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| Hiking | 4.70 Miles |
135 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.70 Miles | | | |
| 135 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | | Wow! What a great hidden secret spot so close to home! My husband, 15 year old son Marshall, our 1 year old Golden Retriever Shane and I headed out at 5:30am to make our way to Tonto Narrows. I had read about this hike/swim on this site and decided it would be a fun, cool destination as the temps in the valley were to hit 113 today! We arrived at the main gate at 7:00am and were happy to find we were the first ones to arrive! We proceeded down the dirt road and easily found the "correct" path to the water - there are lots of signs making sure you do not go astray! As we came out to the water I was so sad to see all the trash everywhere. I can't believe that people can care so little for the environment that they can't even pack out their own trash. There were pop cans, broken glass from beer bottles, pieces of broken styrofoam coolers and an assortment of 'left behind' shirts, underwear, socks, etc! As you proceed downstream the trash disappears. After one hour of very slow progress downstream making our way over boulders, rock beds, etc I was wishing I had worn my hiking boots instead of my Teva sandals. My feet kept slipping and I had numerous cuts on both feet. Next time I do this I will definitely wear my hiking boots and carry in my Tevas for the actual water part. Shane had no trouble and was in the lead the whole way! My son quickly found a high spot and after checking to make sure there were no hidden boulders in the water below did a pin drop off the top. My husband, not one to be outdone by a 15 year old, quickly followed suit! Shane and I watched and took photos! I had fun playing in the rapids and swimming in the big swim holes. The water was cold, but refreshingly so!!! It was so clear that you could see fish swimming around! Just after 10am we started making our way back downstream. It was then that we started running into several groups of people who had just arrived. We were happy to have had the place to ourselves for a while - it definitely pays to get there early! Our clothes dried quickly on the walk back to the jeep - a walk that seemed much further going back than it did coming! We all had exhausted ourselves playing in the water and trudging along the banks on the return trip! This really is a beautiful spot - too bad it has to be ruined by a few thoughtless humans! |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Eight of us from the Solera Hiking Club started out to climb Piestewa Peak. Six of us made it all the way to the top and enjoyed the beautiful view. It was not too crowded for a week day and the temps were very bearable. We saw several Chickawalla (sp?) lizards along the way! They were happy to pose for the camera! I was not too excited to do this hike due to the overcrowding of the trail, but I was pleasantly surprised and consider it to be one of my favorite city hikes! 
It is still a nice hike. We didn't see any snakes, but we saw a large horny toad. The .7 mile road into the trailhead is in bad shape so we parked at the turnoff and hiked in. The wildflowers were still very pretty!
