Escondido Trail - MMRP • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 26 2023
		DarthStiller • Triplogs 856

Hiking	11.07 Miles	1,129 AEG

Hiking	11.07 Miles	4 Hrs 13 Mns	2.63 mph
	1,129 ft AEG

Linked

linked

Lousley Hill Trail - MMRP

Partners

none

no partners

I was planning to do this hike last month but when I started the lightning storms from the night before hadn't quit yet, so I modified it. This time I got the loop in and also did Lousley Hill, which has really nice 360 views. Dark when I started, sunny but still cool when I finished. Felt noticeably cooler on Lousley Hill. Not much traffic on the trails since it was a Tuesday, busier when I finished up.

_____________________

Nov 27 2023

kingsnake

Guides 116
Routes 337
Photos 11,399
Triplogs 894

63 male

Joined Dec 20 2010
Sunnyslope, PHX

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 27 2023
		kingsnake • Triplogs 894

Hiking	9.97 Miles	793 AEG

Hiking	9.97 Miles	3 Hrs 15 Mns	3.07 mph
	793 ft AEG

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Starting at the Horse Staging Area, today’s plan was to hike all of Shallmo Wash Trail, a wee bit of Pemberton Trail and all of Escondido Trail.

I started hiking just after 8:00 a.m., when the late autumn sun was still relatively low in the sky. The clouds were wispy, laced with contrails. The temperature was 58℉, and breezy, so I wore my hoodie.

Shallmo Wash Trail is hard. More like cement than dirt. Firm & fast singletrack. I took my best pictures of the day along it: Clouds, low-angle sun shots, and saguaro cactus.

I don’t recall seeing a single saguaro along Pemberton. I did see about a half dozen MTBs. Hoping to add something interesting to my video, I stopped at a small wood bridge waiting for an MTB to roll by for a finger quotes “action” shot. Twenty minutes I waited. No bueno. Of course.

The sky had become totally overcast, so even though the temperature had ostensibly increased, I kept my hoodie on.

Just after 10:00 a.m., I turned onto Escondido. It starts heading east along the north edge of the mesa. The next two miles are downhill. A couple of MTBs preceeded me, but I didn’t see another one the remainder of my hike. At the bottom of the descent, the trail turns south. It becomes rolling and very twisty as the MTB-optimized route is squeezed between the mesa and McDowell Mountain Rd. If you need a bail, the trail is never more than ⅓ mile from the heavily-trafficked road, and sometimes as close as 200 yds. Most of this hike’s elevation is in this section, in the form of many 50-80 ft. / 4-5% slope climbs.

It would probably be a blast to ride Escondido, but hiking it got to be drudgery without something, anything, to photograph. Maybe in April, when the flowers bloom, it might be better. Oh well: Miles is miles.

Rumble Video: https://rumble.com/v3z17uq-hiking-mcdow ... -park.html
Vimeo Video: https://vimeo.com/890301649

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Saguaro

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Four Peaks

Wildflowers Observation None
lol

_____________________

http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored.

1 archive

Nov 18 2023

DarthStiller

Guides 27
Routes 669
Photos 12,096
Triplogs 856

56 male

Joined Jul 05 2006
Mesa, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 18 2023
		DarthStiller • Triplogs 856

Hiking	10.33 Miles	575 AEG

Hiking	10.33 Miles	3 Hrs 58 Mns	2.60 mph
	575 ft AEG

Linked

linked

Tortoise Trail - MMRP

Partners

none

no partners

This was an exercise in backup plans. Stayed local to hike due to the weather, specifically the threat of lightning. I went up to McDowell Mtn park with the intent that I would have bailout options in the event of lightning. This became an issue almost immediately as I hiked over to the Shallmo Wash Trail from the main staging TH. I had intended to do a big loop with the Shallmo Wash and Escondido trails, but by the one mile mark, I decided to head back to the TH as a cell moved in nearby and the lightning and thunder became more frequent. By the time I got back to the TH, the cell moved and the skies were much lighter. I decided to head out north on the Pemberton Trail with the same idea of going out and back. I continued on this plan with this and the Scenic and Tortoise Trails and then finished up with the Hilltop Trail, which I had never hiked before. I started out thinking I might only get a 2 mile hike in, but I finished up with over 10 for the day. There was no other lightning nearby after that initial cell went through, so I could have done my original backup plan. Nothing special, but the scenery was nice and a little different with the clouds rolling through the mountains.

