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| | | Granite Mountain Loop and Balanced Rock, AZ | | | |
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Granite Mountain Loop and Balanced Rock, AZ
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| Hiking | 7.30 Miles |
528 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.30 Miles | 2 Hrs 41 Mns | | 3.00 mph |
| 528 ft AEG | 15 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Cousin Jaelyn is in town and she's a hiker. In January I took her on the Bulldog Canyon/Blue Ridge Loop in the Goldfields. I tried to think of something more entertaining than just the dry desert. I wanted to do Peralta but I don't think I'm quite up for that yet. So I thought giant boulders and a plusher dry desert would do the trick.
The last time I hiked this loop was just as Covid kicked in, Mar 2020. Jaeylyn, Coulee (a rock eating, people licking 5 month old... puppy) and I started out to do the hike clockwise. Initially I thot we were going the wrong way as the trail swings pretty far north before you come to the intersection to choose which direction you want to take the loop. The big boulders are always fun to pass through as they are almost on the trail. I generally hike the loop clockwise so thought it would be nice to go the opposite.
We would start running into hikers and bikeriders including small groups of them. Well, the star of the show would be Coulee. Everybody loved this cute little puppy and he loved all of them. Jaelyn says it's real hard to tell him to stay close when everyone reaches out to pet him. He is very cute so it's hard for people to resist. And his tail goes many MPH. I think he probably burns more calories wagging that tail than overhiking the trail. Coulee did have to go through some cactus training but I don't think he's quite figured that out yet. Jaelyn has been hiking with him in the San Tans.
We encountered three horseback riders that enjoyed seeing the puppy. We, I mean Coulee, took a water break at the lookout on the northeast side of the loop. Lots of bikeriders were doing the same thing. As we hiked around the mountain I would point out other areas so that Jaelyn could get a sense of the surroundings. We also discussed desert flora and saw only a few lizards, a woodpecker and a squirrel. At one intersection, the lady bikeriders that had stopped for a break decided to have a fun time with Coulee so once again, Coulee obliged. He got his fill of love and we were off again only to have to stop for another bike rider that got half way off his bike to pet Coulee. I was beginning to wish I had a happy face and a waggy tail .
We made the turn south on the west side of the mountain. I was surprised at how much golden grass we were seeing. I just don't recall there being that much grass out here but it has been 3 1/2 years since I was last here. We came to the intersection for Balanced Rock and took that as it's a short detour from the Loop. We hiked around and up by the rock. Here Coulee could have another water break. We were able to get our picture taken as, per their request, Jaelyn took a picture of some bike tourists that Coulee had visited. We probably hung around for about ten minutes before heading back on the trail.
We had a pretty uneventful hike back to the TH. I took a picture of the twins; they are doing well. Jaelyn also spotted another pair on the other side of the trail. This is such a scenic area with all the boulders and saguaros. I missed the turn that takes you north so we ended up on the Powerline Road which is wide and nicely graded now. Despite the powerlines, it is nicely decorated along here with boulders and flora.
It was a very pleasant morning for a hike and I'm glad to have been able to hike with my first cousin 1x removed and catch up with my Hawaii cousin. (FYI they own the Hawaii Hostel in Kona and condo rentals.) We met up with her mom, my cousin Connie at Carlos O'Briens on Mayo Blvd. I haven't eaten at a Carlos O'Briens this century. It is a nice place, even had a HUCKLEBERRY Margarita; however, it needed a little more huckleberry syrup. FYI The shredded beef/grilled veggie quesadilla was outstanding.
WATCH 10:09AM-12:51PM, 6.79 mi, 998 calories, 2580-2958 elevation, 127 avg bpm/163 max. 14% Zone 5 max, 61% Zone 4 anaerobic, 21% Zone 3 aerobic. Starting temp 62.9, sunny and 33% humidity. |
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
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Saw a handful of hikers, a few bikers, and a group of equestrians starting out as I was finishing.
Saddlehorn
Nevertheless, this trail had some some good variety. I have not been on any of these trails before, so it was nice to try something new.
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) The Granite Mountain Loop was the plan but it was an absolute zoo. I've never seen that parking lot so full and on a weekday no less. We have seen a lot of HAZr's posting the trails to the north of the mountain so that's what we did. This loop came up on HAZ's "Auto Route Display" feature and Cathy gave it the thumbs up.
