Papago Park is a park of red sandstone buttes shared by Phoenix and Tempe, and it holds more history than almost any spot in the Valley. Its Hole-in-the-Rock may have helped the Hohokam track the seasons, Arizona's first governor is buried in a white pyramid on one of its hills, and in 1944 it was the site of the largest POW escape in the United States during World War II.

I have driven past those red buttes on Galvin Parkway more times than I can count. Most people know it as "where the zoo is," but the stories behind it are better.

Rocks Older Than the Valley Itself

The buttes that make Papago Park so easy to spot are red sandstone that formed somewhere between 6 and 15 million years ago. Over a very long time, water carved hollows and openings into the softer rock. The most famous one is Hole-in-the-Rock, a small hill with a chamber worn all the way through it and a second opening in its ceiling.

Archaeologists have found evidence that the Hohokam, the ancient farming people who built canals across this valley, used sunlight coming through that ceiling hole to mark the seasons, including the solstices and equinoxes. Stand in the chamber today and you get a wide view looking west toward Phoenix.

The National Monument That Didn't Last

In 1879 this area was set aside as part of a reservation for the Pima and Maricopa people. Then on January 31, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation creating Papago Saguaro National Monument, an effort pushed by Congressman Carl Hayden and Phoenix boosters. (For more Tempe history, see my story on how Tempe got its name.)

The monument status did not stick. In 1930 Congress passed a law to end it, and the land was divided among the State of Arizona, the City of Tempe and the Water Users' Association, which later became Salt River Project. That is why the park today has a Phoenix side and a Tempe side.

Governor Hunt's White Pyramid

George W. P. Hunt was Arizona's first governor after statehood in 1912, and he went on to serve seven terms. He backed a state fish hatchery here, and when his wife Helen died in 1931, he had her laid to rest in a small white pyramid on a hilltop in the park.

Hunt joined her there after his death in 1934. Hunt's Tomb was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. It sits above the Phoenix Zoo and makes a quiet sunset spot.

The Great Papago Escape

During World War II, the Army ran a prisoner of war camp at Papago Park. By 1944 it mostly held German navy prisoners, including U-boat crews, and at its peak about 3,100 men were held there.

Starting in September 1944, prisoners quietly dug a tunnel from a bathhouse toward the Crosscut Canal, about 178 feet away. They hid the entrance under a coal box and spread the dirt on a sports field they were building. On the night of December 23, 1944, 25 men crawled through the tunnel and slipped out into the desert. It is described as the largest Axis POW escape from an American camp during the war.

Three of the men had built a raft, only to find the Salt River had too little water to float it. One by one the escapees were caught. The last one was the leader, U-boat captain Jürgen Wattenberg, who hid out in a cave in the mountains north of Phoenix for about a month. He was finally picked up in downtown Phoenix on January 28, 1945.

After the war the site briefly served as a veterans hospital. Part of the old camp is now an Arizona National Guard base, and the Arizona Military Museum there has a display on the camp and the escape. A marker along the Crosscut Canal shows where the tunnel came out.

From Fish Hatchery to the Phoenix Zoo

On February 25, 1959, the state-owned part of the park was sold to the City of Phoenix, and the old fish hatchery closed that same year. In the early 1960s the city leased the hatchery grounds and ponds to the Arizona Zoological Society, and that land became the Phoenix Zoo. The Desert Botanical Garden sits right next door.

A Visit to Papago Park Today

The Phoenix side of the park covers about 1,200 acres at 625 N. Galvin Parkway. My favorite stops:

  • Hole-in-the-Rock: a very short dirt and step path, about two tenths of a mile, that kids can handle.
  • Hunt's Tomb: a quick stop with one of the best sunset views in the park.
  • Papago Ponds: fishing lagoons with picnic spots around them.
  • Crosscut Canal Path: an easy 1.4-mile path along the canal where the tunnel came out.
  • Hall of Flame: a firefighting history museum inside the park.

The City of Phoenix lists trailhead hours east of Galvin Parkway as 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Bring water; there is little shade.

For more nearby history, read my story on Tovrea Castle, just west of the park.

Living Near Papago Park

Papago Park sits near where Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale come together. Curious about the area? Start with my Moving to Phoenix guide and Moving to Tempe guide, or browse homes for sale in Phoenix.

Questions People Ask

Who is buried in the pyramid at Papago Park?
George W. P. Hunt, Arizona's first governor, is buried there with his wife Helen and other family members.

How many POWs escaped from Papago Park?
Twenty-five German prisoners escaped through a 178-foot tunnel on the night of December 23, 1944. All of them were recaptured, the last on January 28, 1945.

Is Hole-in-the-Rock a hard hike?
No, it is one of the easiest short climbs in the Valley. The City of Phoenix lists it as about two tenths of a mile on a dirt and step path.

Thinking about a move to (or within) Arizona? Call or text Terry Day at 602-483-4665.

Terry Day, REALTOR®, DeLex Realty, 10115 E Bell Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260.