Hog Heaven Loop - McDowell Mountains • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 06 2024
		Nightstalker • Triplogs 1,740

Hiking	4.52 Miles	1,543 AEG

Hiking	4.52 Miles	4 Hrs 14 Mns		1.38 mph
	1,543 ft AEG	57 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Hike with the Harem this morning, Dan, Carey, Christina, Pammy, and Yolanda. 37 degree start, very cold! Trail was signed and easy to follow at the bottom. Difficult to find/follow above Hog Heaven.

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2 archives

Feb 21 2022

Oregon_Hiker

Guides 9
Routes 473
Photos 8,433
Triplogs 626

79 male

Joined Dec 07 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Hog Heaven Climbers Access Trail - MSP, AZ

Hiking		Feb 21 2022
		Oregon_Hiker • Triplogs 626

Hiking	2.80 Miles	624 AEG

Hiking	2.80 Miles	2 Hrs 37 Mns	1.17 mph
	624 ft AEG	14 Mns Break

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A short afternoon hike with my Grandson to explore one of the climber's access trails out of the Tom's Thumb Trailhead in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. This less travelled trail takes you through a particularly scenic area of the McDowell Mountains passing several rock climber destinations including Morrell's Parking, Girlie Man and Sven Tower III on its way to Hog Heaven. We turned around about a half mile short of Hog Heaven. Based on others' triplogs, that final section of the trail up to HH is steep requiring some scrambling through brush and over boulders which I had neither the time or inclination to do on this day. See the official route in the linked Hog Heaven Loop hike description for details on going beyond where we stopped.

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Jan 09 2022

Guides 2
Routes 251
Photos 4,593
Triplogs 3,212

63 male

Joined Feb 26 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 09 2022
		BobP • Triplogs 3,212

Hiking	7.60 Miles	2,724 AEG

Hiking	7.60 Miles
	2,724 ft AEG

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6 linked trail guides

The Lookout from Tom's Thumb North

Lookout Trail - MSP

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no partners

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https://www.seeitourway.org
Always pronounce Egeszsegedre properly......
If you like this triplog you must be a friend of BrunoP

1 archive

Jan 08 2022

Guides 2
Routes 251
Photos 4,593
Triplogs 3,212

63 male

Joined Feb 26 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 08 2022
		BobP • Triplogs 3,212

Hiking	4.01 Miles	1,477 AEG

Hiking	4.01 Miles
	1,477 ft AEG

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none

no linked trail guides

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none

no partners

_____________________

https://www.seeitourway.org
Always pronounce Egeszsegedre properly......
If you like this triplog you must be a friend of BrunoP

Jan 06 2022

Guides 2
Routes 251
Photos 4,593
Triplogs 3,212

63 male

Joined Feb 26 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 06 2022
		BobP • Triplogs 3,212

Hiking	4.20 Miles	1,621 AEG

Hiking	4.20 Miles
	1,621 ft AEG

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none

no linked trail guides

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none

no partners

_____________________

https://www.seeitourway.org
Always pronounce Egeszsegedre properly......
If you like this triplog you must be a friend of BrunoP

Jan 02 2022

Nightstalker

Routes 189
Photos 7,236
Triplogs 1,740

57 male

Joined Apr 25 2011
Goodyear, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 02 2022
		Nightstalker • Triplogs 1,740

Hiking	5.00 Miles	1,762 AEG

Hiking	5.00 Miles	4 Hrs 23 Mns		2.10 mph
	1,762 ft AEG	2 Hrs Break	13 LBS Pack

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partners

Gallydoll

SCA

Starting the year off right with a harem hike on Hog Heaven. Crippling cold temps to start the hike this morning from Tom's Thumb trailhead. More grass and catclaw than I remember from past hikes. Saw three other hikers at East End summit. Great way to begin 2022!

