Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve

The Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve is a 200+ acre parcel with 6.2 miles of eight-foot-wide pigmented concrete paths in north Oro Valley. Existing facilities include three restroom buildings, a maintenance yard, and a pond (pond restoration is planned). Some benches have been donated by the community and were installed by the Town, and additional improvements respecting the conservation easement are planned.  

Concrete underpasses cross under existing roadways: West Vistoso Highlands Drive, North La Cañada Drive, and West Pebble Creek Drive. While these underpasses provide safe pedestrian and cyclist crossing due to separation from vehicular traffic, they are susceptible to flooding and sand accumulation and are so narrow that it makes it difficult for users to pass each other. 

The draft Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve Master Plan noted that sections of the path were cracked, missing expansion joints, or showing signs of erosion or undercutting where cutting through washes. Other portions are quite close to residential fencing, while sightlines into and out of cart path tunnels are narrow with low heights.  

Due to constructed slopes in the existing path, the paved routes are not ADA accessible. Natural shifting, heaving, and separation over time, as well as cracking and crumbling from age, have added challenges, especially around washes and drainage paths. A renovation project in July 2024 demolished and replaced 10 colored sidewalk panels, and it is worth exploring where sidewalk conditions could be brought up to ADA standards as they are repaired over time. 

“Volunteer” mountain bike trails were noted as a non-permitted use seen during the inventory and analysis portion of the 2024 Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve Master Plan process, and have been seen through January 2025 in police reports and maintenance staff rut-smoothing.  

Improvements are ongoing:  

• The former golf course clubhouse parking lot and former maintenance yard parking lot are currently being used as trailheads (plans exist to close the private property clubhouse parking lot and replace it with a Town-owned trailhead nearby). 
• The maintenance building roof was replaced in March 2025. Some signage exists throughout, but increased educational and enforcement signage, especially around potentially tricky areas such as under-road crossings would be beneficial to fill in these gaps. 
• The Town has continued to add trash receptacles and benches throughout 2025.
• A grant approved from Arizona State Parks contains funding for path repair, adding an ADA decomposed granite trail, and increased signage.

Strava is a popular fitness monitoring app; approximately 25% of survey respondents reported using it to track their outdoor fitness routes. Examining Strava data of users within Oro Valley reveals frequently used routes and hot spots of current paths and trails, as well as popular current sidewalks or “desire paths” that could be formally incorporated formally into OV’s  paths and trails network. While not perfect and not a complete picture of every user, the data is a helpful guide.

Strava Data:

• Pedestrian Map(PDF, 14MB)
• Bicyclist Map(PDF, 15MB)

The Strava data around Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve shows how popular the paths within are and the many ways users enter the Preserve—it was the second most frequently visited area for pedestrians (with 5,680 trips in 2024) and third most frequently visited area by cyclists (6,055). Many of these routes are not formal entrances. Increasing access through more clear entrances with signage, parking, and wayfinding can help make the Preserve safer and easier to utilize.

Embed as iframe with limited function? (Hyperlink: VTNP Existing Map) 

While the Preserve connects directly to Innovation Academy, an elementary school, the paths within the Preserve are mostly isolated, internal networks without much connection outside its borders. The communities, subdivisions, and neighborhoods that surround the Preserve include Vistoso Resort Casitas, Fairfield, Stone Village, and Center Pointe, among others. Many of these subdivisions contain access points to the Preserve, but these act as private entry points and are not intended to be part of this plan. Some Vistoso Community Association parks, like Sunset Park and Hohokam Park are nearby, they are privately owned. 

The Preserve ends at E Rancho Vistoso Boulevard to the northeast; it is extremely close to Honey Bee Canyon Park and Honey Bee Canyon Loop trail. It is also not far from the Honey Bee Canyon Petroglyphs. On the southeast side, the Preserve ends close to the Honey Bee Village Archaeological Preserve.

With nearly 2,000 members of Preserve Vistoso nonprofit community group and 6,000 residents living directly nearby, a history of local involvement to purchase and help care for the land, and even a public contest to name the Preserve, community involvement has been paramount to Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve from the beginning. 

Full public outreach results from the online survey, Trail Side Chats, and meetings with stakeholder groups and regional agencies can be found in the Public Outreach Summary(PDF, 10MB). Some key findings from the OV Trails Connect public outreach process were as follows:  

•  Surface conditions were by far the most important topic, ranked as “very important” more than two times any other response category. Of respondents, 9% felt that surface conditions were “excellent,” 37% said “good,” and 40% said “okay” (with only 12% total describing them as “terrible” or “not good”). Preventive maintenance and upkeep were ranked as top improvement priority. 
• Common asks included more comfort amenities such as trash cans and dog stations, water fountains, benches, and shade (Increasing these amenities was the number two improvement desire by survey respondents). Of respondents, 43% described these amenities as “okay” in their current state and availability. 
• Connectivity to other trails and paths or places and destinations was also ranked highly as an improvement priority. Of respondents, 88% described connectivity as “okay,” “not good,” or “terrible.” 
• Of respondents, 44% described published maps and guides as “not good” or “terrible,” and 55% described wayfinding signage and surface markings to be “not good” or “terrible.”  

Comments from the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve Trail Side chat were frequently about funding concerns or questions about ongoing improvements, as well as safety and access concerns about needing increased parking, traffic slowing, and overall desirability about connecting to the larger OV paths and trails network.  

