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!