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

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Jan 01 2022

Guides 2
Routes 251
Photos 4,593
Triplogs 3,212

63 male

Joined Feb 26 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 01 2022
		BobP • Triplogs 3,212

Hiking	7.19 Miles	2,554 AEG

Hiking	7.19 Miles
	2,554 ft AEG

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linked

Lookout Trail - MSP

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no partners

I decided I'm gonna hike more this year. On and off trail. I hit peak 3,949 for the first time dodging the cholla gatekeepers. First time on Lookout in forever. Didn't see anyone on the trip to East End Peak. Then saw a few people on East End trail. Then the hoards from Tom's back to the trailhead. I had 3 layers on at times and was still cold. Happy New Year!

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https://www.seeitourway.org
Always pronounce Egeszsegedre properly......
If you like this triplog you must be a friend of BrunoP

Dec 27 2021

Vashti

Guides 17
Routes 297
Photos 1,808
Triplogs 276

female

Joined Mar 11 2002
Gilbert, AZ

Lost Wall Loop - McDowell Mountains

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 27 2021
		Vashti • Triplogs 276

Hiking	5.15 Miles	1,862 AEG

Hiking	5.15 Miles	4 Hrs 7 Mns	1.38 mph
	1,862 ft AEG	23 Mns Break

no photosets

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Sfishman

I love the hog heaven/lost wall loop. 8 million people on the Tom's thumb trail, and we saw no one on the hog heaven trail. None. Glorious!! Saw quite a few people between the end of hog heaven on the tom thumb trail until the start of the lost wall trail. We saw a whopping 2 people on that trail (with two medium sized dogs - impressive! Not the trail I would recommend for dogs!). An excellent hike despite murky, cold, windy weather. I was missing my hat which I sadly misplaced somewhere.

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Dec 26 2021

mikemcg

Guides 2
Routes 127
Photos 1,478
Triplogs 129

male

Joined May 07 2019
Tempe, AZ

Hog Heaven Loop and Toms Thumb, AZ

Hiking		Dec 26 2021
		mikemcg • Triplogs 129

Hiking	6.02 Miles	1,865 AEG

Hiking	6.02 Miles	5 Hrs 31 Mns	1.41 mph
	1,865 ft AEG	1 Hour 15 Mns Break

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

We wanted to do something new, different, and moderately challenging post-Christmas, but not too far from home, so we chose the Hog Heaven Loop. The sun was out when we started, but there were also a number of gray cumulonimbus clouds, creating a moody sky. In the first half mile, we passed several groups. Just past the half mile point, I took a wrong turn at a wash and became entangled in catclaw, which took some time for safe extrication. We observed some climbers up on the Girlie Man slab. Those were the last people we saw for a long while. The Hog Heaven Loop proved more challenging than expected with route finding. Multiple times we ended up on a "trail" that cliffed out or dead-ended at manzanita or a rock wall. There were numerous beautiful views, some slippery spots (the day after a rain) and some fun rockhopping on the ridgeline. For most of the ascent, I was carrying a 24 ounce beverage that I did not drop nor spill. Eventually we reached the peak, and saw literally over a hundred people down on the Tom's Thumb trail. We made our way down to the saddle, then took a detour over to Tom's Thumb, then checked out the cave behind Tom's Thumb, then returned to the parking lot via the Tom's thumb trail. If we had known about the Lost Wall Trail, then we would've taken that back to the parking lot.

This was a lot of fun, and we definitely enjoyed it. We'll absolutely do this one again!

4 archives

Dec 23 2021

JuanJaimeiii

Routes 596
Photos 9,604
Triplogs 2,400

58 male

Joined Jan 30 2011
Chandler, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 23 2021
		JuanJaimeiii • Triplogs 2,400

Hiking	7.50 Miles	2,710 AEG

Hiking	7.50 Miles	3 Hrs 34 Mns	2.10 mph
	2,710 ft AEG

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BobP

Had to do some work on the Scottsdale Restaurant so I sent Bobby Rocket Feet a message to see if he wanted to do something in the McDowell's. Luckily my timing was good and he introduced me to a new trail/route that I had never done. Super great views and fun scrambling up the rocks. After that we went down the East End Trail and back up. Good times!

