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Bluff Trail - MMRP - 3 members in 28 triplogs have rated this an average 2 ( 1 to 5 best )
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28 triplogs
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Mar 12 2025
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 Guides 116
 Routes 337
 Photos 11,399
 Triplogs 894

63 male
 Joined Dec 20 2010
 Sunnyslope, PHX
Tortoise Trail - MMRPPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Mar 12 2025
kingsnakeTriplogs 894
Hiking7.46 Miles 470 AEG
Hiking7.46 Miles   2 Hrs   29 Mns   3.00 mph
470 ft AEG
 no routes
1st trip
Wife & I left home at 6:00 a.m. to avoid rush hour. Then, to kill time before dawn, I had a chicken-fried steak Grand Slam breakfast at Denny's in Fountain Hills. Many folks eat but don't exercise, some eat to exercise: I exercise to eat.

My plan was to hike a 7.0 mile loop -- a lasso if you count the first 250 feet -- of Tortoise, Wagner, Granite, Bluff, Stoneman Wash, and Pemberton Trails. It was drizzling as we arrived, but soon stopped. With an inch of rain the previous few days, I was hoping for flowers.

Tortoise Trail disabused me of that notion.

Wagner Trail had one brick red & darkening ocotillo. Scarey sign warning passers by not to wander near the maintenance yard, lest they get slapped with a class 2 misdemeanor.

Granite Trail had a small grotto of granite boulders. There’s a decrepit spring box next to the boulders. No flowers, but the clouds broke up enough I could see the mountains.

Bluff Trail would be a zippy downhill the direction I hiked it, away from the mountains.

Stoneman difficult, presumably for being sandy. Walking it was no problem. There’s guide posts, but it’s more a case of choose your own adventure. I’m glad I did. First, I found a nice cluster of penstemon. Further down, some beautiful saguaro.

When I arrived back at the Shallmo trailhead at noon, I was looking forward to a restorative ☘️ shake at Mickey D’s. Instead, my wife informed me that my SUV’s battery was dead. What a disaster. Suffice to say AI “customer service” is an abomination, and the bean counters who implement it deserve eternal fiery torture in the deepest pits of Gehenna.

Rumble Video: https://rumble.com/v6qqlea-hiking-mcdow ... -park.html
Vimeo Video: https://vimeo.com/1066364353
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  East End  Troon Mountain
 Meteorology
 Meteorology [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Fire Burn Area & Recovery
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Isolated
One cluster of hackberry beardtongue.
_____________________
http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored.
 
Oct 25 2023
avatar

 Routes 189
 Photos 7,236
 Triplogs 1,740

57 male
 Joined Apr 25 2011
 Goodyear, AZ
MMRP Angry Coyote Loop, AZ 
MMRP Angry Coyote Loop, AZ
 
Mtn Biking avatar Oct 25 2023
NightstalkerTriplogs 1,740
Mtn Biking28.60 Miles 1,753 AEG
Mtn Biking28.60 Miles   2 Hrs   35 Mns   11.52 mph
1,753 ft AEG      6 Mns Break10 LBS Pack
 
1st trip
I've been dying to take the gravel bike out to MMRP for a spin. Didn't want to brave the weekday cross town traffic, but the parks has events scheduled for the next few weekends, so today is the day! Did the Angry Coyote Loop (Cinch, Scenic, Pemberton, Escondido, Verde, Pemberton, Delsie, Bluff, Pemberton, Tonto Tank, Pemberton, Lower Shallmo Wash counter clockwise) and finished it off with a lap around the Sport Loop on the competitive track. The Aravaipa Running club is setting up for it Javelina Jundred race this weekend. Lots of bikers and hikers out on the trails this morning. It was a great ride on the Cutthroat.
 Meteorology
 Meteorology [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Fire Burn Area & Recovery
_____________________
 
Jan 07 2023
avatar

 Guides 16
 Routes 81
 Photos 1,269
 Triplogs 1,144

51 male
 Joined Apr 30 2008
 Tucson, AZ
Wagner - Granite - Bluff Loop - MMRPPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Jan 07 2023
azdesertfatherTriplogs 1,144
Hiking4.70 Miles 289 AEG
Hiking4.70 Miles   1 Hour   35 Mns   3.00 mph
289 ft AEG      1 Min Break15 LBS Pack
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Partners none no partners
Nice day for this hike. MMRP was full this morning with bikers but they were not in the western end of the park. Did the full loop, not the lasso loop.
_____________________
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." — Henry David Thoreau
 
