We have relocated our current blog to our website. For future blog postings, please go to: http://www.takeahikearizona.com/blog.  Also, feel free to post comments and let us know what else you’d like to learn about the desert.  We’d like to know what you are interested in so tell us!!  You can also email us your ideas as well at info@takeahikearizona.com.  Thanks for continuing to follow our blog!

enjoying a view of the valley from Camelback Mountain

Hello fellow hikers and outdoor enthusiasts,

As many of you may already know, the State of Arizona is starting to close 13 state parks in the coming weeks.  Many of us are contacting our representatives about this issue, but in addition to the state closures I also wanted to provide you with some information about the planned closure of a number of our beautiful Phoenix parks.  These closures are not getting the same amount of press as the state park closures, but to those of us who love these areas and use them regularly these closures will have a significant impact on us and visitors to our area!  As of right now, it appears that the City of Phoenix is planning to lay off 14 park rangers and reduce public access to our local parks in the area.  The city plans to reduce public access to the parks by closing them on Mondays and Tuesdays.  The anticipated closures include:

• Camelback Mountain
• Piestewa Peak Park
• North Mountain Park
• South Mountain Park
• Shaw Butte
• Lookout Mountain
• Papago Park and
• Shadow Mountain

If this concerns you as it does us, please email one or all of the City of Phoenix Councilman listed at the links below and tell them to keep our parks open and save the jobs of 14 Phoenix Park Rangers: 

Councilman Thelda Williams at: http://phoenix.gov/district1/emdist1/index.html

Councilman Peggy Neely at: http://phoenix.gov/district2/emdist2/index.html

Councilman Bill Gates: http://phoenix.gov/district3/emdist3/index.html

Councilman Tom Simplot at: http://phoenix.gov/district4/emdist4/index.html

Councilman Claude Maddox at: http://phoenix.gov/district5/emdist5/index.html

Councilman Sal DiCiccio at: http://phoenix.gov/district6/index.html

Councilman Michael Nowakowski at:http://phoenix.gov/district7/emdist7/index.html

Councilman Michael Johnson at: http://phoenix.gov/district8/emdist8/index.html

Mayor Phil Gordon at: http://phoenix.gov/mayor/emmayor/index.html

Help us save our Phoenix Mountain Parks from closure!

So for those of you not familiar with the area, head up the Peralta Trail up to the Freemont Saddle that overlooks Weaver’s Needle.  Do not try to hike up to the cave first. From the saddle, head up and over the rocks to your right where many people go to get an even better view of the Needle.  If you look towards the Needle (twelve o’clock), a little to the right (about 1-2 o’clock) is a lone pine tree (a little one).  You can’t miss it. As our friend told us, look for “the tree”. I was a little concerned at first until I saw that is is indeed the ONLY tree up there.  That tree is actually on the trail that you want to pick up to head toward Geronimo’s Cave. However, the tree is in the opposite direction of where you want to head.  So, start hiking on the trail to the right of the saddle that looks like it will take you toward the tree eventually, and you are on the right trail (just don’t bear left to head to the tree when that option appears).

Almost immediately you are in for a scenic treat. The minute you turn the corner and start heading back in the general direction of the trailhead, you have gorgeous views of the other side of the Superstitions that y0u don’t get to see while hiking up the Peralta Trail.  It’s nothing but wilderness. At this point, I wish I could tell you to just follow the trail from here on out but it is not so easy. The “trail” is not a clear path or marked in any manner. You may see cairns once in a while that you hope point you in the right direction, but that is about it.  The only thing I can tell you is stay parallel to the Peralta Canyon that you hiked up earlier and eventually you may find your way back to the trailhead. Seriously. This hike back via Geronimo’s Cave is not for the faint of heart nor the ill-prepared. You know the rule of thumb used at the Grand Canyon….it takes twice as long to hike a mile up than it does down? Well, reverse that for this hike.

Do not attempt to go back this way if you are running low on water or snacks. It takes some time to return by this route.  You should also be concerned about returning this way if you have anyone in your group that has even a minimal fear of heights.  There is quite a bit of scrambling over rocks and sliding down steep inclines – often close to the edge of large dropoffs. So take your time.

The cave itself will be off to the left side of the trail in the area where the landscape/rocks have a yellow tint.  The cave is quite large and pretty open so you really can’t miss it. You have to leave the trail for a few yards to hike up to the actual cave entrance, but you should see some paths that are worn down a bit from others that have gone there before you.  This is a great spot to hang out and enjoy the view for a bit and take lots of photos!  After this point, the trail gets a bit scarce. You have to pick your way through the boulders – while staying parallel to Peralta Canyon. You will also have to scramble quite a bit to get back to an area that feels like an actual trail again.

