I LOVE ARIZONA! I am a second generation native and proud to be. The content of this site include mostly my experiences around AZ. I also may post my thoughts on Arizona history and facts about Arizona.
Arizona the Beautiful!
Horton Creek
This is Arizona
Contrary to popular belief, Arizona is not all desert.
Need a camping checklist? The following is from The Backpackers field Manual By Rick Curtis. It was required reading for the class I took a few years ago that led up to the trip to Horton's Spring. I still dream about going back there for a week or so. I hope this is helpful.
At the southern most tip of the McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale, but close to Fountain Hills, there are a network of trails that are within the Sonoran Preserve. They connect with the trails on the east side of the mountain via the Quartz trail. If you wanted to, you could hike all the way from the southern end to the northern end, however you would have to do it fast. The preserve is only open from sunrise to sunset and an overnight stay is prohibited. You could be fined if found after sunset or before sunrise.
I think most people (like me) will take a trail to get to another trail that they want to get to. A few trails do not have trailheads (Windgate, East End, Old Jeep) so you have to work your way in to get to those trails. Another reason would be the scenery. Quartz Knob is located on Quartz Trail, but the trail head (and much of the trail) is within a residential area. You may have different reasons to go on a hike, but most people go for the benefit of fitness as well as to get away from civilization. That is kind of hard to do when you are surrounded by cookie cutter houses.
Houses encroaching on the mountain.
The nice thing about the Lost Dog Wash trailhead is (though it is on the edge of a residential area) It is fairly pristine and secluded. The further you go in, the more natural your surroundings. The trailhead has more than adequate parking and has water fountains and restrooms. If you enjoy horseback riding, there is equestrian parking as well. There is also a small amphitheater for gatherings.
I have hiked from this point on two separate occasions. The first time I took the Lost Dog Wash trail to Quartz trail up to the Quartz Knob. As stated previously, this was to avoid walking through someones back yard. I don't want to feel like I was taking a stroll through the neighborhood. If I wanted that, I would stay home and walk through my own, but I digress.
The edge of the residential area on Quartz Trail.
The Trail winds through a valley and over a small pass before ending at the intersection of the Quartz Trail. As you make your way deeper into the valley, the landscape becomes thick with Teddy Bear Cholla (Jumping Cactus). There are other types of trees and cacti as well (there is a lot of Saguaro and a barrel cactus or too), but it is almost like a Cholla forest.
Buckhorn Cholla, Beavertail Cactus among a field of Teddy Bear Cholla with a Saguaro in the background.
The Cholla Forest.
The Trail ends up going over a pass between to small peaks and at the highest point you will find the Taliesin Overlook. Their is a great view of Taliesin West, built by Frank Lloyd Wright, and North Scottsdale/Phoenix.
The trail continues north a ways before connecting with Quartz Trail. The trail changes direction, going into the mountain and up into Box Canyon. There is a trail that forks to the right and if you follow it you will reach Quartz Knob. This is a very large outcropping of quartz rock that can be seen from Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd.
Quartz Knob.
View from Lost Dog Wash Lookout.
On a more recent occasion I went for a hike in the same area, only this time I took a section of Ringtail Trail. About .5-1 mile on Lost Dog Wash Trail, there is a fork to follow Ringtail Trail. It climbs steadily to a point where there is another lookout, Lost Dog Wash Lookout. They say this was an old Native American tool making site, but honestly I don't know how they can tell. All I could see was a lot of scattered rocks, but there was a nice view of the wash and Scottsdale and the Indian Reservation to the south.
Continuing on a few feet you come to a fork once again. To the north is the Old Jeep Trail. Take the trail south and it eventually connects with Sunrise Trail. I decided to take the Old Jeep Trail which on some maps is still marked as 128th Street. The trail loops around and meets up with Lost Dog Wash Trail. I took the trail south and followed it back to the trailhead.
Old Jeep Trail.
The trails at the southern end of the McDowell Mountains are great for hiking, biking and running. There is not much of an elevation gain and they are relatively easy (with the exception of Sunrise, which climbs to the top of Sunrise Peak). It is great that they have preserved this area and protected it from succumbing to the sprawl of the city. Now we can all enjoy the Sonoran Desert in its natural setting without disturbing or relocating its flora and fauna.
When I was younger, I lived right at the foothills of South Mountain. Many times I walked to a trailhead or through a neighborhood wash to gain access to the park and hike one of the many trails. These days, I have been driving a short distance to local parks and preserves in the Scottsdale area that are not that far out of my way yet are not necessarily within walking distance either. However, there is a park of sorts near my house where I can go hiking.
