Park Avenue is a great adventure for hikers of all ages!  This is the first official hike that you will encounter as you enter the park gate.

There are several ways you could hike Park Avenue since it starts and ends in two different locations.  You could easily just hike this from either the south or north trailhead and hike as far as you want and then come back, or if you’re travelling with multiple cars, you could park one car at the south trailhead and one at the north and hike to the end creating a shuttle system. 

What I love to do is hike from the south trailhead, because it’s higher in elevation, and then hike down to the north trailhead and then hike back. You see two different perspectives of the hike and it really isn’t that long of a hike anyway.

Many people come to the south trailhead and hike the few hundred feet to the overlook to take pictures and then go on to do something else.  If you are short on  time, then this would be a good option so you can still see this amazing place and get some great photos too.  I will show you both trailheads in this guide though.

South Trailhead

The south trailhead is higher in elevation and the trail slowly leads you down through Park Avenue. It’s called Park Avenue due to the 200+ ft sandstone cliffs on either side of you that make you feel like you are in the same Park Avenue in New York City.

You will see many tall sandstone towers and fins along this entire route!  From the overlook, the trail will use many stairs to help you get down to the canyon floor.  There are lots of piles of rocks, called cairns, and other markers along the way to keep you on the right path.

I love seeing these tall sandstone “fins”!  I always wondered what it would be like to be on top of them!

The trail will follow some dry washes at times.  This is where you will need to pay more attention to the cairns. 

This is a very popular trail so chances are you will see lots of other people.  I hiked this one time in spring and there were literally hundreds of people on the trail!

The large sandstone tower in the above pictures is called The Organ.   This is where the north trailhead begins.

The large tower in the center of the picture below is called Tower of Babel.

You will see the Three Gossips Rock along this trail too.  They look like three people standing and gossiping about how awesome you are for doing this hike.

This rock in the above picture is called Sheep Rock.

You can see the small window in the picture below.  This is to the west and unfortunately, you don’t get too close to it.

When you are getting close to The Organ pay attention to the sign pointing you to the parking lot.  You will exit the large dry wash and follow a path lined with rocks until the end of the trail.

This is where the trail ends if you are hiking from the south trailhead!  If you are hiking back to the south trailhead, the views are just as good!  Either way, you will not be disappointed by this hike!

North Trailhead

I almost enjoy hiking Park Avenue from the bottom up more than from the top down.  I just love the expansive beauty and as you keep hiking, the trail narrows to the Park Avenue section with the tall cliffs on both sides of you.

Follow the trail from the parking lot and watch for the signs until you get to the wide dry wash area.

You will be hiking on the dry wash for a good portion of the hike.  Again, pay attention to the cairns.  Overall, this is an easy-to-follow trail.

Pretty soon you will get into the narrow part of the canyon.

I call the rock in the picture below, “Hot Dog Fingers Rock”.

You will begin to gain elevation and eventually come to stairs.

Hike up the stairs until you come to the cement and you will have arrived at the south trailhead for Park Avenue!  Hopefully, you have a shuttle to pick you up, or you can hike back down to the north trailhead.

Here is a panorama of Park Avenue in the winter.

If you want an even more unique and incredible adventure, hike this at night with flashlights!