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| Arizona Canal - Glendale Ave to 32d St, AZ | |
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| | Arizona Canal - Glendale Ave to 32d St, AZ | | | |
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Arizona Canal - Glendale Ave to 32d St, AZ
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Hiking | 5.31 Miles |
293 AEG |
| Hiking | 5.31 Miles | 2 Hrs 57 Mns | | 2.68 mph |
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293 ft AEG | 58 Mns Break | | |
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| no partners | | Walked southeast, or upstream from Glendale Ave. Although the canal cuts through one of the city's most affluent areas from 24th St to 32nd, the canal itself can be pretty much the eyesore. That's because of the deteriorating condition of the concrete walls, particularly as you approach 32nd. And to make matters worse, SRP is draining the canal for its annual clean-up. Almost no water today in front of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, "The Jewel of the Desert Since 1929."
After crossing under Piestewa Freeway in the big tunnel, I was surprised to come across a thick brushy area on the west. For a quarter-mile or so, it's almost like walking in the wilds. Lots of palo verde, mesquite, buckhorn, creosote, prickly pear, etc. That mixed in with a few nice homes and visible swimming pools. Not much privacy. I prefer to walk unnoticed.
You know you're entering a new world as you approach 24th and look up to see the Wrigley Mansion. Around the Biltmore Hotel, you overhear conversations not normally heard on the trail. "I think," said one man on a mobile phone, "it'll come in at about 30 million."
Busiest stretch of the Arizona Canal I've yet to run into with numerous bikers and joggers, the volume increasing around the Biltmore. Only a few walkers.
Waterfowl galore with more variety than I'm used to. Counted 46 Mallards, 12 Ring-Necked Ducks and what I believe were five Common Goldeneye. Not to mention a Double-Crested Cormorant and a Killdeer at canal-side. Also saw a covey of Gambel's quail in the brush and a huge flock of pigeons roosting on the east side of the Piestewa Bridge as sunset approached. Numerous carp, some 3-4 feet long, being forced downstream, I assume, by the draining project. |
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