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| Hiking | 11.15 Miles |
120 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.15 Miles | 2 Hrs 43 Mns | | 4.10 mph |
| 120 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Early morning hike on the canal trail. Started from Hayden Ave. a little 5am. Still dark out, but city lights and a paved path made for easy going. I had to back track a little bit to pick up where I left off at the Scottsdale Silverado Golf Club. No activity on the path or golf course with the exception of half a dozen maintenance golf carts checking the grounds. Not being a golfer, I was unaware of the amount of behind the scenes work that goes into maintaining the “greens”. After negotiating the golf course, I picked up the canal on the south side. Initially I had homes to the south, the canal to the north and just beyond the canal, a continuation of the golf course. That changed as soon as I crossed Pima Rd. Desert extended from both sides of the canal. Shortly after Pima Rd, the trail goes under the 101. After the 101, the land becomes a mixture of farming and desert. All the land you see is Indian reservation and the few homes that you pass reflect a more spartan lifestyle. I hiked out to Center and Chaparral before turning around.
The trail was incredibly wide, once you got past the golf course. Sometimes wide enough for three vehicles to drive side by side. As I hiked, I continued to see signs for the Sun Circle Trail and started seeing signs for the Maricopa Trail as well. The weather was fantastic for this hike. No clouds, but a nice, steady breeze coming in from the east. Wildlife was surprisingly active. Ducks, abounded, of course. I saw, what I think was a Great Blue Heron. Easily 3x the size of the ducks. Impressive. A roadrunner. Love ‘em. They always make my hike. A fox. Tried to get a picture of him but I just missed him. And the stars of the hike were the burrow owls. Encountered close to 10 along the way. Adorable! Also, had the company of 4 “rez”dogs. Luckily, a loud voice and waving arm gestures kept them at bay. Met about 10 users on the trail. Only 3 east of the 101. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
in it. Some of the shops and apartments really take advantage of the canal setting. This is about as far away from hiking a trail as you can get. That being said, they still had trail signs posted to help keep you on track. 
Within a mile I was back to more middle class suburbia, though I’m sure the real estate prices would indicate otherwise. There seemed to be a nice parking area at the Scottsdale Silverado Golf Club so I decided to make that my turn around spot. The canal actually disappears at that spot and goes underneath the golf course. Just follow the broad paved path across the golf course to pick up the canal on the other side. There were quite a few paved paths in this area so it may not be immediately obvious which way to go to pick up the canal. 
