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| | | SARA Park - Lake Havasu City, AZ | | | |
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SARA Park - Lake Havasu City, AZ
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| Hiking | 6.41 Miles |
1,177 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.41 Miles | 4 Hrs 6 Mns | | 1.84 mph |
| 1,177 ft AEG | 37 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | First hike of the day. Wasn’t sure what to expect since these trails are in a recreation on the edge of Lake Havasu City. Met up with my friend, Eric, and his pup, Jacy, and we got started just before 0730.
Headed out on Crack in the Mountain Trail (yellow trail) and followed it down a wash. Easy hiking at first, then we got to the crack, where the wash narrows into a slot canyon. Some easy scrambling through this section, which was fun. One spot had a slide of more than 10’. There was a rope, which helped control the slide down, but that rock was very smooth, so I’m glad our planned route did not include trying to get back up this trail, which would have been impossible with a dog. Another spot had a metal “bridge” crossing a pothole which seems to hold water. After that, the wash widened back out, then just before reaching the lake, we climbed up the right bank of the wash and followed that down to the shore.
Got some pics of the water, then headed up the Blue Climb Trail (blue trail) which mostly stays on ridgetops, and roughly parallels above the Crack trail, making for a good loop option. Nice views. At one spot, we could see a trail climbing the mountain to the north of us. A quick glance at the map confirmed this unsigned trail would tie into Lizard Peak, which we were planning to hit on our way back to the trailhead, so we jumped onto this trail, which was marked as 4462 on a map.
4462 was a lot of fun. It climbed up the mountain through some neat geology, including past some windows. I think it was a better choice than staying on the blue trail. Once it tied back into Lizard Peak Trail (purple trail) it climbed up to the summit, which had a picnic table up top. Great views in all directions.
The trail off the north side of Lizard Peak was somewhat vague, with at least three routes coming off that side. Luckily, you can see a trail sign at the saddle below, so we just picked a path and headed down to the saddle. Very steep, with slippery gravel, but we made it. At the saddle, the trail becomes more defined, and we headed downhill. Once spot has a steep scramble, with two ledges, each about 5-6’. The hikers in front of us were scared to death, but they made it. Hand and footholds were minimal, so I’d just sit on the edge, scoot as far as I could, then drop down. Not too bad, ascending would have been more of a pain. After I got down each ledge, I’d grab the dog and lower her down while Eric made his way off each ledge. Below that, we made a side trip over to a giant rock lizard, and then headed to the now packed trailhead.
Nice hike, and there’s a lot more to explore of both the marked and unmarked SARA trails, definitely worthy of a day of hiking. Wear shoes with good grip. |
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| Stop crying and just go do the hike. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
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On the return trip stayed in the wash for most of it, but took one of many side trails out to avoid going up the slot. Saw quite a chipmunks and the ducks but no other wildlife. Fantastic afternoon with the wife!