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Dec 23 2021

Guides 2
Routes 251
Photos 4,593
Triplogs 3,212

63 male

Joined Feb 26 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 23 2021
		BobP • Triplogs 3,212

Hiking	6.40 Miles	2,356 AEG

Hiking	6.40 Miles
	2,356 ft AEG

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no linked trail guides

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partners

JuanJaimeiii

I got a text from JJ who said he'd be in Scottsdale shortly and if I wanted to hike. Heck yeah. At the TH, I asked if he was ever in Hog heaven and it was on. This time, I followed the trail for 95% of the time. After we hit the East End summit, we climbed around the rocks below the saddle. Threaded the needle and sat on top of the lower peak . Then down the east end trail and back up. JJ went to the trail junction while I sat down nursing a slight injury from a week ago. 3 days in a row on this route and 3 different routes(all fun). Good to catch up with JJ.

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https://www.seeitourway.org
Always pronounce Egeszsegedre properly......
If you like this triplog you must be a friend of BrunoP

Dec 22 2021

Guides 2
Routes 251
Photos 4,593
Triplogs 3,212

63 male

Joined Feb 26 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 22 2021
		BobP • Triplogs 3,212

Hiking	3.65 Miles	1,424 AEG

Hiking	3.65 Miles	1 Hour 39 Mns	2.21 mph
	1,424 ft AEG

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

A variation of yesterdays hike. The first 1.3 miles were the same. At 1.3 miles, I took the ridgeline straight up. You gain about 750 ft in about .4 of a mile. Pretty steep. A few prickily and pokey plants but not too harsh. I saw 2 sets of climbers near the start and no hikers until close to the summit. This route as about a half of mile shorter than yesterday.

_____________________

https://www.seeitourway.org
Always pronounce Egeszsegedre properly......
If you like this triplog you must be a friend of BrunoP

Dec 21 2021

Guides 2
Routes 251
Photos 4,593
Triplogs 3,212

63 male

Joined Feb 26 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 21 2021
		BobP • Triplogs 3,212

Hiking	4.17 Miles	1,532 AEG

Hiking	4.17 Miles
	1,532 ft AEG

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Thanks to @Nate_F . I never knew about this route until yesterday

. Shame on me. Yesterday, I did an off trail route from East End up to Peak 3,890 and then along the ridge down to the trail. First time to East End from this side. Easy route most of the way until I got off route. There was one spot that reminded me of the ML. I was off route (I think) and climbed something I wouldn't have wanted to descend if needed. About a 20 ft 4th class climb which may have been a slide down

. Great views and once again ML was taunting. Maybe soon

_____________________

https://www.seeitourway.org
Always pronounce Egeszsegedre properly......
If you like this triplog you must be a friend of BrunoP

Dec 21 2021

Nate_F

Routes 215
Photos 1,337
Triplogs 124

53 male

Joined May 26 2017
Phoenix, AZ

Marcus Landslide Trail - MSP

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 21 2021
		Nate_F • Triplogs 124

Hiking	5.64 Miles	2,054 AEG

Hiking	5.64 Miles	3 Hrs 49 Mns	1.77 mph
	2,054 ft AEG	38 Mns Break

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Great morning to be out in the McDowell Preserve, so I decided to do the challenging Hog Heaven Loop again. This time I completed the loop by going around Tom and and down the Lost Wall Loop. The temperature and clouds really helped; last time I did it in the summer. Surprised to meet another hiker by the thumbnail and saw him again at East End. Ran into another hiker coming down from the ridgeline past the lost wall. Great hike I loved it!

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Jul 03 2021

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Micky D Meander, AZ

Hiking		Jul 03 2021
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	10.82 Miles	2,238 AEG

Hiking	10.82 Miles	5 Hrs 4 Mns		2.33 mph
	2,238 ft AEG	25 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

Linked

9 linked trail guides

Feldspar Trail - MSP

Windmill Trail - MSP

Coachwhip Trail - MMRP

Pemberton Trail - MMRP

Boulder Trail - MMRP

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

A 6:30 start in the 80's and humid. Hog Heaven is an enjoyable trail with some good views of the surrounding area. I'd forgotten how steep it gets with some Class 2. I took a few breaks on the way up and was lucky to have some cloud cover and a breeze most of the way up. Heading down to the Toms Thumb trail, the trail gets a bit steep and slippery in spots.