Nov 19 2021
avatar

 Guides 4
 Routes 491
 Photos 10,890
 Triplogs 1,257

55 male
 Joined Nov 20 2012
 Phoenix, AZ
Pemberton Double Loop, AZ 
Pemberton Double Loop, AZ
 
Run/Jog avatar Nov 19 2021
BiFrostTriplogs 1,257
Run/Jog23.66 Miles 1,500 AEG
Run/Jog23.66 Miles   4 Hrs   58 Mns   4.76 mph
1,500 ft AEG
 
no photosets
1st trip
Partners none no partners
Had Friday off work so went out to McDowell Mountain Regional Park for a long trail run. The trails are all great for trail running and mountain bikers who basically own the trail. I did a shorter loop on Pemberton, Lariat, Bluff and Granite. Then finished up with full Pemberton loop. Last 4 miles really started to hurt but nice to get over 20 miles for first time this year!
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Nov 11 2021
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 Guides 27
 Routes 669
 Photos 12,096
 Triplogs 856

56 male
 Joined Jul 05 2006
 Mesa, AZ
Pemberton Trail - MMRPPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 11 2021
DarthStillerTriplogs 856
Hiking10.77 Miles 726 AEG
Hiking10.77 Miles   3 Hrs   55 Mns   2.75 mph
726 ft AEG
 
Linked   linked  
Partners none no partners
With the holiday that I've turned into a 4 day weekend, I wanted to go do a hike, but didn't want to make a big deal or drive far. A quick drive up to McDowell Mtn Park seemed like the best way to go. Did a loop from the main staging area, Pemberton/Bluff/Granite. Nothing special or crazy, nice morning getting some exercise early in the sunny and cool weather. Looks like there was a setup for some kind of foot race, but it didn't seem too busy or crowded. Maybe it was for later this weekend.
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Jun 18 2021
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 Guides 8
 Routes 70
 Photos 3,208
 Triplogs 273

59 male
 Joined Oct 07 2017
 Chandler, AZ
Granite Trail - MMRPPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Jun 18 2021
YoderTriplogs 273
Hiking11.80 Miles 175 AEG
Hiking11.80 Miles   3 Hrs   44 Mns   3.50 mph
175 ft AEG      22 Mns Break10 LBS Pack
 
1st trip
Its the AZ summer season, so only option is for night hikes. Been wanting to get as much of the McDowell Mountain Regional Park hikes done that I can, Gate is locked before I start hiking, so have to hike into the park, this limits the options. The regional parks seem to be good places for night hikes because the trails are usually smooth, and mostly flat, especially here at MMRP.

Started at 12:44am and finished up at 4:28am. Spotted two tarantulas on this hike.

decided to make a 11 mile loop, 3.4 miles are on road :( and I got turned around at one road intersection (seems the trails are easier to figure out at night!) adding another 0.5 miles to the hike. Here is how I linked the trails to make the loop:
01. Road 01 (0.6)
02. Shallmo Wash (1.7)
03. Road 02 (0.1)
04. Tortoise Trail (0.7)
05. Road 03 (0.2)
06. Wagner Trail (1.1)
07. Granite Trail (1.9)
08. Bluff Trail (0.9)
09. Granite Trail (1.4)
10. Road Wrong Direction (0.5)
10. Road (2.5)
_____________________
J. Yoder
 
Dec 08 2019
avatar

 Guides 4
 Routes 93
 Photos 302
 Triplogs 697

51 male
 Joined Jul 05 2008
 Gilbert, AZ
Wagner Trail - MMRPPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Dec 08 2019
adeniumTriplogs 697
Hiking10.66 Miles 663 AEG
Hiking10.66 Miles   3 Hrs   30 Mns   3.05 mph
663 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Rainy day hike!
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Mar 17 2019
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 Guides 3
 Routes 25
 Photos 2,216
 Triplogs 237

63 male
 Joined Apr 22 2012
 Fountain Hills,
Wagner - Granite - Bluff Loop - MMRPPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Mar 17 2019
KBKBTriplogs 237
Hiking5.58 Miles 459 AEG
Hiking5.58 Miles   3 Hrs   54 Mns   1.79 mph
459 ft AEG      47 Mns Break24 LBS Pack
 no routes
1st trip
Partners none no partners
On Sunday afternoon, I hiked Wagner, Granite, Bluff, and then back on Granite and Wagner. Nick told me that the flowers were thick along the Granite Trail near the wash. He was right.