_____________________

Oct 25 2023

Nightstalker

Routes 189
Photos 7,236
Triplogs 1,740

57 male

Joined Apr 25 2011
Goodyear, AZ

MMRP Angry Coyote Loop, AZ

Mtn Biking		Oct 25 2023
		Nightstalker • Triplogs 1,740

Mtn Biking	28.60 Miles	1,753 AEG

Mtn Biking	28.60 Miles	2 Hrs 35 Mns		11.52 mph
	1,753 ft AEG	6 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

Linked

10 linked trail guides

Verde Trail - MMRP

Delsie Trail - MMRP

Bluff Trail - MMRP

Tonto Tank Trail - MMRP

MMRP Competitive Track - Sport Loop

Partners

none

no partners

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

_____________________

Dec 06 2021

tdwood

Guides 3
Routes 40
Photos 47
Triplogs 60

56 male

Joined Jul 04 2016
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 06 2021
		tdwood • Triplogs 60

Hiking	6.13 Miles	510 AEG

Hiking	6.13 Miles	2 Hrs 56 Mns	2.47 mph
	510 ft AEG	27 Mns Break

no photosets

Linked

linked

Lousley Hill Trail - MMRP

Partners

none

no partners

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

On my last visit to Cave Creek Regional Park, I purchased one of them nifty annual passes for the Maricopa County Parks System. Time to get my money's worth, by gum! I figured I would visit them in clockwise fashion starting from CCRP and immediately goofed the plan all up by visiting McDowell Mountain RP next, forgetting that Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area is also part of the system

As an iOS Route Scooter, this was also an opportunity to help the dev team by putting RS through some tests. I only had one issue where, after deviating from the downloaded route, RS couldn't find me again when I returned to it at a point further along. Closing and reopening the app did the trick.

Initially, I had intended to do a return loop on Scenic Trail but wasn't ready to start back so soon.

At the start, Pemberton had a bit more MTBs than I'm comfortable with, which is really any number at all. A childhood incident where I was hit by a cyclist from behind while walking still haunts me almost fifty years later and I find myself constantly looking over my shoulder. Maybe I should get one of those tiny little postage stamp sized rearview mirrors they use?

Escondido trail was much quieter. Only one cyclist and no other human sightings.

I had Lousley Hill all to myself. This seems like it would be a sweet spot to return to the next time there's snow on the mountains.

On the return, a nice bunch of wispy clouds provided some welcome diffusion of the sun's rays. Didn't see another soul until I got back on Pemberton.

I'll definitely return but would likely choose other options to minimize my time on Pemberton, being the main arterial route that it is.

_____________________

Dec 03 2021

Yoder

Guides 8
Routes 70
Photos 3,208
Triplogs 273

59 male

Joined Oct 07 2017
Chandler, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 03 2021
		Yoder • Triplogs 273

Hiking	9.80 Miles	900 AEG

Hiking	9.80 Miles	2 Hrs 59 Mns		3.38 mph
	900 ft AEG	5 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Did this 9.8 mile loop as a night hike back in June. Thought I would check it out during the day. Honestly, this is better as a night hike. Although it probably has some of the best views in the east side of the park, it's not really very interesting overall.

We started Friday morning pre-dawn, and encountered two hikers and one biker near the end of the hike.

I'll post the GPS route if anyone is interested in doing this as a loop.

_____________________

J. Yoder

Jul 03 2021

Nightstalker

Routes 189
Photos 7,236
Triplogs 1,740

57 male

Joined Apr 25 2011
Goodyear, AZ

MMRP Escondido Scenic Loop, AZ

Mtn Biking		Jul 03 2021
		Nightstalker • Triplogs 1,740

Mtn Biking	13.90 Miles	1,047 AEG

Mtn Biking	13.90 Miles	2 Hrs 49 Mns		6.18 mph
	1,047 ft AEG	34 Mns Break	8 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Carey and Dan joined me for a great loop at MMRP. Did some sessioning on the skills loop afterwards.

_____________________

Jun 12 2021

Yoder

Guides 8
Routes 70
Photos 3,208
Triplogs 273

59 male

Joined Oct 07 2017
Chandler, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jun 12 2021
		Yoder • Triplogs 273

Hiking	11.10 Miles	1,371 AEG

Hiking	11.10 Miles	4 Hrs 12 Mns		3.40 mph
	1,371 ft AEG	56 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Another Night Hike:
Combine Escondido , some Pemberton, Scenic and Cinch trails for a 11.1 mile loop.

Started at about 10pm and finished up at 2:10am.

_____________________

J. Yoder

Nov 01 2020

Jdurhman

Routes 5
Triplogs 6

female

Joined Apr 26 2020
Az

Phoenix, AZ

Mtn Biking		Nov 01 2020
		Jdurhman • Triplogs 6

Mtn Biking	10.25 Miles	666 AEG

Mtn Biking	10.25 Miles	2 Hrs 24 Mns	4.80 mph
	666 ft AEG	16 Mns Break

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

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

Did overheat and had to walk a little. 81 when we started 88 when done.