With all that said, my best advice is if you are going to Geronimo Cave for the first time, go with someone who has been there before and can help guide you back to the Peralta Trailhead.  Also, be sure to bring lots of water, snacks and really comfortable, sturdy shoes. Some of the descents are pretty steep and can be hard on your toes if you don’t have the right shoes on.  I would not recommend bringing younger kids as some of the rock scrambling may be difficult for them to get up and it is a long hike for little legs.

If you are curious about the hike, please feel free to check out the photos we took. They are in our photo gallery on our website under the Superstitions hiking folder. If you would like more information about the hike or would like a guided hike out into the area, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@takeahikearizona.com. We love to share our experiences with you and keep you safe out in the desert!

Interesting rock formations

One of our favorite hikes in the Superstitions is the ever popular Peralta Trail.  It is so popular that parking can be a problem on the weekends. But even on a busy weekend, the area is so large that you are not competing for space on the trail like you would on Pinnacle Peak, Camelback or Piestewa Peak. 

Right from the start, the Peralta Trail has beautiful scenery around every corner. The rock formations along the way are some of the most unique to be found in the valley and during the warmer months, we often see gorgeous collared lizards and blooming flowers of all kinds. From the Peralta Trail you can also find Geronimo’s Cave (if you know where to look).  We are heading out there tomorrow for a fun (day off) hike. We’ll be sure to take some more photos – especially of the cave – and post them to our blog. So stay tuned for some more info about the hike and a few other trails that you can find starting from the same trailhead.

Take A Hike Arizona, LLC is one of the very few companies/organizations that holds a commercial permit to hike in this area of the Superstitions.  If you’d like to learn more about the excursions we offer in the Superstitions Wilderness Area, just give us a holler at 480-634-8488 or email us at info@takeahikearizona.com. We’d love to take you out there and show you the beauty found in this special part of the Sonoran Desert.

Grand Canyon Wildlife

So, we had a few extra days (4 to be exact) on our hands before the kids returned to school and we figured why not get out of the heat of the desert and go camping up at the South Rim? So we did! We made reservations at Mather Campground, which is one of the campgrounds located within the National Park boundaries of the Grand Canyon. We packed up our camping gear and the kids and headed out. With kids, it’s about a 4 hour drive from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon. We always time it just right so we can stop in Flagstaff to stretch our legs a bit and have lunch.

Mather campground is one of my favorite places to stay (as long as you can get a reasonably sized site with shade). The campground has bathroom facilities throughout (although the facilities on the Juniper Loop by site #118 are closed and currently under construction) and there is also a shower/laundry facility available as well. We sort of like the idea of having a shower handy after hiking the Grand Canyon in 90-100 degree heat all day!

After settling in at the campsite, we decided to go for a walk on the Rim Trail at sunset. It was my 5 year old’s first visit to the Grand Canyon so I was curious to see what his impressions would be. As usual, on the way through the campground and the village, we came across a number of mule deer and elk. I don’t care how often you visit the National Parks, it is still always a great treat to see the wildlife! What’s really nice about the Grand Canyon village area, is you can almost set your watch by when the deer appear around the railway station and tracks. At least during this time of year, you are practically guaranteed to see the deer which makes it a great evening walk for the kids! So, we admired the deer (from a distance) for some time and then hightailed it to the rim for the view of the canyon at sunset. As always, it was spectacular! And yes, my 5 year old was duly impressed with the sheer dropoffs and kept asking what would happen if he jumped/fell from this spot…or this spot…or this spot. Needless to say, his wrist still has the indentations from my fingers wrapped tightly around it!

That was our first foray of the weekend to the edge of the canyon. Since we had kids with us, we decided to do a pretty mild hike the next day that we figured they could handle. We headed down the South Kaibab Trail with the plan to stop at Cedar Ridge, have lunch and head back up. I could only hope that the kids would enjoy their hike into this phenomenal wonder of the world as much as they enjoyed their shuttle bus ride to the trailhead. So, with lots of water, snacks and lunch we started down the trail in the early morning. The temperature at the trailhead (about 7,000 feet elevation) was about 75 – 80 degrees with a forecast of 95 degrees for later in the afternoon. Now, as you head down into the canyon those temperatures increase significantly. It is not uncommon for Phantom Ranch (elevation of 2,400 ft) to be at least 20 – 25 degrees hotter than the top of the canyon. Something to keep in mind when you know you will be hiking out as the day is heating up.

