County's 100 Miles in 100 Days trail challenge opens Nov. 1, and San Tan Mountain miles count

Maricopa County Parks and Recreation's yearly 100 Miles in 100 Days Challenge starts at 6 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, and San Tan Mountain Regional Park, on Queen Creek's southern edge, is one of the parks where miles count.

Hikers and trail runners need to log 100 miles to finish. Mountain bikers, e-bikers and horseback riders need 200. Participants who mix activities can count 75% of their miles from a main activity and 25% from a second one, according to the challenge rules on the county parks website. Miles must be logged by 4 p.m. on Feb. 8, 2027, when the tracking app locks.

Where the miles count

The rules require visits to at least three county parks, or to two county parks plus the Maricopa Trail or the Sun Circle Trail. The participating sites are Adobe Dam, Buckeye Hills, Cave Creek, Estrella Mountain, Lake Pleasant, McDowell Mountain, San Tan Mountain, Usery Mountain and White Tank Mountain regional parks, plus the Hassayampa River Preserve and the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area.

Adobe Dam and Buckeye Hills have no trails, so miles on their roads count instead. Trails in parks run by other agencies do not count, and participants cannot pool their logs.

The county has retired its old online log. Miles go into a challenge app for Apple and Android phones, or a web version for computers and tablets, which turns on Nov. 1. The rules page does not list an entry fee.

Prizes and last year's numbers

Finishers can order a limited-edition T-shirt through a form that opens in January; shirts are handed out, not mailed, starting around the end of February. Pets may come along, but only people qualify for shirts and prizes. Everyone who finishes goes into a drawing for an annual park pass worth $140 and a $25 nature center voucher.

The county said in an Oct. 21 announcement that 603 people completed last year's challenge and logged 80,415 miles among them. One person passed 1,050 miles, and 22 others went over 300. The challenge began in 2012 as part of the county's centennial.

"With more than 600 miles of trails across our regional park system, there is always somewhere new to explore," parks director Jennifer Waller said in the announcement.

Questions can go to a park ranger, to maricopacountyparks@maricopa.gov or to 602-506-2930.

Sources

maricopa.gov

maricopacountyparks.net