I saw lots of mountain bikers, but only a few other hikers while I was out.
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Substantial
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Jan 18 2019
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 Guides 3
 Routes 25
 Photos 2,216
 Triplogs 237

63 male
 Joined Apr 22 2012
 Fountain Hills,
McDowell Meander, AZ 
McDowell Meander, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Jan 18 2019
KBKBTriplogs 237
Hiking12.03 Miles 823 AEG
Hiking12.03 Miles   4 Hrs   36 Mns   3.21 mph
823 ft AEG      51 Mns Break24 LBS Pack
 no routes
1st trip
Mike, Ben, Marilyn, Kay, Diane, and Marilyn joined me for a twelve mile hike in McDowell Mountain Regional Park and nearby McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

We hiked: Wagner, Granite, Delsie, Gooseneck, Rock Knob, Pemberton, Bluff Tr Wash, Granite, Bluff, Granite, and back on Wagner.

We saw a lot of mountain bikes out in the morning - more than usual for a Friday. There was a group at Jackass Junction (near Granite Tank) that was working on fixing a flat. There's now a bike repair station there, complete with tubes in a mailbox. It works on the honor system - you take what you need and bring back supplies when you next ride by.

Anyway... all of these trails were in great shape. The desert was incredibly green w/ lots of flowering plants too.
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Dec 14 2018
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 Guides 3
 Routes 25
 Photos 2,216
 Triplogs 237

63 male
 Joined Apr 22 2012
 Fountain Hills,
Wash Day - MMRP, AZ 
Wash Day - MMRP, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Dec 14 2018
KBKBTriplogs 237
Hiking11.42 Miles 814 AEG
Hiking11.42 Miles   4 Hrs   14 Mns   3.06 mph
814 ft AEG      30 Mns Break24 LBS Pack
 no routes
Mike, Nick, Bob, Sara, Kay, John, and Marilyn joined me for the Friday Morning Hike in McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

We hiked Tortoise, turned right on Pemberton and then turned right into the arroyos across the trail from the pond. We made our way up to Pemberton and then entered another wash prior to hitting the Bluff Trail. We followed this wash into Stoneman Wash where we hiked NW until we reached the Bluff Trail. We returned via Bluff, Granite, and Wagner.

Kay said that she saw an owl while we were in the arroyos, but I missed it. I did see a bunch of ravens though.

I was amazed at the amount of wolfberry bushes with fruit. Some of the fruit was quite large (for wolfberries).

When we weren't in the washes, we saw a bunch of other trail users, mainly mountain bikers.
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Nov 16 2018
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 Guides 3
 Routes 25
 Photos 2,216
 Triplogs 237

63 male
 Joined Apr 22 2012
 Fountain Hills,
Wagner-Delsie-Gooseneck-Rock Knob-Bluff - MMRP, AZ 
Wagner-Delsie-Gooseneck-Rock Knob-Bluff - MMRP, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Nov 16 2018
KBKBTriplogs 237
Hiking11.80 Miles 827 AEG
Hiking11.80 Miles   4 Hrs   19 Mns   3.20 mph
827 ft AEG      38 Mns Break24 LBS Pack
 no routes
1st trip
Sara, Marilyn, Marilyn, Ben, Mike, and Nick joined me for the Friday morning hike in McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

Starting from the Wagner Trailhead, we hiked: Wagner, Granite, Delsie, Gooseneck, Rock Knob, Pemberton, Bluff Wash, Bluff, Granite, and Wagner.

We saw other hikers and some mountain bikers too.

We saw a red tail hawk while we were on the Gooseneck Trail. Near the end, we saw a bunch of ravens circling - we think that there may have been something dead or dying below them.