It is called the Reach 11 Recreational Area (I don't know the meaning behind the name) and is pretty much in the middle of developed land on all sides. It stretches from Cave Creek Rd. on the west to Scottsdale Rd. to the east and is about a half a mile wide. It follows the Central Arizona Project Canal to the south with various signs of civilization to the north such as the Mayo Hospital on 56th St.
I live right off of 56th St. and Bell Rd. so I had to walk a little ways till I reached the pedestrian access point north of the canal. There is one on either side of 56th St. so I took the one on the west side of the street and set off toward Tatum Blvd.
The entrance to begin with is paved, in fact some of the trails are paved, but the ones I hiked on were not. I set out on the path that followed the south side of the area, closest to the canal. It is all natural desert terrain which most people would think of as just rocks, sand and cacti, but it would surprise those people to see how beautiful and green the area is. I have stated this fact once before and I will once more; The Sonoran Desert is the least arid of all of the deserts in the world which contributes to the variety of flora and fauna that inhabit the area. It is a desert abundant with life, not like the Gobi or Sahara which is what most people probably think of when they imagine a desert.
As I walked through the Reach 11, I felt like I was walking through a forest. I was surrounded by Palo Verde, Hackberry and Mesquite trees (among others). There were Jackrabbits, Ground Squirrels and running off of the paths so fast I barely had a chance to grab my camera to take a picture.
It is very easy to forget that you are close to civilization, but if you walk far enough, you will eventually get to the Tatum parking area. On the other side of Tatum is the Horse Lovers Park, an equestrian part of the Reach 11. Before I got to this point, I found myself on the Jackrabbit trail, just an offshoot of the main trail that connects you with the other side (E211N).
On my way back, I decided to check out the trail that runs between the E211N and the E211S, called the Javelina trail. This trail (I think) had more trees than the other trails. They seemed to meet in the middle, above the trail almost making a tunnel.
At the point where the trail starts going east, there is a small pond. I thought at first that it was a natural basin where all of the rain water collects or perhaps there was a natural spring, but as it turns out, there is a PVC pipe on one end that feeds water into it. Still, it is a nice area to maybe have a picnic or just stop and enjoy the scenery. There is a table and a garbage can if you wanted to sit and have lunch. However the Table is covered in graffiti and looked as if someone left their bag of bread (what was left of it), a little reminder of the fact that we were still in the middle of the city.
The Javelina Trail eventually led me back to the entrance at 56th St. At 11:00 am the heavy traffic reminded me that I was not in the middle of the desert wilderness the fact pulled me back into reality. I really enjoyed this (almost) untouched piece of desert land . It is not a difficult hike at all and is great for jogging, biking and horseback riding as well. I can't wait to bring my wife and daughter. I think they may enjoy it as well.
It has been a long time since I have posted a blog and a while since I have gone on a hike. I have actually been on a few hikes since the last posted blog entry. School and work had to take priority to writing on this blog, so upcoming blogs will not be in chronological order, but are still worthy of a blog post.
Having said that, this past Thursday I decided that it had been long enough, so I made plans to hike up to Bell Pass. Bell Pass is in the McDowell Mountain range in Scottsdale, between Thompson Peak and McDowell Peak which shares a ridge with Drinkwater Peak. To get to the pass you have hike up through Bell Canyon from the Gateway Trail head which is located right off of Thompson Peak Road Just north of Bell Road in Scottsdale.
There is a lot of history in the McDowell Mountains and was considered sacred by the indigenous people (the Yavapai I believe) who lived in the area long before Europeans set foot in the Americas. there is evidence of this from the northern edge of the mountains all the way to the southern tip. Though I have yet to see this with my own eyes, there are Petroglyphs on the Toms Thumb trail and evidence of a tool making site on the Lost Dog Wash trail. Also, the land at the base of the Mountains was used for ranching by many early settlers looking to make a living and many tried mining the mountains as well. On this hike there is said to be an old house (or the remnants of one) off trail that one site said was probably used ranch hands and there family. It said that in early days ranchers would build houses like these out in the desert for their workers and the city would either look the other way or give notice to vacate and not follow through due to lack of resources or because they had other priorities. Sadly, the trail that leads there is closed and is clearly marked as such, so I did not venture out that way (off trail hiking in the preserve is strictly prohibited and there is a hefty fine for those who ignore such signs).
I set off on my hike at sunrise (the hours of operation for the park is sunrise to sunset) and started from the trail head toward the Gateway loop. This is a trail I have been on many times before because it connects with other trails. To get to the Bell Pass Trail, I took a right when I got to the loop and continued on until I had passed through openings in a couple of barbed wire fences and finally came to a trail marker that said "Bell Pass Trail" among other things. If you keep going on the loop you will get to the Gateway Saddle (which I haven't been to yet) and you eventually come back around to where you have started. I took a right onto the Bell Pass Trail that led into Bell Canyon.