Headed down East End, I passed up my first couple hikers of the day. Making the turn on Windmill and the Coachwhip, it started heating up. At the intersection of Coachwhip and Pemberton, there has been a shelter w/ table added since the last time I was through here. It's complete with all the tools a MTB'er would need including an air pump. It's also set up with solar Christmas lights.

On Pemberton, I passed my only MTB'er on the day. With a mile to go, no breeze and no clouds, I was ready for it to be over

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

Mar 28 2021

KingLeonidas

Guides 33
Routes 286
Photos 445
Triplogs 251

35 male

Joined Oct 23 2017
Tempe

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 28 2021
		KingLeonidas • Triplogs 251

Hiking	4.38 Miles	1,712 AEG

Hiking	4.38 Miles	3 Hrs 15 Mns		1.47 mph
	1,712 ft AEG	16 Mns Break	8 LBS Pack

no photosets

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Hiked most of Hog Heaven Loop with Victoria and a couple friends.

We were looking for a new challenging trail to try out in the McDowell Mountains and with the climbing gyms starting to open back up we figured this was a good choice as it afforded the opportunity to scope out some outdoor rout locations at the same time. This trail definitely fit the bill.

It ran right past one route where we could see people climbing and we were able to spot several other access trails (most of which were marked with signs) so there is definitely some potential here.

The trail itself was fairly challenging. It was very steep and slippery with small rocks/sand. The trail tended to go around the edges of the mountains so a lot of the time you were traversing. The descending sections on this sort of terrain were uniquely challenging. Several members of the party opted to descend in a sitting position one of whom suffered from a case of "cactus butt" as a result. There were also quite a few sections of rock hopping over washed out areas or chasms (although these fortunately were short hops).

Navigation is definitely a challenge here even with a GPS. The trail is very faint in sections and although there are cairns these tend to be no more than 2 rocks and are less than obvious. There are also a lot of social trails that lead to nowhere and can be misleading. We got held up for ~10 minutes while I tried and failed twice to find the correct path forward (if you are stuck at a cave the trail goes right past the mouth).

After completing the 2/3 of the route and having made it to the intersection with the Tom's Thumbe summit trail we opted to descend by the route more traveled as we had already been out much longer than we had been expecting.

This was a very secluded and remote trail that was also very challenging. I don't think we would do it again a hike but we might use it to get to some climbing routes.

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Feb 26 2021

DixieFlyer

Guides 99
Routes 1,484
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,374

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Toms Thumb Super Duper Loop, AZ

Hiking		Feb 26 2021
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	12.00 Miles	3,730 AEG

Hiking	12.00 Miles	6 Hrs 39 Mns	2.35 mph
	3,730 ft AEG	1 Hour 32 Mns Break

Linked

9 linked trail guides

McDowell Mountains / Hog Heaven

Feldspar Trail - MSP

The Lookout from Tom's Thumb North

Windgate Pass Trail - MSP

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I decided to make my once-a-year appearance at the Toms Thumb TH and do this figure 8 loop, which is a combination of the Hog Heaven Loop and the Toms Thumb-Wingate-East End Loop.

I started out by heading up to the HangnailThumbnail, which is on the ridgeline south of East End Peak. This is steep and a bit slippery climb, with some class 2 and class 3 climbing that is ever-so-slightly exposed in a couple of places. I got a good workout on this portion of the hike, and then did some class 2 hiking over to East End Peak. It's always nice to be on the highpoint of the McDowells.

The descent from East End down to the Tom's Thumb Trail is steep and slippery on loose dirt and pea gravel, but I took my time and made it down with no problem.

I did not go to Toms Thumb, but I did make a sidetrip to The Lookout, which has some nice views of the McDowells.

