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| | | Dixie Mountain Wildflowers Loop, AZ | | | |
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Dixie Mountain Wildflowers Loop, AZ
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| Hiking | 5.09 Miles |
840 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.09 Miles | | | |
| 840 ft AEG | | | | |
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none
[ show ]
| no partners | | (written 3-21-2023) Time to check out this little loop as I know there are wildflowers out here; it's just a matter of where and how much. As I headed up the Hawknest Trail it was already busy with people. The Brittlebush was blooming nicely on this south side of the mountain. I checked on the owl; she was not in photo position so I continued to the saddle. I started walking clockwise on the Dixie Mountain Loop where I immediately saw lots and lots of somewhat thick Desert Hyacinth on both sides of the trail and the filming commenced. And today, due to the filtered sun, I was able to get some decent pictures of this delicate lily.
Heading down the hill there was more blooming Brittlebush and some great stands of Scorpionweed, plus in the northwest distance, some very cool cloud formations. I encountered a few more hikers until I got to the bottom where I was on my own for a little bit now. This first section to the wash didn't have a lot of flowers until I got just west of the wash where all of a sudden, bunches of poppies appeared. Once I was across the wash heading toward Cholla Saddle the Lupine decided to put on a show. There were occasional large patches of Lupine and Scorpionweed mix too. My pictures of some of them are somewhat disappointing; hopefully I'll figure out how to photo those better. Near the other side of the saddle there were some poppies and lupine to take pictures of with the cholla so that was fun.
Continuing northbound I was about to get hit in the face again and again. The wildflower show here was stunning and it wouldn't let up. Needless to say, I spent some time here. I dragged myself away and thought I might get a break from the wildflower frenzy  but it kept up off and on including a lot of Lupine alongside the trail and in big patches. As I got closer to heading up to the east saddle some poppies also showed up. I thought surely I would get a break when I crossed over the east side and I did. On the hillside, however, was lots of Desert Hyacinth and on both sides of the trail. When I rounded the corner and headed west toward Dixie Peak, Brittlebush along with some Scorpionweed did line the trail from time to time.
I found a huge patch of Lupine at the second mountain saddle area after Dixie Peak. It was somewhat hidden but I made my way behind the trees to take photos. I continued the hike, still encountering more hikers. I was surprised how many I saw for a Tuesday afternoon. There were wildflowers off and on the whole rest of the way. There were a couple Buckhorns where the buds had started to bloom out; the color is a very intense red so far. My phone shut off as it ran out of juice. I had my little battery banks with me but forgot the cable. I grabbed a few pictures with the Pany; especially when I got to the owl nest. She was still hard to see but I grabbed a couple photos. One of the hikers there said he had seen the other two at Esplanade. As I have mentioned, I only saw the one; so I was glad to hear that.
There were still more hikers coming as I finished off the hike that, as usual, took way longer than normal since I was filming a lot. But as I have said previously, I feel I should do it under these fabulous conditions. Another great wildflower hike in the books with the best variety of the season  . Definitely a "tibbermode" afternoon, but how often do we get a super bloom?
If you don't like wildflowers, no point in watching these videos. The wildflowers were near prime and there were lots for the entire hike, thus four videos of which I haven't quite finished reviewing.
Part 1 [ youtube video ] to just below Cholla Saddle. I had to redo this one as I forgot to include the Hawknest Trail part of the hike (thus it's a little longer) and then I ran into some major technical difficulties getting Filmora and my computer to talk to each other.
Part 2 [ youtube video ] to Cholla Saddle and northwest corner of loop
Part 3 [ youtube video ] northwest side to below northeast saddle
Part 4 [ youtube video ] heading up to the saddle and finishing off the hike including Hawknest Trail
3 Hrs 7 Mns with 11 Mns Break 1.74 mph 840 ft AEG |
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Wildflowers Observation Extreme
and a super bloom it was. |
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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