It takes about an hour from I-10 to get to the trailhead. You don't have to have a Jeep to get there but why would you want to go without one? It's a really pretty area. It was 34 degrees at 0900 when we started. It's quite a rock scramble after the first mile. I carried my poles because Mark said it would be steep. But in the terrain we were in they would have been useless. It's a great workout and periodically Mark had to help me get up to the next level. I am only 5 foot 2 inches and he is 6 foot 2 inches. Makes a big difference when climbing over rocks and up tall steps. Definitely a great hike with excellent views. We only came across one other hiker in the afternoon. He was on his way up as we were coming back down. After finishing up at 4pm we went to Rudy's for some great BBQ.
We had an excellent hike today. We took the Douglas Springs Trail to get to Bridal Wreath Falls. Well kept trail, definitely a workout. There are still lots of wildflowers out and so many butterflies! Beautiful to see so many. Bridal Wreath Falls was spectacular and there were many other hikers going to see them. We went to Ernie Falls after that. Two big dragonflies landed on Mark's shoulder when he sat down. It is also beautiful and in warmer weather would probably be a great place for a dip in the pool. It's a bit of a rock scramble to get to it but worth it!
The Quilter Trail is very well maintained. We saw one of our favorite saguaros along the way. It is a huge one that has lost an arm since we were last by that way. The day was overcast and we had some light rain now and again. In the afternoon the sun came out. There were several different kinds of wildflowers along the way. What a beautiful area to hike. Not difficult, I didn't bring my hiking poles and did not need them. There were a lot of runners out today. We were quite a way in when we came across two women hikers. They told us about an unusual saguaro to watch for. We made it up quite a way and on the way back we spotted it on the right not too far down. It looked like it crested early in it's life and then went nuts putting out arms. Mark's going to post photos. Would love to see if it blooms! We took a break by a stream we crossed. Lovely day for a hike and even better company!
We went to the Valley of Fire on our way to Las Vegas for the Marine Corps Ball. We hiked Mouse's Tank and White Dome Loop. There are lots of petroglyphs along this hike. Not difficult at all but interesting. Beautiful area. We got to see some Big Horn Sheep along side the road. Also saw a little ground squirrel who was curious about what we were doing. This area is so beautiful and well worth coming to see.
This was a cooler day with overcast skies. Such a beautiful area! The colors were awesome and the trail was in great condition. On the way back Mark spotted some burro ears up on the hill above us. We climbed up and saw 4 beautiful, healthy looking curious burros watching us. We had seen signs posted along the road saying it is a $500 dollar fine to feed the wild horses and burros. It was the answer to a prayer seeing them in the wild.
We have been in this area before and wanted to do this hike. It's been awhile since we were able to hike. Because of time constraints we didn't make it to the saddle. That and because I am very slow on steep uphill trails. It got a bit warm toward the turn around area. It was a good workout and definitely a beautiful area to hike. The trail was pretty good although some areas had to be carefully traversed. Hopefully we can come back and make it all the way up when we have more time.
This was a neat area to explore. They dinosaur tracks had about a four foot stride. Must have been a large reptile! After checking out this area we spoke to a tour guide who told us about Fort Pearce. We saw the remains of the fort and walked along the rock wall to see the names and dates written in axle grease. The Honeymoon trail was named after the Mormon couples going to Utah from Arizona to marry in the temple. Between 1850-1900 timeframe.
What a beautiful area! More bear sign, golden eagles in the more remote areas, and beautiful wildflowers. Took our break at the picnic table by the Big Tree. Great times!
I should have taken my hiking poles on this one. It was steep and the day warmed up so it was definitely a cardiac workout for me. Mostly because we have not been able to hike much this year. Beautiful area and nice views. It was along the Continental Divide Trail for most of the way. We didn't see other hikers. Later in the day it rained so we had to put our ponchos to use. Nice because it cooled everything off. Lots of great thunder! We even found tiny flecks of gold in some areas!
It is good to get back out hiking. We did some bush wacking that led to some interesting finds. Large bear prints near a stream, dead golden eagle, a water pipe system coming from a spring, and lots of wildflowers. The bear sign was plentiful, huge piles of scat. Nice overcast day. We didn't get rained on but they have gotten lots of rain as everything is green.
This was a nice evening outing. There were lots of clouds around and it was cool enough to hike. We turned around when the clouds were thicker and it looked like rain was possible. Cienega Creek is always a beautiful place to hike. There was a small amount of flow in some areas. We took I-10 to go grab dinner at Rudy's. Got rained on while we were travelling. Love it!
Finally cooled off enough to get out and hike! Beautiful evening. Mark spotted a Tiger Rattler pretty quickly after we got started. Interesting snake. We both enjoyed the scenery and the company. It was getting darker on our way back and another Tiger Rattler was on the trail. I never saw it but is sure could rattle! Sure would love it if the monsoons would show up!