Anyway, we had a great hike down to Cedar Ridge (a descent of 1,140 feet from the rim). The kids did an awesome job and by that I mean, few complaints and few incidents of being too close to the edge of the trail. The one thing to keep in mind about hiking this trail is that there is no water supply available to refill your hydration pack or water bottles. So be sure to bring enough water (about 1 -1.5 liters per hour) for your trip down and back up from Cedar Ridge or Skeleton Point. What is nice about Cedar Ridge, besides the view, is that there are restroom facilities available. But there is no water to wash your hands so have some anti-bacterial gel or wipes along with you as well. And Cedar Ridge is a beautiful spot to have lunch. Just ask the squirrels!

The second we sat down we had a number of rock squirrels doing reconnaissance around our spot. We literally were under constant surveillance! Obviously, many visitors before us have conditioned the animals to expect a hand out. As frequent guests of our National Parks, we have learned that you do not feed the animals. First, it makes the animals dependent on humans to feed them, second, the type of food we feed them is detrimental to their health and lastly, they will bite you! Did you know that the Grand Canyon rangers have reported that more people are injured by bites from these cute furry little squirrels than by anything else at the Grand Canyon? I don’t know about you, but I’m in no hurry to go get my rabies shot! So keep the kids (and yourself) away from the squirrels and please don’t feed them your leftovers. Oh and did I forget to mention that all wildlife in the park is protected by federal law and if a ranger does happen to see you feeding the animals that you could be subject to a $500 fine? Ouch.

So, with lunch done and the day starting to heat up quickly, we started heading back up the trail towards the rim. The hike back up is about 1.5 miles and we needed to go up that 1,140 feet that we just came down quite easily a short time ago. It quickly became apparent that we made a wise choice to turn around at Cedar Ridge (as originally planned) versus heading a bit further down to Skeleton Point. The kids got tired with the steep climb and the increasing heat as did my husband who was backpacking our 5 year old up. But, we made sure everyone took frequent rest stops and drank lots of water. I even had a couple of bandanas that I wet down and used to cool off heads and necks. That helped immensely. We made it up the trail with no issues and still had water to spare at the top. So, overall I would have to say that our camping/hiking trip to the Canyon with our kids was a success. My husband actually admitted that he enjoyed camping (never did it before in his life!) and my kids will have fond memories of their Grand Canyon adventure and their favorite shuttle bus.

If you have never visited the Grand Canyon and would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact us at Take A Hike Arizona. We do not guide hikes in the Canyon, but we love to share our knowledge about it with those who are interested and we do know of a few great companies that do provide guiding services there if that is something else you would like to know about. If you are going to the canyon, have a safe trip and send us your photos! We would love to see them.

Heading into the desert!

Well, the summer has been fun so far. We’ve been keeping busy doing sunrise, sunset and night hikes during the hot desert season. Check out some of our beautiful photos from these excursions when you have a chance. The sunsets this summer have been amazing! One of the things we’ve really enjoyed this summer is our Parents’ Night Out kids camp. This is a night hiking camp for the kids which is about 4 hours long. During the summer it is a great opportunity for parents to get out for a night knowing their children are having a great evening themselves. This camp was so popular that we are offering several additional opportunities for parents to tell their kids to “Take A Hike“!

The next night hiking camp for kids will be held on Friday, August 28, 2009.  The kids will love this night hiking camp made just for them! We will take the kids out on a desert scavenger hunt for fluorescent gems, go on a scorpion hunt (we don’t get that close to them!), look for small desert critters that come out at night and we will get them actively involved in lots of fun desert themed activities and games!

For only $30 ($25 for each additional sibling) the Camp Adventure includes:  Guided hike, pizza, water, snacks, refreshments, use of backpack, an arts & crafts project, and lots of FUN!!! See below for our night hiking camp schedule.

Also, as we head into the Fall season and the weather cools, we will once again be offering our Kids’ Day Hiking Camp. We often schedule these camps to coincide with the Scottsdale School District calendar. Our day camps are 5 hours long and similar to the night camps include water, refreshments, snacks, lunch, an arts & crafts project, fun interactive desert themed games and a guided hike into the Sonoran Desert. The cost for this hiking camp is $40 per child ($35 for each additonal sibling). See the schedule below for our upcoming day hiking camps.

Please keep in mind that these camps do fill up quickly. If you would like more information or would like to reserve your child’s space, just give us a call at 480-634-8488.

