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| Phoenix Mountain Preserve Eastern Loop, AZ | | -
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| | Phoenix Mountain Preserve Eastern Loop, AZ | | | |
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Phoenix Mountain Preserve Eastern Loop, AZ
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| Hiking | 6.92 Miles |
1,007 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.92 Miles | 2 Hrs 27 Mns | | 2.86 mph |
| 1,007 ft AEG | 2 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Needed to practice some elevation before my hike with Linda on Friday so this seemed to fit the bill and I wouldn't have to get up too early . They laid a layer of black gravel on the turn off from 40th St so had to slow Tonto3 down for a couple miles so as not to chip its paint.
I headed north from the 38th St TH and eventually crossed over the wash to hook up with Trail #100. I do like this area as it's pretty diverse for a city desert hike. There were a few people ahead of me heading east but I would turn south again at the junction and head up LV Yates Trail #8. The tread here is a mixture of somewhat nice and somewhat rocky but a great opportunity to try out another new set of shoes (REI sale and dividends). I passed a couple hikers and then encountered two more on this side of Yates before I made the saddle. The little climb went easier than I expected.
At the saddle I enjoyed the views in both directions before zigzagging south and then east and south again on the old road, now trail toward 36th Street on the south side of the Preserve. I could hear machinery and immediately wondered if they were working on the lot where the old house had been demolished. As I crested the hill, there was indeed work happening including a couple big bucket CATs and smaller tractors so I took some pictures of the actions. Would love to know what's going on.
When I got to the top of the hill I could see they had installed railing that went all the way down to the gated side of 36th St. I hoped they had left a gap to get through and they did so that I could proceed west on Ruth Hamilton #8B. Ran into quite a few hikers here. I snapped some more pictures of the construction. Looks like there's some tall gravel piles but I couldn't really tell if they were making them or using them. There were a couple blooming ocotillo before I made the turn north on Quartz Ridge Trail #8A. This takes you back down to the bottom of the preserve. Like other areas, they laid down that lose rock to help with the trail condition but it's somewhat awkward to hike on. I would see a few more hikers along the way and take notice of some pretty blooming cholla cactus.
After you come out of the wash you start heading west and back on LV Yates #8 which I would take for a bit and slightly south up the hill before crossing over to hook up with the Nature Preserve Trail. I did get a chance to photograph a squirrel, the second of two I would see today (saw only 3 lizards). As I got closer to the junction with the 304 I heard a little one crying as her mom tried to get the blood off the child's knee. I headed north and got to the main Nature Trail #304 where there were a lot of hikers coming back down the hill. Up I went, but it's not too far, until you reach the VOAZ Trail #1B and head north again.
Ahead of me I saw a group of 4 and several of them were stopping a lot to take pictures. I grabbed a picture of a little section of Mammillaria cactus and finally caught the group at the saddle. I asked them where they were from as it was obvious they weren't local based on all the picture taking they were doing. They were from Minnesota and were glad to be here as the area where they were from was enduring a snow storm. The one gal was getting pretty red already so I hope they wouldn't be out too much longer.
In the distance, that one trail that goes up the hill looked really green from the slate rock I think. I took a picture but I don't know if it shows how green it looks. As I headed down to the next saddle on VOAZ I saw another gal taking a lot of photos; they were from Iowa but I think they had been here a while as she was very tan; maybe a golfer.
I always like the VOAZ trail and encountered one more older couple sitting under a tree, the only shade. Along the Perl Charles #1A I looked up to see the Minnesota folks coming down the VOAZ. From here I saw two bike riders and one other hiker as I got to the TH area. I hiked up the green rock trail before heading east and north back to where I started.
I enjoyed the last 1/2 of a Huck Beer and was the second to last vehicle to leave the TH. Nature's fan was working off and on throughout the hike so it didn't get too warm but was a tad humid.
Shoe review: Merrell Siren Edge 3 Hiking Shoes (very cool color: Navy/New Wave). Unlike the Altra Lone Peak 5 Trail-Running Shoes that I had to really loosen the laces, the Merrells I had to tighten them. I liked the feel of the Merrell right away altho I think I might need thicker socks. The Merrell were fine for this trail because they had sturdy soles where the Lone Peaks probably wouldn't have been as good as their sole tread is too light.
WATCH: 6.66 miles (high point 1942, low 1495) avg bpm 132/max 169 with 7.5% at Zone 4 Anaerobic, 44% at Zone 3 aerobic, 47% Zone 2 weight control burning 993 calories. Starting temp 62.5 with 46% humidity (and I felt it  ) finishing at beer time 12:11PM |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Ocotillo blooms. |
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
. They laid a layer of black gravel on the turn off from 40th St so had to slow Tonto3 down for a couple miles so as not to chip its paint.
