HikeArizona.COM

So, I am sure this may be posted somewhere else but I couldn't find it. If you had to hike somewhere for the rest of your life OR you had 4 more hours to spend hiking in your life. (I know I am a nerd....) WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO HIKE IS ARIZONA?!
-JANELLE :A1:
*Note added: I have always been to shy to post a topic, however that night I had a little too much wine and decided to go for it. I REALLY thought I had deleted it but apparently not. I was glad to see the responses and I added my favorite place too!

nonot wrote:Stay in Air/Conditioning July/Aug.

Where I am from (North of Seattle) the only time it is beautiful is July/Aug. I guess I just will plan my trips home during that time...

Hikergirl81 wrote:

nonot wrote:Stay in Air/Conditioning July/Aug.

Where I am from (North of Seattle) the only time it is beautiful is July/Aug. I guess I just will plan my trips home during that time...

bah, just go higher and earlier.

Wow great responses, I know everybody has a different idea of the perfect hike/climb; it is just great to hear everyone’s opinion. I have a confession: until about 2 years ago, I couldn't imagine anyone hiking in Arizona. I was SO naive! I think I was picturing the summer to be the outdoors months and probably the driest flattest part of the state. I now believe that Arizona is probably one of the best places to hike. I am still so new to hiking in this state and I am so excited to experience all of the new places.
I think I got a lot of my passion for hiking from my grandfather, he was a true mountaineer. (He even was buried with his pick ax ... although I always wanted it!) My place is in Washington State. It was my first hike/camp trip with my grandfather and I was around 7 years old. I’m not sure exactly where it was, maybe in the Granite Falls or Darrington area but he called it "Round lake." It was an old volcano that had created a perfect camping spot with a lake inside it. The lake was so clear that I remember being on our raft, looking down through the water and getting an irrational fear of heights. The hike was so great, it took all day to get to the top of the mountain, then from there we could see amazing views including the area where we would hike down into and eventually set up camp. I loved how it had so many different areas to hike through with the elevation changes. Anyway, I could write a novel explaining it but I'll spare you. ;)

Hikergirl81 wrote:Anyway, I could write a novel explaining it but I'll spare you. ;)

Oh, boy, another writer on the site? We have one or two of those on here already! They (I) tend to be a bit longwinded. I'd be glad for the company! ;)

Glad you found the site and glad you're enjoying AZ hiking. Some people do continue to hike a lot in summer, even without going up to a higher elevation. It all depends if you can condition your body to tolerate the heat, (not everyone can) and you have to also be very careful about dehydration, sunburn and heat stroke. There is plenty of info on here about preventing those things. But you can drive up from the Valley to Globe (the Pinals) or Payson (the Rim) for a dayhike in summer, also. It's not all that far. If you drive further, to Flagstaff, or to Heber, or over to where I live, summer is THE time to hike!

I would definitely say that there are parts of Arizona that are most hikable in the middle of summer! The Sky Islands down south (Graham,Lemmon, Wrightson, Chiricahua, Huachuca and the like) are definitely my choice of summer fare. However, this year I've spent more of my time freezing my butt of in Arizona than I ever thought possible. It just keeps snowing on me! So much for the standard view of the desert! I'm glad to hear you're coming to love our varied and spectacular landscapes! Welcome to hiking in AZ!

I can't think of anyplace in the state where from July, once the Monsoon gets going, to August and September before the Monsoon blows out, that is great. Its really humid at all levels and the cooler areas have storm threats. The days that are a break are really nice, but its hard to plan around them. I hear other areas of the state have impressive lightning displays, but I still have yet to see one. On the Peaks in Flag and around Flag it just gets gray and then rains. You might hear some thunder, but I hardly ever see lightning. I went to Sedona a few times last Monsoon season expecting to see something cool, but it was overcast with no real development all day. No lighting, and humid as hell. I had Bear Mt to myself one of those days, but it wasn't really worth the humidity.

I suppose it's always relative. Compared to say, hiking the mid-atlantic during the summer, the humidity isn't much of an issue. The storm threat is, but rarely at 6am ;) Most of the time during the summer I really try to be done by noon, even if it means a 4am start.

Its funny I hate humidity so much, since I'm from that dreaded eastern hell hole you speak of, and I lived in the "Sunshine State" for 4 years. Thats probably why I am so sensitive to it, and despise it. Humidity hasn't been as bad as it is in the east on the Colorado Plateau, but its still less than ideal at times. Don't much care for water either, so I must be in the right place, since natural surface water is virtually unheard of in these parts. Parts being up here, on the plateau.