Once I got back on the Toms Thumb Trail, I made the steep descent on mostly rocky terrain to the Windgate Pass Trail. This was my least favorite part of the hike, due to the rocky terrain. Going up to Windgate Pass was uneventful, then it was on to the steep uphill climb on the East End Trail back to the Toms Thumb Trail. You'll get a good workout on this portion of the hike.

Once back on the Toms Thumb Trail, it was uphill for a bit, and then downhill back to the TH.

Not surprisingly, there were quite a few people out in the afternoon going back down to the TH once I got back on the Toms Thumb Trail. I did not see anyone on the hike until I descended from East End and got to the Toms Thumb Trail.

It was a nice day for a hike, although the full sun was not too welcome on the climb up on the East End Trail. Thankfully the temperature was not too hot and there was a bit of a breeze.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Barrel Cactus - Compass Barrel

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Basalt Granite Quartz

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Reference Mark

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] East End Tom's Thumb

Wildflowers Observation None
There are no wildflowers yet...hopefully there will be some in the coming weeks

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Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there

Dec 13 2020

Bctorio

Triplogs 2

62 male

Joined Nov 29 2015
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 13 2020
		Bctorio • Triplogs 2

Hiking	4.89 Miles	1,489 AEG

Hiking	4.89 Miles	2 Hrs 53 Mns	1.97 mph
	1,489 ft AEG	24 Mns Break

no photosets

Linked

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no linked trail guides

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none

no partners

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

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Feb 05 2020

DixieFlyer

Guides 99
Routes 1,484
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,374

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Hog - Thumb - Windgate - East Loop, AZ

Hiking		Feb 05 2020
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	12.00 Miles	4,137 AEG

Hiking	12.00 Miles	6 Hrs 22 Mns	2.28 mph
	4,137 ft AEG	1 Hour 6 Mns Break

Linked

9 linked trail guides

Feldspar Trail - MSP

The Lookout from Tom's Thumb North

Lookout Trail - MSP

Windgate Pass Trail - MSP

[ checklist ] East End Fort McDowell Indian Reservation Fountain Lake The Flatiron Thompson Peak Tom's Thumb Weavers Needle

Partners

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I was looking for a hike close to home, and was wanting something different than going to the Lost Dog Wash TH; so I decided to head out to the Tom's Thumb TH. It has been a little over a year since I had been there, so I was overdue. I decided to do a Figure-8 loop that was a combination of the Hog Heaven Loop and a loop that utilized the Tom's Thumb/Windgate Pass/East End Trails. For good measure, I added an out-and-back hike to the Tom's Thumb Lookout.

I began the hike by doing the Hog Heaven Loop CW. This was my favorite part of the hike -- it was a steep and sometimes slippery climb up to the HangnailThumbnail Rock Formation. There was a fair amount of rock climbing and scrambling on this portion of the hike -- more than I remembered from previous times doing it. I then went over to East End -- the high point in the McDowells -- and hung out for a while. Then I descended down to the Tom's Thumb Trail, and did the Tom's Thumb-Windgate Pass-East End Loop CCW. The descent from the Tom's Thumb Trail down to the Windgate Pass Trail was my least favorite part of the hike -- it was fairly rocky and a bit steep, and did not offer much redeeming value imho. The trek up the East End Trail was as tough as ever!

The weather was good for this hike -- it was a tad cloudy in the morning but sunny in the afternoon. It was 38 degrees when I started a little after 9:00 AM, and was 49 when I got back to the TH.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Chuparosa Ocotillo

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Goethite

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Reference Mark Solar Power Summit Register Log

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

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Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there

Aug 25 2019

Crzy4AZ

Guides 31
Routes 135
Photos 2,699
Triplogs 615

52 female

Joined Apr 02 2007
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Aug 25 2019
		Crzy4AZ • Triplogs 615

Hiking	2.00 Miles	432 AEG

Hiking	2.00 Miles	1 Hour 12 Mns	1.82 mph
	432 ft AEG	6 Mns Break

no photosets

Linked

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