The wash below the Bluff Trail seemed more densely vegetated than I remember it being in the past. We also encountered a deeply eroded trench - perhaps three feet deep - that I don't remember seeing before. That was in one of the washes though. As noted in other triplogs, trails in the park are in good condition.
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Sep 07 2018
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 Guides 3
 Routes 25
 Photos 2,216
 Triplogs 237

63 male
 Joined Apr 22 2012
 Fountain Hills,
Wash Day - MMRP, AZ 
Wash Day - MMRP, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Sep 07 2018
KBKBTriplogs 237
Hiking7.78 Miles 584 AEG
Hiking7.78 Miles   3 Hrs   18 Mns   2.70 mph
584 ft AEG      25 Mns Break26 LBS Pack
 no routes
Marilyn and Bob joined me for the Friday morning hike in McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

We hiked Wagner, Granite, and Bluff, which led us to Stoneman Wash. We hiked parts of this wash and explored some of its tributaries. Return was via Granite and Wagner. These trails are in good condition. It was a pleasure hiking in the washes since recent rains have eliminated the horse churn often found in Stoneman. For the most part, the wash surfaces were reasonably firm and made for easy hiking.

We saw lots of butterflies and moths, a number of lizards, a javelina, a rattlesnake (probably Western Diamondback), a hawk, and an owl.
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Ants  Javelina
_____________________
 
Aug 10 2018
avatar

 Guides 3
 Routes 25
 Photos 2,216
 Triplogs 237

63 male
 Joined Apr 22 2012
 Fountain Hills,
Wagner-Bluff-Gooseneck-Pemberton - MMRP, AZ 
Wagner-Bluff-Gooseneck-Pemberton - MMRP, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Aug 10 2018
KBKBTriplogs 237
Hiking13.42 Miles 784 AEG
Hiking13.42 Miles   4 Hrs   37 Mns   2.96 mph
784 ft AEG      5 Mns Break23 LBS Pack
 no routes
1st trip
Another solo Friday hike for me...

Starting from the Wagner Trailhead at McDowell Mountain Regional Park (MMRP), I hiked Wagner, left on Granite, right on Bluff, left on Pemberton, right on Rock Knob, right on Gooseneck. When I came to the county park connectors which led back into the park, I took the connector that brought me over to the Saguaro Nest Trail. I hiked a short ways on Saguaro Nest and then (finally) took the connector which brought me back into MMRP. At that point, I got back onto the Pemberton and headed east, turning right on Lariat, then left on Granite. That led me back to Wagner which led me back to my truck.

The trails were in remarkably good shape after the storm that hit the area on Wednesday evening. I didn't see much evidence of serious erosion, though it was obvious that the washes had flowed heavily for a time. I saw a significant amount of water in Granite Tank - probably the most I've ever seen in that tank.

I saw several mountain bikers early on and then one more out on Gooseneck. After that, I saw no one until I got back to the parking area. There, I saw Susan Davis, who used to hike with our group a number of years ago. She still comes to the park, but restricts herself to hiking the roads.

As I was driving out of the park, I saw a dump truck leaving after having dumped a load of sand (presumably from road cleanup) along the side of the park road near the entrance. Just outside the park, I saw other machines working on clearing the section of road where Shallmo Wash crosses the road. On Wednesday evening, I stopped to look at Shallmo Wash from the driveway connecting the Four Peaks / Horse Staging area with the main park road. It looked like a small but turbulent river.
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Senna, Barrel Cactus
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Jul 20 2018
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 Guides 3
 Routes 25
 Photos 2,216
 Triplogs 237

63 male
 Joined Apr 22 2012
 Fountain Hills,
Wagner-Delsie-Stoneman-Bluff Lasso - MMRP, AZ 
Wagner-Delsie-Stoneman-Bluff Lasso - MMRP, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Jul 20 2018
KBKBTriplogs 237
Hiking10.34 Miles 686 AEG
Hiking10.34 Miles   3 Hrs   19 Mns   3.28 mph
686 ft AEG      10 Mns Break24 LBS Pack
 no routes
1st trip
For the Friday Hike at MMRP, Bob and I hiked a 10+ mile lasso starting from the Wagner Trailhead.

