is hard to describe until you have seen it.

Winter (December through February) brings snow some years. The Stretch-Pebble Loop often stays passable when the upper trail does not. Check conditions on the Highlands Center plan your visit page before a winter visit.

What Else Is Here

The trails are one part of the campus. While you are here:

James Family Discovery Gardens. Accessible path through five regional plant zones. No fee. Good for extending a short trail visit.

Forest Play. Natural play area for young children near the Discovery Gardens. Pine cones, boulders, sticks, open space.

Discovery Saturdays. One Saturday a month, our volunteers set up free learning stations in the Discovery Gardens. Beetles, birds, skulls, rocks, plants. No registration needed for most dates. Check the Highlands Center events calendar for the current schedule.

Wednesday Wanderings. Free guided walks on the first and third Wednesday of each month. A naturalist walks the trails with you. Registration required. Current schedule on the Highlands Center events calendar.

Getting Here

From Highway 69, take Walker Road south approximately two miles. Watch for the Highlands Center entrance on the left. Free parking on site.

From Phoenix, the drive runs about 90 minutes depending on traffic. The elevation change from the valley floor to our campus is significant enough that the temperature difference is noticeable within the first few minutes of the walk.

Tom Benson has led hikes here for more than 25 years. He says the same thing after every single one: “No matter who they are. I’ve had deaf people, blind people, kids from the inner city of Phoenix. Everyone feels better at the end of the day by being outside.”

The trail is free. The forest is right there. Walker Road south, two miles from Highway 69.

Plan your visit and check current trail conditions on the Highlands Center hiking trails page