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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 
That was a first for me. I've seen lines for gates that haven't open, but this line was 15 deep and creeping forward. When I passed through the gate the park attendant asked that I parked "every other spot". Social distancing for cars 
Weather was beautiful! Decent mixture of people out and about... 45 hikers, 24 bikers and 14 trail runners! No ildlife though.
](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
