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| Hiking | 5.94 Miles |
1,502 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.94 Miles | 2 Hrs 54 Mns | | 2.05 mph |
| 1,502 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | It’s been almost 9 years since I last visited this section of the Stoney Ridgeline, which is a shame because this is a fun area to hike in.
Got to the Dreamy Draw TH around 5am with plenty of light to start the hike. I was focusing on the SW portion of the Stoney Mtn Ridgeline which is often neglected by those doing this trail. Honestly, I’ve never done the entire ridgeline in one hike, choosing either to the north section or the SW section. The north section is a bit more rugged with fainter trails. On the south side the ridge trail, though rugged, is much better defined with a slew of trails feeding off it. I hiked out on the Christiansen and took the first use trail that headed west. It’s been awhile so I wanted to re-explore this area. Started off by following the flat trail that stayed between the 51 and the foothills to the north. This brought me to the homes and apartments adjacent to Northern. There was a sign there saying “Entering Phoenix Preserve” and “Stay on designated trails.” I thought that was kind of ironic since I’m pretty sure there are no signed designated trails in the area. Though there are plenty of obvious use trails. Speaking of which, I followed 1 of 2 use trails that went in to the foothills. Several intersections later I was at the base of the SW Stoney Mtn Ridgeline. At the base, there were options. I decided to go up the east trail and hit the tallest peak first. Disappointed. It was only 900 ft to reach the top. It felt like more. Took some pictures and enjoyed the views. Noticed quite a few trails (at the bottom) on the NW side of ridge.
I then continued west and hit the next two lower peaks. The trail was easy to follow and not as bad as you might think going along the ridge. The lowest of the peaks was a little bit of a scramble to get to the top. It’s a little over .5 miles to do this section of the ridge. Descended down the west side and connected to a use trail that went north-south. I took the south option and went along the base of the mountains. Heading back towards the Christiansen there were quite a few trails that splintered off, but I hung to the NW which brought me to trail that went along the fence to one of the mansions on the hill. Once back on the Christiansen, I took that back to the TH.
Nice hike. A lot of use trails to enjoy. Temps were great to start the day. Enjoy them while you can. I followed one trail runner going up the tall peak. Hats off to the guy. Not sure where he went. I didn’t see any other trails feeding off of that trail, but he wasn’t at the top when I got there. I did encounter 1 other hiker at the top and saw a handful of hikers on the trails around me. Not much wildlife except for a few rabbits. |
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Route Editor
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