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| Hiking | 9.50 Miles |
2,405 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.50 Miles | 4 Hrs 17 Mns | | 2.22 mph |
| 2,405 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Beautiful hike with the intent to observe Bighorn sheep on the SE side of the mountain above the river. Started at 7AM, close to sunrise for a better chance to see sheep. The trail itself, up and slightly past Inspiration Point was steep enough to deter me from venturing down some of the drainages. I glassed the hillsides but did not see any sheep. Instead, I decided to stop and watch birds for a while, which the hills were crawling with. Saw Northern cardinal (including what looked like a juvenile), Raven, Black-tailed gnatcatcher, Rock wren, Cactus wren, Western meadowlark, Black throated sparrow, Gambel's quail, and Mourning dove.
The trail itself offers splendid views on Roosevelt Lake, Four Peaks and many other mountains. Vineyard Trailhead, right off the highway starts in a somewhat rugged landscape with tons of cacti, including Saguaros. It then leads into prairie looking landscapes with a lot of tall grasses. A short pass through landslides of rocks and Saguaros, and transitions back to prairies with some flowers, where I surprised two whitetails. Overall, the landscape was very green, which I did not expect. I ended up hiking all the way to road 336 and the guzzler tank, which was full of water. On the way back, I met about 40 kids on a school trip. Back at the truck, it was hot and sunny, and time for a cold beverage. |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
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