Parents’ Night Out/Kids Night Hiking Camp

Upcoming Dates: November 20, 2009

Time:  5:00pm – 9:00pm

Meeting Place:  McDowell Mountain Community Center, 10607 E. Paradise Lane, Scottsdale, AZ

Kids Day Hiking Camp Schedule

Upcoming Dates:  Wednesday-November 11, 2009, Monday-December 21, 2009, Wednesday-December 23, 2009

Time:  10:00am – 3:00pm

Meeting Place: The Gateway Trailhead, 18333 E. Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale, AZ

A few weeks back we attended the Arizona Highways Travel Show at the Phoenix Convention Center.  At the show, we chatted with individuals from a number of hospitality related businesses, one of which was Casino Arizona. The staff at this booth were handing out complimentary passes to see the “Showstopper Live!” show. So, because they were free and being handed to me, I took them.  I’ve lived here in the valley for about 14 years and have never stepped foot into Casino Arizona. Not sure why, but it’s just something I’ve never done. Anyway, I took the tickets with a high level of doubt that I would ever use them.

So, to make a long story short, my mom came into town to visit. We did our annual camping trip up to Sedona with the kids and did a lot of local sightseeing of kid-friendly museums around Phoenix. Then one night, I just happened to remember that I had these free tickets. So I figured what the heck, it’s free, we have no plans for the evening, so let’s go! The show started at 7:00pm and the guest services said it was first come first serve as far as seating. Their recommendation was to arrive at 6:00pm. So we did.

We waited in line at the guest services counter which is located at the front door right when you come in. As we waited, we heard several announcements about getting complimentary tickets to the show. Apparently, anyone can just show up and receive the complimentary tickets, even though they have a retail value of $55. So my first word of advice is, don’t pay to see the show. The tickets appear to be free (at least during the week)!  Okay, no real surprise there I guess. The second thing I learned within the first 5 minutes of arriving is that, we did not need to wait in the long line but we could scoot around to the left side of the counter and pick up the tickets for the show and avoid the slower moving queue for all the other services provided at the guest counter.

Now we have our tickets in hand, which come with a 2 drink minimum per person purchase by the way. What is that saying…nothing is for free? hmmmmm. Well, the 2 drink minimum is actually pretty  minimal. You can just buy 2 fountain drinks for $2.50 each if you want and that will satisfy the requirement. We decided to go all out and buy 2 cocktails (on special) for $5 each plus tip. Oh and don’t be surprised when they tell you have to order your 2 drink minimum up front.  You have to decide which 2 drinks you want and then they are delivered to you at the same time.  I understand the logistics of doing it this way, but I didn’t really appreciate having my second drink sitting there getting warm while I drank my first one. Anyway, our total out of pocket for an evening of entertainment was $10 each plus tip. Then we waited. Don’t forget we had been advised to arrive early to get a seat, so we now had about 45 minutes to sit and drink and wait. So, we sipped slowly. Oh, and just as an FYI, they do not serve any kind of appetizers or snacks in the showroom to go along with your drinks. That was kind of disappointing.

Then the show began. The lineup for the evening was Elvis (what’s a tribute without Elvis?), Gloria Estefan, Reba McIntire, and The Four Tops. I have to say, I really wasn’t expecting much but, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the entertainment. Elvis was entertaining and had a great voice. The Reba impersonator was spot on. She looked, spoke and sang much like Reba. I had a hard time seeing a difference! But I really enjoyed the Four Tops – not my generation, however – they were excellent! They selected some great songs and really got the crowd going. The woman impersonating Gloria Estefan had a beautiful singing voice but was noticeably different than what you would expect Gloria Estefan to be like.  We did miss out on seeing Madonna though. I was looking forward to that tribute. Maybe she has a larger draw and only makes appearances on weekends. I’m not sure. We also got to see a knife throwing act mid-way through the show. They were quite funny and provided a nice break from the singing acts.

So, if you are looking for something fun and cheap to do in the Scottsdale area, you should check out this show.  It was quite fun and the entertainers really put their all into it. And after drinking my 2 required beverages in quick order before they got warm, I didn’t seem to mind having a 2 drink minimum purchase. The show is at Casino Arizona located at the Loop-101 and Mckellips. If you happen to go see it, let me know what you think!

Saguaro flower awaiting pollination

Well, I would have to say it is finally here…….the summer. It’s not official by the calendar yet, but anytime it consistently reaches 90 – 100 degrees everyday and the kids are on “summer vacation”, that’s good enough for me! One of the things that we (at Take A Hike Arizona) really like to see as the weather warms up during this time of year, is the ripening of the Saguaro fruit on the Saguaro cactus.