We hiked: Wagner, right on Granite, right on Delsie, left on Pemberton, left on Stoneman Wash, right on Granite, left on Bluff, left on Granite, right on Wagner. Without Wagner, this makes a long skinny loop which almost touches on Granite near the Stoneman intersection and the Delsie intersection - these aren't very far apart. It was nice though to do a route which didn't involve retracing our steps until we got back to Wagner.

We met a mountain biker at the top of Delsie. He had started from the bottom of the park and was planning on riding to Brown's Ranch! (Is there water at Brown's Ranch TH? He mentioned something about refilling water there.) He hadn't done this route yet and was wondering whether to turn right or left just after crossing into the Preserve. (I told him to stay left in order to get to Gooseneck. Otherwise you end up on Saguaro Nest.)

Bob and I saw an owl as we were hiking Delsie. I've been seeing a lot of owls lately.

We saw a few other mountain bikers too, but there weren't many of them today.
_____________________
 
May 11 2018
avatar

 Guides 3
 Routes 25
 Photos 2,216
 Triplogs 237

63 male
 Joined Apr 22 2012
 Fountain Hills,
Wash Day - MMRP, AZ 
Wash Day - MMRP, AZ
 
Hiking avatar May 11 2018
KBKBTriplogs 237
Hiking6.86 Miles 417 AEG
Hiking6.86 Miles   2 Hrs   40 Mns   3.05 mph
417 ft AEG      25 Mns Break24 LBS Pack
 no routes
Another "wash day" - sort of - in McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

Ranger Amy rode her bike with us for part of our hike, so I opted to stay on hard packed trails for the initial part of the hike. Starting from Wagner TH, we crossed the street and hiked Tortoise to Pemberton, turned right and followed Pemberton to the pond.

The water level in the pond was very low today. We found that the pipe which fills it had been disconnected from its water source. Amy fixed it, though at the rate of flow that I saw, it could well lose more water to evaporation than be filled by the trickle coming from the pipe.

After the pond, we hiked some of the washes to the west. We met up with Amy again on Tonto Tank. Amy continued west on Tonto Tank while we made our way over to Stoneman Wash and then NW on Stoneman Wash, meeting Amy again at the intersection with the Bluff Trail. When we hit Granite, Amy turned right to check on some stuff going on in the Campground while the rest of us took Granite and then Wagner back to the trailhead.

We saw lots of rabbits today, but not much else in the way of wildlife. We hiked an arroyo where we had seen a number of long eared owls earlier this year, but they were not there today.
_____________________
 
Apr 06 2018
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 Guides 3
 Routes 25
 Photos 2,216
 Triplogs 237

63 male
 Joined Apr 22 2012
 Fountain Hills,
Wagner-Granite-Delsie-Pemberton-Bluff - MMRP, AZ 
Wagner-Granite-Delsie-Pemberton-Bluff - MMRP, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Apr 06 2018
KBKBTriplogs 237
Hiking10.22 Miles 640 AEG
Hiking10.22 Miles   3 Hrs   34 Mns   3.16 mph
640 ft AEG      20 Mns Break24 LBS Pack
 no routes
1st trip
On Friday, we did a lollipop route at McDowell Mountain Regional Park. We hiked Wagner, right on Granite, right on Delsie, left on Pemberton, left down the wash adjacent to the Bluff Trail, right on Granite, left on Bluff, left on Granite, and right on Wagner - which brought us back to the trailhead.

Ranger Amy joined us on her bike for part of our hike and also took the group photo.

Conditions were dry, though the trails were in fine shape. Almost no flowers to be seen.
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Hedgehog
_____________________
 
Feb 02 2018
avatar

 Guides 3
 Routes 25
 Photos 2,216
 Triplogs 237

63 male
 Joined Apr 22 2012
 Fountain Hills,
Wash Day - MMRP, AZ 
Wash Day - MMRP, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Feb 02 2018
KBKBTriplogs 237
Hiking9.79 Miles 571 AEG
Hiking9.79 Miles   3 Hrs   27 Mns   3.14 mph
571 ft AEG      20 Mns Break22 LBS Pack
 no routes
I led a group of nine on a hike in which we wandered through a number of washes in McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

Starting from the Trailhead Staging Area, we hiked southwest on Pemberton, and then turned SSE into Stoneman/Pemberton Wash. We followed the wash all the way to the Long Loop (which is one of the competitive tracks). We turned right (west) onto the Long Loop and then took the service road back to Pemberton. Near the site of the ranch homestead, we meandered through some of the feeder washes for Stoneman Wash, eventually ending up in Stoneman Wash again. After further meandering through Stoneman Wash, we returned via the Bluff, Granite, Wagner, and Tortoise trails.