Dec 31 2019

Booneman

Guides 9
Routes 33
Photos 780
Triplogs 4,634

44 male

Joined Nov 25 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

North Trail - MMRP

North Trail - MMRP

Phoenix, AZ

Run/Jog		Dec 31 2019
		Booneman • Triplogs 4,634

Run/Jog	11.25 Miles	436 AEG

Run/Jog	11.25 Miles	1 Hour 22 Mns	8.23 mph
	436 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Chuparosa Trail - MMRP

Partners

none

no partners

I did it, I made it to 2,500 miles for 2019! My legs were definitely feeling it these past two weeks as I have been averaging almost 10 miles per day in December. Not sure why I was aiming for that number, just sounded like something fun to do to end the year.

_____________________

Jul 12 2019

Guides 3
Routes 25
Photos 2,216
Triplogs 237

63 male

Joined Apr 22 2012
Fountain Hills,

Escondido-Pemberton-Scenic - MMRP, AZ

Hiking		Jul 12 2019
		KBKB • Triplogs 237

Hiking	10.52 Miles	846 AEG

Hiking	10.52 Miles	3 Hrs 43 Mns		2.94 mph
	846 ft AEG	8 Mns Break	24 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

On Friday, the 12th, I did a loop hike in MMRP starting from the Four Peaks Trailhead (formerly known as the Horse Staging Area). I hiked Escondido, Pemberton, and Scenic. I passed the intersection with Cinch, planning on going back to Pemberton and down Shallmo Wash. But it was starting to get warm, so I turned back and went down Cinch and back on Escondido.

I saw a few cyclists getting ready to ride at the parking lot, but saw no one else on the trails.

Trails were in good condition. Hiking was easy except for the heat; my GPS watch indicated a higher heart rate than I'd expect to see for the terrain and pace. I'm not as well acclimated as I was last summer.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mount McDowell (Red Mountain)

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sunrise

_____________________

Jan 28 2019

Guides 3
Routes 25
Photos 2,216
Triplogs 237

63 male

Joined Apr 22 2012
Fountain Hills,

Cinch-Scenic-Pemberton-Shallmo Loop - MMRP, AZ

Hiking		Jan 28 2019
		KBKB • Triplogs 237

Hiking	6.46 Miles	446 AEG

Hiking	6.46 Miles	2 Hrs 7 Mns		3.13 mph
	446 ft AEG	3 Mns Break	25 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

An evening hike in MMRP...

I saw a few other trail users and might have gotten an okay dusk photo, but I haven't gotten around to looking at it yet.

_____________________

Jan 14 2019

Guides 3
Routes 25
Photos 2,216
Triplogs 237

63 male

Joined Apr 22 2012
Fountain Hills,

Cinch-Scenic-Pemberton-Shallmo Loop - MMRP, AZ

Hiking		Jan 14 2019
		KBKB • Triplogs 237

Hiking	6.47 Miles	417 AEG

Hiking	6.47 Miles	2 Hrs 13 Mns		3.21 mph
	417 ft AEG	12 Mns Break	22 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Just one of my workout loops at MMRP. I started out just early enough that I only needed my headlamp for about the last third of the hike.

_____________________

1 archive

Jan 04 2019

MMRP Competitive Track - Technical Loop

Guides 3
Routes 25
Photos 2,216
Triplogs 237

63 male

Joined Apr 22 2012
Fountain Hills,

Wash Day - MMRP, AZ

Hiking		Jan 04 2019
		KBKB • Triplogs 237

Hiking	9.51 Miles	676 AEG

Hiking	9.51 Miles	3 Hrs 40 Mns		2.59 mph
	676 ft AEG		22 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

6 linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

I led a group of six through some of the washes at McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

The day started out cold - most of us wore gloves at the start of our hike.

We saw three owls several times as we made our way through one of the more canyon-like washes.

_____________________

Dec 22 2018

Guides 3
Routes 25
Photos 2,216
Triplogs 237

63 male

Joined Apr 22 2012
Fountain Hills,

Wash Day - MMRP, AZ

Hiking		Dec 22 2018
		KBKB • Triplogs 237

Hiking	7.30 Miles	416 AEG

Hiking	7.30 Miles	2 Hrs 17 Mns		3.24 mph
	416 ft AEG	2 Mns Break	22 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

My wife and I did an afternoon loop in MMRP.

We started from the horse staging lot, walked across the main park road to the competitive track lot, and then hiked a short way on the Long Loop, then turned left onto a service road which we hiked for a couple of miles. Just before the rain gauge, we turned into Stoneman Wash. We followed the wash NW, crossing the Long Loop, eventually reaching Pemberton. From there we took Pemberton, Scenic, Cinch, and Escondido.

