Amy & I were having breakfast with our friends Keri & Kelley and as we watched it rain we wondered how wet we were going to get today . We had been planning this hike for a while and decided to take a chance and go anyway. As we drove up to Buena Vista from Central, we were stopped at the turnoff for BV Trailhead by a police officer. It turned out that they were filming a car comercial and we could not drive to the trailhead. So now we're really determined. We parked along the road on the way to the radio towers and began hiking back (east) along National Trail to Buena Vista. When we arrived at Buena Vista, we saw the film crew waiting for the weather to clear and trying to keep two beautiful black Chrysler convertibles dry! This is why we couldn't get to the trailhead? Anyway, the hike was spectacular. We've hiked many times on South Mountain but this was the first time we've seen rain. Everything just came to life in the desert and there was NO ONE out on the trails! We got sprinkled on once or twice but nothing significant. Some of the rocks near Fat Man's Pass were a bit slippery but it was a great hike. The views of the valley were nice and clear because of the rain and we could see all the way to Four Peaks. It was our friends first time on the trail and they couldn't believe that they've lived in Phoenix for over 5 years and never ventured up there. It's still one of my favorite urban hikes even though I've done it 20+ times. Every time is different and wonderful.
Route Editor
Route Scout
. We had been planning this hike for a while and decided to take a chance and go anyway. As we drove up to Buena Vista from Central, we were stopped at the turnoff for BV Trailhead by a police officer. It turned out that they were filming a car comercial and we could not drive to the trailhead. So now we're really determined. We parked along the road on the way to the radio towers and began hiking back (east) along National Trail to Buena Vista. When we arrived at Buena Vista, we saw the film crew waiting for the weather to clear and trying to keep two beautiful black Chrysler convertibles dry! This is why we couldn't get to the trailhead? Anyway, the hike was spectacular. We've hiked many times on South Mountain but this was the first time we've seen rain. Everything just came to life in the desert and there was NO ONE out on the trails! We got sprinkled on once or twice but nothing significant. Some of the rocks near Fat Man's Pass were a bit slippery but it was a great hike. The views of the valley were nice and clear because of the rain and we could see all the way to Four Peaks. It was our friends first time on the trail and they couldn't believe that they've lived in Phoenix for over 5 years and never ventured up there. It's still one of my favorite urban hikes even though I've done it 20+ times. Every time is different and wonderful.