These comments demonstrate the ownership that Oro Valley residents feel over the Preserve, and as well as the desire to keep it safe; communication with the public will be key as future improvements are made by the Town. With increased connectivity to other trails ranked as the second-highest improvement priority in the online survey, Oro Valley residents want access and a better trail network—it will just have to be done sensitively, with open communication among adjacent homeowners, the Town, and other stakeholders.

(Hyperlink: Proposed VTNP Map) 

Proposed future improvements to pathways and trailheads to Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve include three Level-2 trailheads and one Level-3 trailhead. Extending current unpaved trails and proposing new multi-use paths in the area will bring much-needed connectivity to the Preserve, while funding efforts inside Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve itself will go toward maintaining and improving existing path routes rather than creating new ones at this time.  

The trailhead classifications are as follows:  

•  Level-1: Restroom, Water, Parking, Amenities, and Info 
• Level-2: Parking, Amenities, and Info
• Level-3: Parking and Info
• Level-4: Amenities and Info  

Coordinating with adjacent HOAs, the conservation easement holder, homeowners, and community stakeholder groups like Preserve Vistoso will be important as improvements are made, parking is added and vehicular traffic patterns could change, and certain entrances into the Preserve become formalized. Because the Preserve is land-locked by housing developments, coordinating with adjacent stakeholders will be most critical when attempting to connect overall regional networks to a route that includes the Preserve.

(Hyperlink: VTNP Implementation Table) 

Ultimately, what residents of Oro Valley want most for the future of Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve is maintenance of what already exists that will also ensure quality paths for the future; increased comfort amenities like water, benches, and shade; and increased connectivity to other portions of the surrounding trail network. Goals of longer ADA-accessible trail loops can be folded together with maintenance or revegetation goals and funding opportunities to stretch funding and tackle multiple priorities within one project. Continuing great projects like the Desert Ecosystem Restoration Project to revitalize existing underperforming portions of the Preserve (while adding parking and new trails at the same time) will be key.  

Eventually, the remnants of the former private golf course will be replaced by Sonoran Desert beauty, and the Preserve will continue to thrive as a natural wildlife corridor and cherished paved path network. Currently, the Town is pursuing multiple grant opportunities to help fund improvement projects. Continuing to pursue new grants such as for revegetation and improving the Sonoran desert environment could be leveraged to help fund major path improvements over time. 

The implementation table includes timelines for work as follows: 

• Short-Term goals and actions should take place within 1-3 years, and would address safety goals like installing signage and maintaining areas, quick wins like mapping an inventory, trailheads, path/trail conditions, minor amenities, and new easements.
• Mid-Term goals and actions should take place within 3-6 years, and would address larger maintenance actions, implementing new trails and paths, installing restrooms and water fountains, and implementing a staff position. 
• Long-Term goals and actions should take place in 6-10+ years, and would include long-term goals such as maintenance and new trails and paths.  

Goals and corresponding actions may shift between timelines and categories based on changing needs and funding priorities of an evolving community. Priority rankings are based on a blend of community input and priority levels, “quick wins,” and funding level required (1 being the highest priority, and 10 being the lowest). The plan is heavily dependent on volunteer coordination and participation.

With preventive maintenance and upkeep ranked as the number one improvement priority by survey respondents during the public outreach process, monitoring and maintenance of paths will be vital to the next phase of Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve.  

The Preserve has a standard path section to match the existing colored-concrete cart pathway. If a stabilized decomposed granite loop is added as part of the pond improvements, that design and method should also become a standard path option for the Preserve.

See proposed additions graphically here: (Hyperlink: Proposed VTNP Map) 

Three level-two trailheads are proposed for future development (one along N. Rancho Vistoso Boulevard, one along W Vistoso Highlands Drive, and one along W Pebble Creek Drive). A level-three trailhead is proposed along W Desert Fairways Drive across from Innovation Academy, where a proposed unpaved trail would connect the Preserve with an existing unpaved trail network that leads south to W Moore Road and beyond. These new trailheads will provide parking, amenities, path route info, and can increase connectivity from beyond the adjacent neighborhoods by allowing more visitors arriving by vehicle to access the Preserve.  

Another proposed unpaved trail would connect the west side of Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve to existing unpaved trails running just east of N King Air Drive. Extending the existing multi-use path North along N La Cañada Drive to connect to the Preserve could create a popular access point, especially for cyclists.  

With Honey Bee Canyon Park’s main entrance only half a mile from the northeast edge of the Preserve, a new path connection would be a great step toward increased connectivity. Turning the current detached sidewalk that exists on the north side of E. Rancho Vistoso Boulevard to multi-use path, as proposed, can provide connections to Honey Bee Canyon Park and Honey Bee Preserve. A flashing beacon to get from the north side of the road to the south should be explored as that project develops. 

Formalizing Preserve entrances, adding parking where it makes sense, and creating trailhead amenities in key locations would help visitors utilize the Preserve better and more safely. The Desert Ecosystem Restoration Project will also add new walking loops and greater access to the Preserve.  

As segments are replaced and added, opportunities are created to add more ADA accessible portions of the path. ADA standardization and access is proposed at the existing trailhead along W Vistoso Highlands Drive and the proposed trailhead to the east provide easier access to the outdoors for all segments of Oro Valley’s population.  

An existing collection of artist-created petroglyph pieces are scattered throughout the Preserve. Educational and wayfinding signage could make this more of a true amenity. Increased safety signage (speed limits, mile markers, rules and regulatory explanations) and informational signage (educational content about flora and fauna or the site’s history) would improve the user experience. Mile markers and pathway waypoints could help orient users and increase safety in case of emergency.