We were fortunate to see a barn owl several times during our wash meanderings.
_____________________
 
Jan 12 2018
avatar

 Guides 3
 Routes 25
 Photos 2,216
 Triplogs 237

63 male
 Joined Apr 22 2012
 Fountain Hills,
Wagner-Bluff Wash-Gooseneck-Delsie Loop - MMRP, AZ 
Wagner-Bluff Wash-Gooseneck-Delsie Loop - MMRP, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Jan 12 2018
KBKBTriplogs 237
Hiking11.77 Miles 745 AEG
Hiking11.77 Miles   4 Hrs   8 Mns   3.07 mph
745 ft AEG      18 Mns Break24 LBS Pack
 no routes
1st trip
I led a group of 11 - counting me - on a lollilop-loop hike in McDowell Mountain Regional Park and the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

Starting from the Wagner Trailhead, we hiked Wagner and then Granite, crossing Stoneman Wash. Then, just as the Granite Trail starts to head south, we instead headed WSW in the wash which parallels the Bluff Trail. Although not very far from the Bluff Trail, the views within the wash are totally different due to being more enclosed. We then followed Pemberton south and then southwest to the Rock Knob Trail. Rock Knob took us to Gooseneck where we hiked to the county park connector trail that brought us back into MMRP. From there we hiked back via the Delsie, Granite, and Wagner Trails.

Trail conditions were good all around. The wash required two or three scrambling moves along the way in addition to pushing through a few bushes, but is otherwise pretty easy too.
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Sep 22 2017
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 Guides 3
 Routes 25
 Photos 2,216
 Triplogs 237

63 male
 Joined Apr 22 2012
 Fountain Hills,
Stoneman Wash Trail - MMRPPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 22 2017
KBKBTriplogs 237
Hiking9.14 Miles 512 AEG
Hiking9.14 Miles   3 Hrs   22 Mns   2.90 mph
512 ft AEG      13 Mns Break25 LBS Pack
 
Bob, Mike, Mona, Marilyn, and I did a 9.1 mile hike starting from the Wagner Trailhead in McDowell Mountain Regional Park. We hiked Tortoise to Pemberton, and then took Pemberton to Stoneman Wash where we turned south down the wash. We hiked back to the Pemberton via one of the many feeder washes and then went northwest on Pemberton. We hiked into an arroyo west of the pond (where the homestead once was). Exiting the arroyo area, we hiked Tonto Tank back to Pemberton, continuing north back to Stoneman Wash. This time, we took the wash WNW until we got to the Bluff Trail. From there, we returned via Granite and Wagner.

We saw an eagle, at least two owls, other smaller birds, several rabbits, and one (western diamondback) rattlesnake on our hike. The only critter which cooperated in my photographic pursuits was the snake.
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
We saw some more Senna on the hike. I don't recall seeing any other flowers.
_____________________
 
Sep 01 2017
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 Guides 3
 Routes 25
 Photos 2,216
 Triplogs 237

63 male
 Joined Apr 22 2012
 Fountain Hills,
Pemberton Trail - MMRPPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 01 2017
KBKBTriplogs 237
Hiking8.73 Miles 486 AEG
Hiking8.73 Miles   3 Hrs   2 Mns   3.03 mph
486 ft AEG      9 Mns Break29 LBS Pack
 
Bob, Heather, and I did a meandering Lollipop hike starting from McDowell Mountain Park's Trailhead Staging Area.

We hiked southwest on Pemberton toward the pond and then took a convenient wash into one of the deep arroyos to the west. When the wash petered out, we sought higher ground and made our way over to the Bluff Trail. We went west on Bluff and then took Granite to Stoneman Wash which took us back to Pemberton and then to the parking area.

Temperatures were in the low eighties when we started (at 6:30am) and were in the mid- to high-nineties when we finished. It wasn't especially humid though - I thought that it felt pretty comfortable.
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average hiking speed 2.73 mph
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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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