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| Hiking | 3.90 Miles |
833 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.90 Miles | 3 Hrs 3 Mns | | 1.98 mph |
| 833 ft AEG | 1 Hour 5 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | | First time to do this loop. Traversed the unexciting Mohave Connector to Squaw Peak Dr, but didn't turn left at the high saddle to do the Mohave Trail. My map said the Connector was the #200A but trail signs show #202. Worst thing about the Connector is having to look down on nearby residences at the back of ritzy Arizona Biltmore Estates. The wildflower season definitely on the decline here, although Buckhorn cholla and small-leaf palo verde are beginning to bloom. Passed only one hiker and saw another along this 1.6 mile stretch. It'll soon be too warm to do this south-facing segment in comfort. Had only warm water in my "camel" and was glad to reach the deadend at Squaw Peak Dr to freshen it, though I had to contend with some honey bees at the fountain outside the toilets. Many of the poppies seen near the saddle of the #8B on March 7 were gone, and the huge poppy fields below the White House were greatly diminished as well. Discovered for myself why the Quartz Ridge Trail (#8A) is so named as I hiked down from the saddle toward the 32nd St TH. About halfway I was startled to see so many white quartz boulders on a slope to the east, having toppled downhill at some long-ago date. A huge boulder, maybe 7-8 feet in diameter rests by the ravine. Usually you see outcroppings of quartz not boulders. Plenty of hikers, young and middle-aged, along this segment. Got back to the parking lot before sunset with few appealing photos to show for such a long time on the trail. |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
Phacelia holding strong in isolated spots. Fiddleneck mostly drying up, but the flowers on bushes, palo verde and cactus are on the increase. The brittlebush is absolutely vibrant yellow right now, and the most beautiful, the magenta-flowered Engelmann hedgehog. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
