This seems to be one of the last days of cooler weather before Picacho Peak State Park closes its doors, and I had to take advantage of it. Entered the park to find that it was seemingly deserted. Visitor center was closed (I think) and all parking lots in view were empty. What luck. Drove up to the trailhead where there were only four cars. Perfect!
Passed two solo hikers before even reaching the saddle, and caught pair a little further down the way. I got to the top and had it to myself for a little more than a half hour then ran into someone as I started to leave. Some of the other triplogs mention crowds... You guys were yanking my chain, right? Took another trail to one of the other peaks to get a picture of Picacho and it was cable time. Going down was much more pleasant that I thought it would be. Time after time I would stop walking to take a look around, only to find that I had gone off trail; the washed out areas were confusing. I added quite a bit of time coming down from the saddle to the car by looking at the cliffs above. So beautiful I could cry! But I didn't - Instead I was startled by a tiny lizard on one of the cables (insert profanity here). I would love to do the Sunset Vista trail next time. Maybe one day the state's budget will kick back into shape and the parks will open again. One could only hope...