The canyon and bajada below.
This was one huge rock at one point in time. wind and/or rain made it two.
Bell Canyon is Beautiful! It is like a funnel. When it rains, all of the rain water spills out of the canyon down to the desert below and provides water for the vegetation which makes for a very green landscape. The other thing I noticed is that it was very breezy in the canyon. Again, it is like a funnel directing all airflow through the canyon making it very cool. This also made the trees whistle and "WHOOSH" which I found very relaxing. There was also signs of hundreds (maybe more like thousands) of years of natural erosion in the canyon such as sharp outcropping of rocks in the sides of the mountains, a large boulder (that I have a picture of) that was literally split in two, and the bajada, which is a fancy word for a pile of rock and other sediment at the base of a canyon that collects in time and becomes home to desert plants and animals (the literal spanish translation is "bottom" or "base").
The switchbacks.
The hike through the canyon was not to hard. In fact, I thought to myself, "why is this hike listed as difficult"? I found out why when I got to the end of the canyon and the trail started to go UP. Even now, the day after the hike, my legs are still sore. The switch backs are not too tight and help the climb a little and the climb is relatively short. I had to take a few breaks here and there, but let me tell you, it was well worth it once I got to the top.
At the summit of Bell Pass you can see Scottsdale on one side and the north side of Fountain Hills on the other. The view of the Matazal Mountain Range was spectacular and I also saw the glimmer of light reflecting off of the Salt River or maybe one of its lakes in the distance. When I looked at my watch, I noticed it was 9:00 am and wondered why couldn't see the Fountain spraying water over 500 feet into the air as it does every hour. I figured out that it was because a mountain was blocking my view, so I had to come down the other side of the pass a ways (not to far) to catch a glimpse of the fountain. I have seen it many times before, but something about it fascinates me. Maybe it is more because it is a landmark more than anything else and it gives you a sense of direction in relation to all of the other landmarks, or maybe it is because I just think it looks cool.
The world famous fountain of Fountain Hills. Weavers Needle and the Superstition Mountains in the background.
It was only a big metal box.
Also on the pass, I found something that I had wondered about playing with Google Earth. While looking at satellite photos of the trail, I noticed a rectangular object just off to the side on the pass. I had tried to guess what it was and thought maybe at the least it was a tree trunk (that would have been a big Palo Verde) or the remains of a long dead Saguaro. Turns out, it was a large combo locked metal box. I guess that it contains tools (shovels, rakes, etc.) that the volunteers use to maintain the preserve so that both visitors and wildlife can enjoy it. There is another about halfway up the canyon also. I couldn't help but think, "that must have been a pain in the ass to haul up here!" even for the one only halfway up, but I suppose they may have helicoptered them in. The trails are not wide enough for any four-wheel type vehicles, that is for sure.
Since I was by myself and to park at the other end would have meant that I (or a companion) would have paid a fee to the McDowell Mountain Regional Park (which occupies the Fountain Hills side of the mountain), I had to turn back and go the way I came. Going down is hard on the knees (that's what she said) but was a lot faster than hiking up. What initially took me an two hours hiking up, took me just over an hour hiking down and out of the canyon. I met a lot of people hiking in as I was making my way out (slackers!) and came back to a pretty full parking lot.
Downtown Phoenix seen between Camelback Mountain and Mummy Mountain from Bell Pass.
This is a great hike for at least a moderately experienced hiker. This time of year you do not need as much water but it is a little hard on the legs. I saw a few mountain bikers as well. If you want to cover more ground and perhaps see the other side (like the windmill on the abandoned ranch) that would probably be the way to go. That or give yourself more time. I might just do that next time to see what I can see. That is why the Barrier went over the mountain, after all (chuckle).
The towers on Thompson Peak.
Four Peaks.
A dapper looking bearded fellow in a wide brimmed hat.
Camelback Mountain with North Scottsdale in the foreground.
This was a great hike! The north end of this range has very large granite Boulders scattered all along the trail that make interesting looking rock formations. One very large hunk of granite is a Scottsdale landmark known as Tom's Thumb. More of a monolith than a boulder, it was named after a famous valley resident rock climber who first climbed the rock in the 1960's.