The wolfberries were very ripe and the one that I ate was quite tasty. If you get them prior to being ripe enough, they can be quite bitter.

We saw no one else in the washes that we hiked, but we saw a bunch of mountain bikers on the trails.

It was a nice afternoon in the park.

_____________________

Dec 12 2018

Guides 3
Routes 25
Photos 2,216
Triplogs 237

63 male

Joined Apr 22 2012
Fountain Hills,

Shallmo-Pemberton-Scenic-Cinch - MMRP, AZ

Hiking		Dec 12 2018
		KBKB • Triplogs 237

Hiking	8.80 Miles	554 AEG

Hiking	8.80 Miles	3 Hrs 4 Mns		3.11 mph
	554 ft AEG	14 Mns Break	22 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

I hiked a figure-8 route at MMRP - Shallmo Wash, Pemberton, right at the first intersection with Scenic, then around Scenic in its entirety and back to Pemberton where I turned left, Pemberton back to Scenic, Scenic to Cinch, Cinch to Escondido, and back in on Escondido.

As I was out earlier in the day, I saw more trail users than usual. I saw mountain bikers, other hikers, and trail runners.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Desert Globemallow Wolfberry

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Phainopepla

Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Brittlebush, creosote, globe mallow, and others I haven't identified yet.

_____________________

Dec 05 2018

Guides 3
Routes 25
Photos 2,216
Triplogs 237

63 male

Joined Apr 22 2012
Fountain Hills,

Cinch-Scenic-Pemberton-Shallmo Loop - MMRP, AZ

Hiking		Dec 05 2018
		KBKB • Triplogs 237

Hiking	6.41 Miles	433 AEG

Hiking	6.41 Miles	2 Hrs 16 Mns		3.13 mph
	433 ft AEG	13 Mns Break	24 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

_____________________

Nov 28 2018

Guides 3
Routes 25
Photos 2,216
Triplogs 237

63 male

Joined Apr 22 2012
Fountain Hills,

Stoneman-Pemberton-Scenic-Cinch Loop - MMRP, AZ

Hiking		Nov 28 2018
		KBKB • Triplogs 237

Hiking	7.70 Miles	384 AEG

Hiking	7.70 Miles	2 Hrs 27 Mns		3.40 mph
	384 ft AEG	11 Mns Break	22 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

A late afternoon / early evening loop in MMRP: I hiked a short section of the Long Loop followed by maybe a mile of service road, several miles in Stoneman Wash, then back on Pemberton, Scenic, Cinch, and Escondido.

I didn't encounter any other trail users until late in the hike when I saw two women riding their mountain bikes in the dark. There were a large number of vehicles in the competitive track lot when I returned - I think most of them were there for the women's night ride.

_____________________

Nov 14 2018

Guides 3
Routes 25
Photos 2,216
Triplogs 237

63 male

Joined Apr 22 2012
Fountain Hills,

Cinch-Scenic-Pemberton-Escondido - MMRP, AZ

Hiking		Nov 14 2018
		KBKB • Triplogs 237

Hiking	10.34 Miles	804 AEG

Hiking	10.34 Miles	3 Hrs 29 Mns		3.20 mph
	804 ft AEG	15 Mns Break	22 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

A ten mile lollipop in MMRP... Escondido, Cinch, Scenic, Pemberton, and back on Escondido.

I saw only three other trail users: a guy with his dog and another guy who passed me as I was taking photos of the sunset. I was a little surprised to not see any night riders - it would have been a good night for it.

There were just enough clouds to make for a colorful sunset; hopefully I got a photo which I'll like well enough to post. I wish I would have brought my tripod on this hike.

I didn't notice much dust while I was hiking, though a lot of the hike was in the dark... but when I got home, I found that my shoes, socks, and pant legs were very, very dusty, far more dusty than is normal. I think that the recent weekend events (Javelina Jundred, Ragnar, and then the equestrian endurance ride) have taken their toll on the trails. Aside from the dust, however, the trails seemed to be in reasonably good condition.

_____________________

Nov 07 2018

MMRP Competitive Track - Technical Loop

Guides 3
Routes 25
Photos 2,216
Triplogs 237

63 male

Joined Apr 22 2012
Fountain Hills,

Tech-Stoneman-Pemberton-Scenic - MMRP, AZ

Hiking		Nov 07 2018
		KBKB • Triplogs 237

Hiking	7.38 Miles	436 AEG

Hiking	7.38 Miles	2 Hrs 41 Mns		2.84 mph
	436 ft AEG	5 Mns Break	22 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

6 linked trail guides