I'm going to spend my monsoon season in the desert. Hot as hell... But those awsome storm cloud and lightning displays you here about? Come down to the desert to see them ;)

In response to jhodlof:
it's really not that funny.. I don't miss it... as much as I loved Shenandoah I hated hiking it in August humidity wise That being said, I think I need to move further north, then come down and hike AZ in the winter ;)

Humidity in Arizona, for me, is when everyone else is complaining about it. It doesn't bother me, except for having to listen to them complaining about it. We did always have swamp coolers in Tucson. They are pretty ineffective during monsoon!

Funny, when I was visiting my son in the Valley last summer, he said, "No one uses swamp coolers in the Valley." We were driving around Mesa and Tempe neighborhoods while we talked. To try to prove him wrong, I kept pointing them out: "There's one! There's one!" However, window air units were also noticeable on most of those places.

Anyone still use a swamp cooler? Sure is A LOT cheaper on the electric bill than refrigerated air! And you can fix them yourself--they are easy to figure out! I do think they work better in Tucson because it is drier there--no canals, very little irrigated farming. I like them, too, because you are supposed to leave a window open. I sure hate having to have all the windows closed all summer. Yuck.

Up here I don't need a cooling system, but have four different kinds of heating sources in my house! Fireplace, pellet stove, baseboard electric and propane furnace. Plus space heaters!

The only thing worse than people who complain about humidity is the people who complain about the people who complain about humidity. ;)
Besides, I have no AC. When it gets hot and humid I have nowhere to go. I'm on the 3rd floor and my bedroom faces south. When it gets to 90 in my room and its humid it isn't very nice.

Hikergirl81 wrote: I have always been to shy to post a topic, however that night I had a little too much wine and decided to go for it. I REALLY thought I had deleted it but apparently not. I was glad to see the responses and I added my favorite place too! [/color]

You shouldn't be shy to post a thread, or respond to one. Its HAZ, not the UN. Post away, and ramble in them because its more fun and when you post its all about you.

Haha, nothing's more fun than making a thread all about you with a long-winded reply, and then realizing you completely killed it when nobody ever posts on that thread again.

Yeah, been there, done that. I always hope someone more long-winded than myself will reply. I am a good typist and I like to write, so it just goes along very easily for me, and next thing I know I have five long paragraphs! ;)

Typing is a wonderful skill. I love it.

Chiricahuas during a monsoon storm...what a rush!

In response to Hikergirl81:
I want to show you the hike I just did this weekend. Not on the site yet, Upper Salome

Jeff Haflett Jeffspazarizon

azbackpackr wrote:Anyone still use a swamp cooler? Sure is A LOT cheaper on the electric bill than refrigerated air! And you can fix them yourself--they are easy to figure out! I do think they work better in Tucson because it is drier there--no canals, very little irrigated farming. I like them, too, because you are supposed to leave a window open. I sure hate having to have all the windows closed all summer. Yuck.

I've been living in a house with only swamp for the last 10 years in Tucson. Three years ago we bought a window AC for our bedroom, and we didn't even bother putting it in last summer. Our house was built in 1921, before the age of AC, and has excellent cross-ventilation, high ceilings and lots of big trees to shade it. It's amazing how effective the old school techiniques are at keeping us comfortable. It does get a bit sticky in monsoon season, but we just turn the ceiling fans on and drink lots of ice water. Although we're used to it, I do get visitors who complain that our house is miserable. Their bodies just never get a chance to adjust to summer - since they're always in a conditioned environment.

I think it would do amazing things for Arizona if people spent less time in air conditioning. Less electricity (thus less carbon, fewer fossil fuels burned), and also less of this "summer=misery" thought process that permeates. If you aclimate your body, you'd be amazed how much easier it is to cope!

Off my soap box.

On another note - I LOVE hiking in summer monsoon weather in the mountains. As long as I'm in an area where I feel protected from lightening, I really love the sights, sounds and smells of an approaching summer thunderstorm. That's AZ magic at it's best!

Have you seen those guys out on Houghton that make a completely solar swamp cooler? It works pretty well!

No, but I wish I would have a couple years ago.. when I had to replace two units

writelots wrote:I think it would do amazing things for Arizona if people spent less time in air conditioning. Less electricity (thus less carbon, fewer fossil fuels burned), and also less of this "summer=misery" thought process that permeates. If you aclimate your body, you'd be amazed how much easier it is to cope!

Amen!