Wednesday, February 25 – We enjoyed a wonderful hike this morning venturing to Scottsdale, AZ, to the Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve. What a beautiful area Scottsdale is with the nearby mountains, rocks, desert and beautiful southwest style homes.
We chose the Granite Mountain trail in the Northern Region of the preserve.
The trail was one of the most beautiful hikes we've done. We were amazed at the spectacular desert views.
We hiked the gentle, curving trails that are smooth with gradual ups and downs. All around us were gorgeous mountain vistas and neat mountain boulders.
The desert is ready to burst out in bloom, and we were lucky to see some of the plants giving us a sneak preview of the upcoming splendor. The birds welcomed us singing their little hearts out in the morning air. We stopped frequently just to enjoy their tunes.
This little humming bird was so entertaining.
The bees were everywhere.
No idea the name of this beauty.
We saw several other groups enjoying the trail this morning. A few other hikers, a group on horseback, or were those mules, and mountain bikers enjoying the ups and downs of the trail. We did end up getting a little lost (actually just twisted around and off our planned route) and hiked further than planned.
We ended up covering 6.22 miles in a little over three hours. That included a side trip out to Balance Rock. We were actually tricked by an impostor on our way out to Balance Rock. The first balanced rock was not the rock of our intended destination.
The Impostor
We reached the “real” Balance Rock after covering the 1.3 miles down the trail. It proved a great place to stop and enjoy our “brunch” before heading back to the Granite Mountain trailhead.
Hiking up to Balance Rock.
Balance Rock
This whole area is covered with hiking and biking trails. We will definitely be back to explore the area further. Check out this area if you are looking for some beautiful hiking environments in the Phoenix, AZ, area.
The End
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!
So many great hiking trails to be found, wish I could get Suzie into hiking with me. But I do get my walkabouts.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great place to hike.
ReplyDeleteyour black crested bird is a phainopepla
ReplyDeleteWe loved that trail, too, but it is easy to take a wrong turn. The desert is just beautiful there. Remember the bird name, phainopepla, as you will be seeing them a lot in that area. Some people just call them black cardinals:-)
ReplyDeleteSit still for gawd's sake.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful hike! I love that balanced rock. It looks like a tulip blossom with two cute little flowers near by:) I can't wait to get back to the saguaro! We've seen lots of plant life beginning to flower and several cacti but there are no saguaro:( Mc Dowell is one of the places I am anxious to hike. There are many crested saguaro in that whole area so I need get researching the locations! I see many, many miles of hiking in our future. Keep hiking so you have lots of plans for us when we arrive:)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you guys and Gayle and Jim can enjoy all the hikes you do. I'm afraid those days are past for me, but I enjoy seeing them through your blogs.
ReplyDeleteWe just returned from a great hike at the base of the Superstitions. We're staying at the A.J. Elks until Sunday. Are you busy Saturday?
ReplyDeleteLove the rocks on your hike. They seems to make it even more interesting, especially the balance rock, that is so cool. I just saw one of those black birds this morning, and now thanks to Heyduke, I too know what it is.
ReplyDeletewww.travelwithkevinandruth.com
Looks like a great hike:)
ReplyDeleteSo, when are you going to really stretch your activities and opt for a horse back riding adventure on one of those trails?
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a wonderful hike. Having just gotten back from Anza Borrego, I must agree with you that the desert is coming alive with so many colors. Love that photo of the phainopepla. We saw them all over the place at Usery Mountain Park when we were there two years ago.
ReplyDeleteFrom the front view, they look like mules. Just look at those ears and their built. But from the back, the last one looks more like a horse. Its built and coloring.
ReplyDelete6 hour hike - you go girl!
What an appropriate title for a mountain, IT seems you are in for a good spring cacti blossoms pretty soon.
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