Hole in the Rock at Papago

Hats off to the City of Phoenix and City of Tempe Parks Departments

Hole in the Rock is one of the signature features on the east half of Papago Park in Phoenix — a large sandstone formation you can climb up into, with a hole worn through the rock by erosion. The Hohokam people used it as a working solar calendar centuries ago: they carved marks into the rock floor and walls to track exactly where the beam of sunlight coming through the hole landed at different times of year, marking the solstices and equinoxes. We come back to this spot often, and it’s on the east half of the park, across Galvin Parkway from the trails and buttes we wrote about on the west side in Papago Park in Phoenix.

Watching the Sunset Through the Hole

The thing to do here is show up at sunset. Climb up into the hole and watch the sun go down through the opening. When it finally drops below the skyline, everyone up there cheers — it happens almost every time, and it’s part of what makes the spot special.

Hunt’s Tomb, the White Pyramid

Once you’re parked at the park, there’s plenty more to see nearby. The white pyramid on the hill is Hunt’s Tomb, built in 1931 by Arizona’s first governor, George W.P. Hunt, as a memorial for his wife. Hunt had long admired the pyramids he saw in Egypt, and as a Freemason he was drawn to the pyramid as a Masonic symbol, so he had this one built on a hilltop in the park; he was buried there himself a few years later, along with other family members. It’s now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Ponds and Zoo Views

The park’s ponds are also worth a look — they attract a surprising variety of ducks and geese, some of which we suspect wander over from the nearby Phoenix Zoo. Speaking of the zoo, if you walk along the fence line bordering it, you’ll almost always spot some of the zoo animals from the outside. If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the bighorn sheep or the giraffes.