HikeArizona.COM

My husband and I will be at my folks vacationing in Florence, AZ over Christmas for a week. Looking for suggestions for nice hikes in the area. We are from the Calgary, Alberta Canada area and are experienced hikers, who aren't afraid of elevation gain and snow
Looking for hikes in the Phoenix/Tuscon area
So far have come up with Rincon Peak, King Canyon, Pima Canyon, Ventana Canyon.
Any other suggestions or 'must sees' while we are in the area are also appreciated........this will be our first visit to Arizona!

Cheers!

In response to rapptor racing's reply: You just can't go wrong with any trek into the superstitions

Where you staying in Florence there is only 1 motel ?

In response to Nighthiker's reply:

My parents are 'snowbirds' and have a house in Florence............figured it would be a nice (hopefully warm!) place to visit over Christmas!

In response to wetbeaverlover's reply:

What/where are the Superstitions?

The Superstition Mountains are a large volcanic "plug" range extending from the town of Apache Junction near Phoenix eastward to nearly Globe.
The western section will be warmer and dry due to lower elevations but the eastern side is usually cooler. This allows for year round options for dayhikes or overnighters. There are literally hundreds of miles of quality trails, may you find yourself spending days or weeks involved in loop hikes, side explorations and general sniffin' around.
there is a questionable legend involving a lost goldmine named after a German immigrant mistakingly known as the "Dutchman". However I tend to believe that because of the origin of the landscape, no such gold deposits could actually exist. Still, folks risk their health, jobs and marriages to search for treasure. Pick up a copy of "the hikers guide to the superstition wilderness" found in most valley bookstores. A must have!

some of my favorite hikes, and less travelled as well-
Boulder trail to LaBarge canyon
Rogers Canyon to the 700 yr old Salado? ruins
Haunted canyon to an old cabin/ranch
First and Second water area/loops
and of course, Reavis Ranch where you might find "organic" apples in the orchards later in the spring.
Several of these hikes have reliable water.

Hang in there, you'll get responses from the experts- I have only scratched the surface of this magnificient area!

In response to mikeinFHAZ's reply:

I concur that the Superstitions are the place to be this time of year.
And also ditto the Hikers' Guide to the Superstition Wilderness recommendation. It has topo maps, photos and historical data - I'd call it the "Bible" of trekking in the Sup's.
Have fun and be safe.
link

Here is a decent overview trail map of the Superstition Wilderness (click on a trail number or trailhead to pull up a brief description) >> Link

I'll be the third to recommend the Superstitions. I went backpacking to Charlebois Spring this weekend, leaving from Peralta trailhead. That is probably the most popular trailhead in the Supe's. On the way home, I drove to Florence to get to my girlfriend's house in Queen Creek. I would say it took only 25 minutes or so to get to Florence from the Peralta trailhead. That's much closer than the hikes near Tucson you are considering. I've done some great hikes in Tucson, but I'd pick the Superstitions anyday.

Whatever you choose, have a great time and an awesome stay here in Arizona!

I concur with everyones comments as well. This time of the year you definitely can't go wrong with a Superstitions hike. Especially it being such a short drive from Florence. There are so many option for great hikes out there, I've never heard of anyone not liking a one.

Have a great time and let us know where you ended up exploring.

Thanks for the information..........a shorter drive is always nice. The map link is great. I'll let you know when I get back early January where we managed to explore. We are hoping to get out for 2 or 3 hikes, we will only be there 5 days, and of course have to allow time for relaxing as well!

Cheers!
Steph

I'll be a nonconformist and suggest something different from the Supes.
It's about 35 miles from Florence to Picacho Peak State Park for a fun and challenging hike up Hunter's Trail. One of my favorites!

Gotta go with the general consensus and vote on the Supes! Another hike to consider that is not far from Florence is Picketpost Mountain which is right near the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. I'd also recommend spending a non-hiking day at the Arboretum.......it's a gem of place.

:mrgreen:

Trishness wrote:Gotta go with the general consensus and vote on the Supes! Another hike to consider that is not far from Florence is Picketpost Mountain which is right near the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. I'd also recommend spending a non-hiking day at the Arboretum.......it's a gem of place.

:mrgreen:

Yep - both great places.
AND... if near Tucson, the Sonoran Desert Museum, as well...
Link to SDM > http://www.desertmuseum.org/

We had a great time in Arizona. The weather was great and we were suprised at how friendly everyone was.......even in the big cities!

We went for a hike up Peralta trail to Weavers needle and decided to come down a lesser traveled and not well marked Cave trail. This challenged our route finding skills, but we followed the ridge and eventually hooked up at the bottom end of Bluff Springs (I think that was the name) trail. This was alot of fun, climbing on the rocks and being up in the rocks and cliffs rather than walking below them.

We spent the next day at the Sonoran-Desert Museum, that was very good, really like the Raptor Free flight demo.

Wedensday we hiked up FingerRock Canyon to the top of Mt Kimball. That was a beautiful hike, the views were incredible and the trail was alot of fun....and just the right degree of steepness to be challenging but not leave us panting too much at the top! Next time I would like to do it as a loop down Pima canyon.

We also went for a drive and short walk through Box Canyon just East of Florence. Box Canyon was really neat.........we were wishing we brought the quad with us!
There was also a swap meet/Flea market we went to, just outside of Phoenix.....I think it was called something Mesa. That was really neat and lots of good bargains

We still allowed time for relaxing at the pool and looking at Christmas lights and enjoying the desert around Florence. Enjoyed eating the fruits of a Barrell Cactus and all the fresh lemons and oranges.

In summary, we had a great time for our first visit to Arizona.......too short but we will definately come back for more adventures!

Drop me a line if anyone ever needs advice about hiking and things to do in the Calgary, Alberta Canada area!

Happy New Year.
Steph