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| Hiking | 9.57 Miles |
780 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.57 Miles | 3 Hrs 23 Mns | | 2.83 mph |
| 780 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I had used my only $5 bill to tip the waitress at the Queen Creek Denny’s where I had breakfast. Then I stuck my spare singles in the VFW donation jar. When I arrived at Rock Peak Wash Trailhead, all I had left was a twenty, and I sure as hell was not going to over-pay the $7 fee. But I would pay, because I’m a good boy. 
So, I put $7 of car console change into the parking envelope. But the envelope was too fat for the slot. I reopened the envelope, fed half the coins directly into the slot, dropped the still open envelope in, and was on my way by 8:35 a.m.
I hiked San Tan Mountain Regional Park two months later than in 2020 [ photoset ] , and it paid off in flowers. Not a lot, by any means, but a least some, which keeps my hike videos from being an endless series of trail shots. The first flowers I saw, along Rock Peak Wash Trail, were scorpion weed, which are among Phoenix’s most common flowers, along with brittlebush and creosote.
In 1½ miles on San Tan Trail, on a Wednesday morning, I counted 1 dog walker, 23 hikers and 8 mountain bikers. Busy!
On the Hdgehog Trail saddle, I took a break to swap water. A horse rider rode by. He didn’t seem to be completely in control of his mare, riding it close to the bench. I was leary of getting kicked when he turned around right in front of me. 
At the west end of Hedgehog Trail, there is a bike repair stop. I turned north on San Tan Trail (again) for a ¼ mile, before turning west onto Malpais Trail.
There's no benches anywhere on Malpais Trail. It’s the most hikey hiking in the park. From he first saddle, Malpais Trail descends to a sandy wash at the foot of the two buttes [ photo ] . I passed three friendly horse riders, in much better control of their steeds, admiring the view.
Malpais Trail turns east, still in the sandy wash for another ¾ mile. I got briefly diverted into a side wash. The trail then makes a short climb to the second saddle, with nice views east, along the Malpais Hills, towards Rock Peak.
Malpais Trail turns east, still in the sandy wash for another ¾ mile. I got briefly diverted into a side wash. The trail then makes a short climb to the second saddle, with nice views east, along the Malpais Hills, towards Rock Peak. It was getting pretty toasty — the temp was 85℉ an hour later at the trailhead — so the bit of shade came in handy while I ate lunch and rehydrated with my hiking beer.  
Malpais Trail then descends to a third stretch on San Tan Trail. There is a crested saguaro — maybe two — on the north side of San Tan Trail, though I forgot to look for it. After a ½ mile on Malpais Trail, I turned right back onto Rock Peak Wash Trail for the final stretch. Along the way, I passed a guy pushing his MTB through the deep sand, wondering how much further he had to go. 
Hike Video: https://vimeo.com/690205608 |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Some decent patches of scorpionweed. Scattered tiny lupine. Few ocotillo with old dark flowers. Creosote starting to wilt. One small patch each of Mexican gold poppy & desert marigold. Some brittlebush. A couple of other species. |
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| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
Was able to (very slowly) jog from the top of Hedgehog to the parking lot, just in time to drive to kid's school and 30s after they were released.
. I had Malpais all to myself and only saw 4 mountain bikers and 4 hikers on the other trails. Good Morning on trail.
](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
But it was a great hike, Malpais is tough on the legs, but gave me character, Coming up Goldmine after Dynamite was not what i was thinking about, but my poles and big rocks to rest on let me make it to the saddle. The rest of the hike was downhill and I could see the Flag so that uplifted my spirits, finished on Littleleaf to the trail head.
