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| Hiking | 7.57 Miles |
270 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.57 Miles | 3 Hrs 11 Mns | | 2.38 mph |
| 270 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Decided to check out this trail and cross another trail off the list. Ironically, I had done this hike about 6 years ago when I was checking out some unnamed trails on the north side of South Mountain. This was prior to the Laveen Trail description so I had lumped this trail with other trails that I incorporated in the hike. This trail has existed for quite some time….I’m guessing the 80’s or 90’s, maybe earlier. When I did the hike in 2015 most of the trail was well defined and there were trail posts (without any decals) along the way. Unfortunately, between the the writing of KingLeonidas and this hike, his trail has been “consumed” by the Ma Ha Tuak Perimeter trail.
Late morning hike. Started from (what is described by the HAZ maps as) the Curtis Saddle TH. This is more like (limited) road side parking along W Estrella Dr., a common access point for the west side of SM. There is room for maybe 6 vehicles and even this few, probably annoys the residences that line the street. That being said, I have parked here 5-6 times over the years without any problems. There is a trail that takes you up and over the saddle to the San Juan Lookout cul-de-sac. There is also a myriad of other user trails in the area as well as the newly constructed Ma Ha Tuak trail. The cul-de-sac is the ending as shown for the Laveen trail. I used this as my starting point. The trail starts off heading north between some low lying hills to the west and the Ma Ha Tuak Mountain Range to the east. The trail is very rocky but easy to follow. A little over .25 miles in, it crosses a wash and you come across a trail splitting off to the west. This is the juncture with what is now the Ma Ha Tuak trail. Continuing north, you are now on the Ma Ha Tuak (formerly the Laveen trail). Much of the Ma Ha Tuak has been newly created over the last couple of years, however this stretch that takes us toward 27th Ave has been around for far longer and has simply been incorporated with the Ma Ha Tuak. This stretch is actually pretty nice. A solid single track that weaves along the lower slopes of the Ma Ha Tuak. You get a little bit of elevation so you get an ok view of the nearby businesses and residences. There are a couple of connector trails that come in from the north: one at 35th and the other at 31st(?). I checked out the one going to 35th Ave. The distance was only .15 miles one way. There is enough parking for 5-6 cars. But once again it is adjacent to a trailer home and I am not sure how much of the parking is “designated” for hikers and how much is actually allocated for the home owners. It is obvious that this connector trail gets a lot of use so….Noticed that there was a rock wall in one of the washes making me think that this was part of the trail from the 90’s (or before). The other trail going out to 31st Ave(?) looked to be in even better shape, but I did not get a chance to check that one out. As you near 27th Ave, the trail turns from single track to dirt road. It is obvious that thoughts of construction were “played with” at some time in the past. This was true 6 years ago as well and it is hard to know which came first….trail or road. It is at this point that the Laveen trails drops down and connects to a community street and that the Ma Ha Tuak Trail (newly constructed) splits off and climbs higher up the slopes. There are now signs posted at the Laveen juncture stating “no trespassing”. There are also similar signs at the base of the slope where the dirt road turns to pavement. For all intents and purposes, the closure of this access point and the construction of the Ma Ha Tuak Perimeter trail makes the Laveen Trail obsolete…….and, unfortunately, even older trails of decades gone by. Never to be remembered or recorded  . On the way back I came across a user trail going up the side of Ma Ha Tuak. Unable to resist, I followed it up, up and up. As I hoped and suspected it connected to the Alta trail. This turned into a perfect loop. Continuing on the Alta, I hit Maricopa Peak and then continued on down to San Juan Lookout curl-de-sac. At the cup-de-sac, they still have an antiquated map posted that shows the trails as they were several years ago (pre perimeter trail). The map shows a few dashed trails which are described as “undesignated” trails. One of them bears a close resemblance to the the Laveen trail. Ah well. It had its own name for a few years.
For the most part had the trails to myself. Encountered one woman jogger and that it was it. Wildlife included quail and chipmunks. Weather was nice, though warmer than I anticipated. No breeze. Air quality looked rough, especially after the beautifully clear day yesterday. |
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