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| Dixie Mine-Sonoran-Western Loop, AZ | |
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| | Dixie Mine-Sonoran-Western Loop, AZ | | | |
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Dixie Mine-Sonoran-Western Loop, AZ
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| Hiking | 10.32 Miles |
1,959 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.32 Miles | 4 Hrs 15 Mns | | 2.53 mph |
| 1,959 ft AEG | 10 Mns Break | 24 LBS Pack | | |
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| Partners |
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none
[ show ]
| no partners | | Heather, Linda, and Nora joined me for a ten mile hike in the McDowells. Starting from the parking area at the end of Golden Eagle Blvd, we walked through the gated community, then took Dixie Mine to Sonoran. From there we hiked Sonoran to the boundary of McDowell Mountain Regional Park. From there on (until we returned), we were in the Fountain Hills McDowell Mountain Preserve. We continued on the Upper Sonoran Trail until we got to Promenade. We continued on Promenade to Western Loop, summitted at the overlook and then continued down the other side of the Western Loop Trail. This brought us back to Promenade near where it appears a new trailhead is being built.
We returned via Promenade, Lower Sonoran, Sonoran (in MMRP), and Dixie Mine.
We saw three snakes on our hike. I didn't get a good look at the first one, though I do know that it had white bands/stripes. It was small in size and made it part way down a hole. I'm guessing the hole didn't go very far though.
After that, we think we saw a Mohave Rattlesnake - it had kind of green tinge to it. It definitely looked different than the western diamondbacks that I'm accustomed to seeing. Finally, when we were heading back on the MMRP part of the Sonoran Trail, we saw a coachwhip. Unlike the rattlesnake, it didn't hang around long enough for me to get a photo.
Later in our hike, we saw two other hikers and six mountain bikers.
All of the trails were in good condition and were easy to follow. It appeared that some work had been done on the Western Loop Trail since I had last been there. This trail seemed to be wider and less rocky than I recall it being on earlier hikes. |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
ocotillo, saguaro |
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