The trail head is not very easy to get to unless you have a truck or vehicle with high clearance. I made it with my little Honda Civic, but I drove very slowly and carefully. Take Dynamite Rd. until it turns into Rio Verde Dr. then turn down 128th st. Follow the signs, they will get you there. 128th st is a dirt road but fairly smooth to start out with. Half way to the trailhead it changes from dirt road to black top but quickly goes back to dirt, so it would appear that they are working on making the area more accessible. The further down you drive the bumpier it gets and you have to be careful of dips and rocks. Once at the parking area (it is roughly the "intersection" of 130th st and Paraiso Dr) you kind of have to look around for the start of the trail. You can see Tom's Thumb and Gardner's Rock Wall at the trailhead.
Starting out is a bit rough. There are some pretty steep switch backs and it is one way so, unless someone has a car at the other end (it connects with the Windgate Trail which connects with the Gateway Loop, so you would have to park at the Gateway trailhead), you will be coming back the way you came So be prepared to be pulled down the mountain (gravity is a b#$*^). About fifteen minutes in it smooths out and you get a bit of a break.
At about the point where it becomes more of a leisurely hike (emphasis on the "more") you come to a fork. Actually, it is like a spider because four or five different trails meet here and the Tom's Thumb trail keeps going. There is the East End trail that meets at this point, named for the highest summit in the range. It doesn't actually take you to the summit, but you probably could reach it with climbing equipment.
A very phallic looking rock.
I continued on the Tom's Thumb trail which took me past some extraordinary rock piles and formations. Thousands of years of wind and rain (mostly wind) has shaped these rocks into near works of art. I thought to myself that God must have a very Juvenal sense of humor (as do I) because most of the formations resembled phalli.
At a certain point you come to a junction. There is a sign pointing to Windgate pass and the Lookout and another pointing to a rock climbing access trail to Tom's Thumb. There are warnings that you should have "proper equipment and skills" for this area, but for the most part it is an easy trail to Tom's Thumb and Gardner's Wall.
The crevasse in the side of Tom's Thumb gives you some nice shade.
When I got there, I was kind of in aw. For one thing, it is just beautiful on the summit, not only the view but the landscape, the other rock formations and the flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert. I was also in aw of Tom's Thumb itself. From Tatum Blvd. and Bell Rd. it looks so small, but when you are right up there with it you realize it is HUGE! It is approximately 140 feet and pretty wide as well. On one side of it there is a groove (not quite a cave, although a small crack goes back into it for about five feet or so.) that you can climb up to and there is even a nice flat rock you can sit on and enjoy some shade for a while. Further down the trail (from where I came in from) there is a large boulder leaning against some other boulders. I believe this is called the "Ogre's Den".
I think this is the "Ogre's Den".
It sort of makes
a cave that you can climb or crawl into and, once again, sit and enjoy some shade.
Inside the "Ogre's Den".
A forest of cacti and a bounty of prickly pears.
Thompson Peak in the background.
After playing for a while (and eating a cliff bar) I had to back track. I briefly got confused and lost the trail, but quickly found it again. back at the junction, I decided to check out the Lookout. The Lookout Trail is only half a mile and is not that strenuous, so it is worth the detour to take a look at the view. Along the way I spotted a hawk or falcon, some sort of bird of prey. I tried getting some pictures, but he was an elusive little rascal. Later while taking some video, he (or she) flew into the shot making me very happy. from the Lookout you can see nearly all of the valley to the west, Thompson Peak and the McDowell Peaks to the south, Fountain Hills and the Superstition Mountains to the southeast and the Matazal Mountains to the east.
The fountain in Fountain Hills went off at about 9:00 am. Superstition Mountains and Weavers Needle in the background.
Rock on!
The walk back was great because I saw some rock formations that I didn't see going in. One looked like someone's hand at a metal concert making the Dio devil horn sign. I snapped a pic with my hands in front of it. As stated before, since it was a steep climb going up, it was a battle with gravity going down. I was forced to run at times and even though it was still early (9:30 am) it was still to hot to run, for me anyway. I made the mistake of freezing my hydration pack the night before, so I temporarily did not have water for part of the last leg of the hike because the block of ice wouldn't freeze fast enough (won't do that again).
Near the trailhead, I went looking for a Geo-cache, but was not successful in finding it. The GPS on my phone is not very accurate, so I tried recall all of the clues and the map that I saw online, but to no avail. I was hot and tired, so I hopped back in my car and made the bumpy ride back to Rio Verde Dr.
An interesting rock formation near Tom's Thumb.
My car at the trailhead parking.
So, in my opinion, this is a great trail to go hiking on. It is very challenging but the beautiful scenery of the Sonoran Desert and the views from the summit make it all worth while. If I can ever borrow someone's truck or hitch a ride, I will definitely do it again.
