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| Hiking | 1.00 Miles |
420 AEG |
| | Hiking | 1.00 Miles | 3 Hrs | | 0.40 mph |
| 420 ft AEG | 30 Mns Break | 5 LBS Pack | | |
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| no linked trail guides |
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| no partners | | I made a goal to get my little twin boys hiking more often, and this was a great trail to start with. My wife and one daughter came along as well. It was a little more than the little guys were ready for, so we took our time. That mostly consisted of me either holding two toddlers' hands or holding one boy and the hand of the other. We all had a terrific time.
We found the trailhead shoulder parking area unoccupied and hit the trail. Temperatures remained in the 70s our entire time out.
The very brief climb on the old access road brought us to the old ridge road following the power lines. The first low cairn is about 75 feet to the right when you reach the ridge, but it had been disassembled, so we rebuilt it on our way out. We found 9mm brass on that ridge road and target and skeet shooting debris along the descent from there to the first stream bed.
From there, the hard of work of Yoder and his wife really starts to shine, with rocks outlining the trail and big, sturdy, beautiful cairns. The trail is very fresh through pristine desert. It provides several opportunities for hikers new to the Sonoran desert to practice giving a wide berth to barrel cactus, saguaros, cholla, and ocotillo. The soil is loose and my toddlers slipped about a hundred times each, After the relatively flat stretch among the saguaros, it was a quick descent to the second stream bed and then a bit of a climb. The steps notched into the slope were super helpful. My boys developed a basic sense of which rocks were secure in the trail and which would not support any weight.
We made it right up to the boulder near the arch and had a snack in the afternoon shade, enjoying the outstanding views. We could see the roof of our vehicle parked along the road half a mile away. After a peek around the back of the butte top to see Weaver's Needle and some extended negotiations over the size of souvenir rocks (pretty big for toddlers) and who would carry them (me), we started our painfully slow way down the trail. The trail is fine, but the toddlers were weary and nervous. 
Among the saguaros on the way down, one of them said to me "I don't like hiking." "You didn't like this hike?" "I didn't." "You didn't. That's alright, there will other hikes you like better."
I expect that after a lot more use, the soil will be compacted more and firm footing will be much better for little ones. In the meantime, for any party with a taller minimum height than ours, this is an awesome trail that quickly gets you into and above the desert.
Amazing job on the trail, Yoder! |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Pale purple wildflowers on simple green stems with a few other grass-like leaves were growing right in the trail, mostly in the Saguaro stretch between stream beds. Most were under 7 inches tall, but some that grew off the trail were up to a foot with a deeper purple petal color.
Three or four Mexican Gold Poppies warmly greeted us as we climbed after crossing the 2nd stream bed. |
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