Redbird-Gooseneck Loop
Arizona Hiking
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1w ago
RED BIRD-GOOSENECK LOOP A boulder passage on the Gooseneck Trail By trail, it’s only 7 miles from the Fraesfield trailhead to the Tom’s Thumb trailhead in Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve Central Region. Fraesfield trailhead seen from Gooseneck trail   Three miles, as the crow flies. The trail miles wind within a narrow strip of Sonoran Desert that sits between the preserve’s north and south regions.   Snow capped Mazatzal Mountains Serving as a non-motorized travel corridor and buffer zone between suburbs and wilds, the tiny parcel abuts private p ..read more
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Big Rock Canyon Circuit
Arizona Hiking
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3w ago
BIG ROCK CANYON Billion-year-old stone in Big Rock Canyon Some trails have a way of rousing long buried memories.  Whether it’s the trail name, location or ambience that rustles the cranial recesses, the results can have surprising impacts on the hike experience. Consider the Big Rock Canyon trail in Prescott’s granite dells. View of Watson Lake from Capts Trail Its name conjures sweetness and an ear worm. Grown up kids of a certain age might remember a tooth-rotting confection called rock candy—word play on rock canyon. It was—and still is, if you can find it—pure sug ..read more
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Rockin' River Ranch State Park
Arizona Hiking
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1M ago
ROCKIN’ RIVER RANCH STATE PARK Verde River from the White Cliffs Trail The thickets shock the eye. Massive tangles of sycamore, cottonwoods, ash, and willows quake with the rustlings of birds making a sweet living above perennial waters at the confluence of West Clear Creek and the Verde River. Mountain vista on the Buckaroo Trail A small slice of this watery, woodsy paradise surrounded by mountains at the end of a narrow dirt road is now the domain of Rockin’ River Ranch State Park which opened to the public in February.  Riparian forest along the Verde River ..read more
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The Devil in Devil's Bridge
Arizona Hiking
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1M ago
DEVIL’S BRIDGE Hikers on the way to Devil's Bridge Hiking has many benefits.  Beyond the healthy perks of physical activity, being in the outdoors boosts mental well being, fosters an appreciation for nature and builds a sense of stewardship for our public lands. It’s also a great way to meet people with similar interests. Pilgrimage on the Chuckwagon trail to Devils' Bridge And with recent reports on the negative impacts of loneliness, it would seem hitting the trails would be a win-win.  The trick is to pick trails that attract crowds of people more in the game ..read more
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Vulture Mountain Ruins
Arizona Hiking
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2M ago
VULTURE MOUNTAIN RUINS Vulture Peak viewed from BLM 9052 Surrounded by an eclectic sampling of Arizona’s 194 named mountain ranges, The Vulture Mountains occupy a space rich in natural resources and human history.  Hieroglyphic and Wickenburg Mountains view The crescent-shaped range is a comprised of a string of mounds 29 miles long and 13 miles wide located a dozen miles southwest of Wickenburg at the edge of Maricopa County.   Hikers admire a twisted saguaro on BLM 9052 The Hassayampa River, a roughly 100-mile-long desert waterway that originates near ..read more
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Maricopa Trail to Camp Creek Falls
Arizona Hiking
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4M ago
MARICOPA TRAIL SEGMENT 22 BARTLETT DAM ROAD to CAMP CREEK FALLS Camp Creek in Tonto National Forest Over its 315+-mile course, the Maricopa Trail unfurls its tendrils to link county regional parks, suburbs, urban public spaces, canals, historic paths, and remote stretches of national forest.  To hike the full loop is tantamount to a walking tour of the Valley’s multi-faceted landscape.  Mountain vistas on the Maricopa Trail The epic non-motorized route that circles the Valley broke ground in 2007 in the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area, and the main loop was com ..read more
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Cloudburst-Cone Mountain Loop
Arizona Hiking
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4M ago
CLOUDBURST-CONE MOUNTAIN LOOP Storm view from the Cloudburst trail Funny thing about mountains; they’re rain makers.  The phenomenon isn’t unusual or magic, it’s something called orographic precipitation which is basically rain produced when warm moist air rises and cools over mountain ranges. Granite boulders on the Cone Mountain trail The process is fascinating to watch, it rolls out as if trapped in a sort of real-time time-lapse. Clouds rapidly build over peaks to the break point when they drop their payloads. Granite sculpture on the Hackamore trail This ..read more
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Hikes, Honky-Tonks and Hangouts
Arizona Hiking
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5M ago
HIKES, HONKY-TONKS & HANGOUTS Check out my feature in the November-December 2023 issue of PHOENIX magazine: Hikes, Honky-Tonks & Hangouts. 'Nuf said! On Newsstands November 2nd. PHOENIX magazine is on sale at all major grocery, pharmacy and book retailers in the Phoenix area. The current issue also may be purchased by calling the PHOENIX magazine office at 480-478-8806 or online at phoenixmag.com/shop.    ..read more
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Granite-Keefer Hill Circuit
Arizona Hiking
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5M ago
GRANITE-KEEFER HILL CIRCUIT Paloma Regional Preserve Saguaros frame mountain views on the Granite Trail The landscape of Paloma Regional Preserve is defined by a massive, flat drainage basin punctuated with a few minor knolls of volcanic rock. Volcanic outcroppings in Paloma Regional Preserve New River, when it runs, spills right down the middle of it in untamed rivulets, muddy channels, and occasional torrents.  Crested saguaro in the Keefer Hill Trail Bounded by a crescent of desert hills, terra cotta rooftops and the Westwing and Eastwing Mountain Preserve ..read more
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Calloway Butte-New Tank
Arizona Hiking
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6M ago
CALLOWAY BUTTE - NEW TANK New Tank in Coconino National Forest Peaceful, secluded places aren’t too difficult to find along the backroads of Coconino National Forest.  Weighing in at over 1.8 million acres in size, Arizona’s second largest national forest is ostensibly the most diverse.  Gambel oaks shade Forest Road 142 The northern Arizona forest encompasses the famous red rock high deserts of Sedona, mountain lakes and streams, aspen glens, and alpine tundra around the state’s highest point in Flagstaff.   Barbed wire fencing around New Tank Whil ..read more
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