The Dragonfly Trail is close to Silver City and named for a petroglyph of a dragonfly that we saw on the trail. Beautiful meadows and everything was green. They have gotten their monsoons unlike Tucson. There were so many lizards on this trail! They would run out onto the trail as if to say, "this way". Close to a stream up on some boulders we spotted the vertebra of what was probably a deer. It looked like a good place for a mountain lion to take it's prey. It was a beautiful day and there was some cloud cover for a bit. It did get hot toward the end. After hiking Mark wanted to drive outside town toward The City of Rocks State Park. It was quite a way out of town. When you turn off the road toward the park there is Haywood Hot Springs. It has been developed into a quaint spot where you can rent a private area to soak. My husband surprised me with a wonderful hour long private hot spring called The Big Dipper. The water was 102 degrees so it melted away the soreness of the long hike. Mark knows I love a hot bath after a long hike. I am so blessed!
This place reminds me of Texas Canyon in Arizona. Lots of boulders to explore. They have several hiking trails and we chose a shorter one through the middle of the rocks. It is an interesting area, not difficult to hike. Lots of ant beds through the boulders. Unfortunately I picked up a hitch hiker that made it up my pants. I had to make a quick exit from said pants to free the little devil but not before it got in two good stings. Thank goodness we were in a secluded area. After we left there we went back to our hotel to change for dinner. If you like Mexican food you should definitely eat at La Cocina. It is a small out of the way place with excellent service and food. Tomorrow we are driving to Hatch for our yearly supply of hot chilis. Silver City is big enough to have a variety of places to eat. There are lots of hikes to do in this area so we plan to come back and explore more.
The Gila Cliff Dwellings are worth the drive to this remote area to see. They have a nice little gift shop and we got some T-shirts for us and a Park Ranger Duck for our Jeep. There are a lot of steps to climb to get up to the caves but it is not difficult and so worth it. What an awesome place to live! The views they had were great! You get to be very close to the dwellings so it gives you a better idea of how they lived. Once we explored that we went to the West Fork of the Gila River. There were 3 guys and a dog coming out. They had been camping for a few days and said we were the first people they had seen. They cautioned us that some of the river crossings were deep. It was getting warm so I figured if I found the slippery rocks and fell in, it wouldn't be all bad. There were two places my boots filled with water and one that filled Mark's boots. It felt good! We saw two beaver dams but no beavers. They are quite the engineers! Lots of squirrels, some lizards, and occasional deer. Very nice hike!
Wildflowers ObservationModerate moonflowers and various other flowers
We finally got a chance to go to the Gila Mountains to hike! We stayed in Silver City for three days and found it to be a nice place to stay. After we checked into our hotel there was an awesome thunderstorm. Once it stopped we set out to go find The Big Tree. Praise God for the storm because it had been hot but was now 69 degrees when we hit the trailhead. This is a very easy hike to do. Good thing since we have not been able to hike for a few months. The tree did not disappoint! It is the second largest Juniper in the USA. It's trunk is 7 feet in diameter. It is approximately 70 feet tall. It is a beautiful area and we both enjoyed getting out hiking again. Mark is recovering from rotator cuff surgery in May. He is a real trooper!
Mark and I have been to The Catwalk before and it is a great hike. There was some water in the upper stream but it was obvious it had been very dry for a long time in the area. It was great to get back out hiking. I definitely felt out of shape and it was a hot day by the time we finished the hike. I'm a much better cool weather hiker. Mark's shoulder is healing from his rotator cuff surgery. Thankfully his hiking gear does not interfere with his right shoulder. We will be going back to Tucson on Saturday. If the monsoons are good we should be able to get in more hikes. Glenwood is a small town and has limited resources for eating out. There are rentals available that have kitchenettes. I recommend getting one of those and bringing food to fix. It is a nice little community. We saw lots of deer around the houses.
This was an easy hike and there were some areas of streams running. That was awesome since it was hot and we both had gotten sunburned necks on the previous days hike. What a beautiful canyon! We hike a bit past the Pratt Cabin and came back there for a break. The area has so much rock and the cabin and outbuildings were built out of local resources. The roof was flat rock! The main cabin had two bathrooms and electricity. We want to come back for more exploration.
This hike was definitely a workout! I felt sorry for Mark because he wants me to take the lead. Going uphill with so many stairs and short legs makes for slow going. It is a continuous steep climb. Beautiful area with very nice views. When we were in the parking lot a van with approximately 10 people got out. Two of them were young boys about 7-8 years old. One boy yelled, "OK People! I'm ready to hike! Let's get a move on!" We laughed but it was adorable! Once we got up about 2/3 of the way to the peak I looked down and found what looked like a diamond! It is only glass or something like it. Mark said if it were a real diamond I should know he planted it there for me to find. When we were close to the peak Mark went around me and got up there first. I heard a commotion and saw his boots both up in the air. The large group of hikers from the van were already up there. They helped him sit up after his boot got caught in a rock and he hit his right shoulder hard. They also helped me get up to the peak to make sure Mark was ok. The little boy who had been so vocal about being ready to hike came over and told Mark he was so sorry that Mark got hurt. I checked him over and gave him some aspirin. We ate our lunch and took pictures of the area. It is so rocky up there I couldn't find a place to trust for doing a panoramic photo. It never ceases to amaze me what a strong man my husband is. He smiled for the pictures like nothing was wrong. As it turned out we found out his rotator cuff and bicep muscles were torn and he has a broken acromion bone. May 13th he had surgery to repair the damage. We hiked down and went to Carlsbad to eat. So we have quite a story for hiking the tallest peak in Texas. I had teased him about being able to see the whole state once we got to the peak. Since Texas is so big we could not see the whole state.
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.
Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