The Saguaro is the largest cactus found in the United States and can only be found in elevation ranging from sea level up to 4,000 feet.  But, that is another blog post entirely. So back to the fruit. Typically, the cactus will bloom in late May to early June with the fruit appearing and ripening about one month after that. This year, the flowers appeared a bit earlier than usual and you can now see the fruit starting to ripen at the top of the cactus.

The Saguaro flower requires pollination before it will produce any fruit. The flowers are most often pollinated by bats, White-winged Doves, Mourning Doves, bees, and other types of birds. Once the flower is pollinated, it will produce a 3 inch long fruit that contains as many as 2,000 seeds! The seeds are very tiny and and kind of remind me of the small poppy seeds you find on bagels – except the saguaro seeds are even smaller. The fruit is a very important seasonal food as it ripens during the driest part of the year right before the summer rainy (moonsoon) season. Many desert animals depend on this fruit for sustenance during this time of year.

The fruit itself has many uses for us humans as well. After being plucked (i.e., harvested) from the cactus with long saguaro rib poles, the seeds are meticuously separated from the pulp. This is a very time consuming, painstaking process done by hand. The seeds are then dried and can be ground down into a flour or even eaten as is.  The pulp can be consumed as a juice or can be boiled down to make a syrup. Some of the syrup, in turn, can be used to produce a wine that the Tohono O’odham Indians use as a ceremonial drink to usher in the rainy season. The fruit is actually quite nutritious. The seeds are 30% fat and the pulp contains about 10% protein and 70% carbohydrates (which is why it makes such great wine!).

If you are interested in finding out more about harvesting and eating saguaro fruit, check out some southwest ethnobotany books at your local library, attend an ethnobotany lecture offered by Desert Botanical Gardens  in Phoenix, or travel down to the Tohono O’odham reservation just south of Tucson. The Tohono O’odham offer food products harvested from the desert including Saguaro juice and syrup. If you live in the Phoenix metro area, you may also be lucky enough to find these items at a local farmer’s market in your area. If you do come across the opportunity to try a taste of Saguaro fruit, the juice, syrup or wine, I would highly recommend trying it. It has a unique flavor all its own and you may find the natural desert flavors grow on you pretty quickly! Let me know if you try it and what you think! Happy harvesting!

We  just got back from a great hike out on the Peralta Trail in the Superstitions Wilderness Area. This 4.5 mile (roundtrip) hike is one of my favorites for a couple of reasons. First, although you gain about 1,300 -1,400 feet in elevation, the trail meanders its way up to the saddle versus using steep switchbacks. This makes the trail very manageable for anyone wanting to head out on it. Second, I never get tired of admiring the dramatic volcanic rock formations along the way or coming up over Freemont Saddle for a fantastic view of Weaver’s Needle. I love the view of Weaver’s Needle so much that I used it as our backdrop for our holiday photos last year!

What’s cool about the Peralta Trail (and the Superstitions in general) is that you get a lot more than just scenic views on your hike. This area is rich in vegetation and wildlife. This year the Superstitions had some of the most beautiful Spring flowers, more so than anywhere else in the valley. As a matter of fact, there are a number of flowers still blooming out there this week. Then during the warmer months (like now), you will find plenty of lizards darting about.

The Peralta Trail is one of my favorite places to find gorgeous Common Collared Lizards such as the one in the photo above. These critters can be tricky to spot. I’ve found them most often on the upper third of the trail (up above the yellow tuff line that is on your right side as you head up). Look for them on the volcanic reddish brown pockmarked rocks. They seem to love hanging out in the sun on those particular rocks. If you move slowly enough, you may be able to get a few good closeup photos of the lizard before it runs and hides. You might also be lucky enough to be treated to the sight of it hopping as it moves away from you. It is amazing how graceful they can appear as they quickly hop from one rock to the next! I sometimes wonder if they have hidden springs in their legs!

If you like the photo of the lizard above and you just have to see more of them, check out our wildlife photos in our photo gallery. You will also find some great photos of the hikes we have done in the Superstitions as well. So, if this sounds like a hike you’d like to try, just head out east on US Highway 60 until the highway turns into a 4-lane road. Then look for the turnoff for Peralta Road. Turn left onto Peralta Road and follow that all the way to the end (about 8 miles on a dirt road). The trailhead is at the very end. Facilities (or some semblance thereof) are available at the trailhead. If you are heading to the trail from the Scottsdale area, leave yourself at least 1.25 hours for the drive and get there early! The parking lot gets full on the weekends. Of course, we at Take A Hike Arizona, always recommend you take a guided hike into this area as it is wilderness and rescues do take place there much too frequently. And besides, how else are you going to find those elusive Collared Lizards??