Awesome hike: Hidden Valley in South Mountain Park, Phoenix

Wow! That was, and still is, my reaction to this short detour trail off of National Trail in the South Mountain Park in Phoenix, AZ. Hidden Valley is an awesome tribute to the forces and beauty of nature.

Hidden Valley trail is aptly name because it’s a trail you can hike only after a 2-plus mile hike in on either National or Mormon trail. As such, the .9-mile segment of the hike labeled Hidden Valley is not overrun with other people. If you don’t see the sign, you can walk right by it and not even know what you missed.

In January 2015, I hiked the entire length of National Trail (approx. 14 miles) and saw nowhere near the natural beauty that awaits hikers on the Hidden Valley segment. Oddly, some of the most magnificent features are within a few hundred feet of National Trail itself.

Here are some of the more notable features from Hidden Valley in South Mountain Park:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Here is the hike summary via Mapmyhike .

If you go, be sure you have good stable shoes and socks – no flip flops – and a couple quarts of water.

Hike: Phoenix South Mountain National Trail End to End

by Paul Fiarkoski

For my first hike of 2015 I chose to hike the entire length of National Trail on South Mountain in Phoenix, AZ – 14 miles in total. I put together a video with the Go-Pro camera Santa brought the family for Christmas.

Check out the trip summary on Map My Hike and the video below:

Cruising Arizona’s Apache Trail

I had a free weekend in mid-January 2014, so my oldest daughter and I took to Arizona’s open roads and checked the Apache Trail off our Arizona Bucket List. The roughly 5-hour loop begins just north of the town of Apache Junction on the eastern edge of Phoenix metro. Most of the drive consists of fairly navigable two-lane blacktop. It’s the 25 or so miles of dusty, washboard road that will keep me from rushing back.

Prior to moving to Phoenix in 2012, I spent 17 years in the Denver – Boulder area of Colorado and did plenty of driving in the Rocky Mountains. So, I am fairly adept at handling steep, winding roads. However, I wasn’t prepared for just how steep some of the sections on the Apache Trail would be. In particular, Fish Creek Hill requires you to ride the brakes almost non-stop as you descend over 1,500 feet in elevation in just a couple miles. Even riding in my vehicle’s lowest gear, the decline was too steep to cruise without the use of brakes. As a result, many drivers, including me, pulled off about two-thirds of the way down the hill to let the brakes cool off – and take a few pictures.

I will let the pictures below tell the rest of my story; however, if I had to name a highlight it would be the awesome splendor of Apache Lake – a Goldilocks sized reservoir sandwiched between Roosevelt and Canyon Lakes along the Salt River. At one point, we backed my truck onto a small driveway on a bluff overlooking the marina area and sat on the tailgate to chow down our picnic lunch. As we resumed the drive, I was awestruck by the towering cliffs shooting out of the glassy, narrow channel on the lake’s eastern end. The visuals ignited dreams of bringing my family back in warmer months to cruise the lake in a rental boat.

Views from the Apache Trail (click any image to enlarge):

Superstition Mountains on Apache Trail, AZ

Canyon Lake Turnoff, Apache Trail, AZ

Canyon Lake Marina, Apache Trail, AZ

Canyon Lake Overlook, Apache Trail, AZ

Apache Trail, Arizona

Drivers view on Apache Trail, Arizona

Natural cave along Apache Trail, Arizona

Mummy rock on Apache Trail, Arizona

Lunchtime at Apache Lake

Canyon Lake Overlook, Apache Trail, AZ

Fisherman at Apache Lake

Burnt Corral campground at Apache Lake, Arizona

Rock formations along Apache Trail, Arizona

Canyon walls along Apache Trail, Arizona

Saguaro cactus on banks of Apache Lake

Rock formation along Apache Trail

Apache Lake Basin, Arizona

Canyon walls towering over Apache Lake, Arizona

Hike review: Phoenix South Mountain, Lost Ranch – National – Pyramid

When skiers use the phrase “earn your turns” they are talking about hiking to a snow-covered section of mountain that cannot be accessed by a chairlift in order to ski it. The phrase that kept coming to me during this hike was, “earn the burn.” As in, burn in the legs.

Let me remind you, I am hiking the trails of neighboring South Mountain to get my legs in shape for a May 2014 hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and back out. If you’re looking to get your legs in shape, burn is good – and so is this hike.

I have not verified this point yet, but I would be willing to bet that this is the only trail in Arizona that leads you through a window of a burnt down structure, as you seen in the pictures below. This spot is known as Lost Ranch. It’s about a mile into the hike from the trail head, and where all the fun begins.

From here, you hike down through a pretty deep wash, then it’s all uphill for about another mile until you connect with National Trail. At this point, you hook a right and head east on National until it connects with Pyramid Trail about four miles later. If you’re in for a little more elevation gain, take an extra ten minutes and hike up Goat Hill for an outstanding view in all directions from 2,504 feet above sea level.

When I hiked it (January 2014), I did not encounter another person on that entire stretch. Once you connect to Pyramid Trail, you do a virtual about-face and head west about 1.5 miles before reaching what many consider the top of the trail.

Here is where I discovered my first petroglyph on South Mountain. I hear there are numerous petroglyph sites scattered throughout the park.

Petroglyph near the top of Pyramid Trail

Speaking from experience, the descent down the face of Pyramid Trail can be challenging, but nowhere near as tough as the hike up it.

Hike details:

Trail: Lost Ranch – National – Pyramid
Length: 9 mile loop
Time: 3.5 hours
Elevation gain: negligible
Difficulty: 1,270 (includes Goat Hill)
Date hiked: January 11, 2014

*Rough estimates. I don’t do GPS.

Petroglyph near the top of Pyramid Trail

My Arizona Bucket List

Featured

Image of Grand Canyon — One of many lookout points along the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

I’m creating this list for my family and me, but thought I’d share it for anyone else who might be interested. We just moved to AZ in 2012.

I became aware of many of these sight from the Arizona Highways Magazine TV show and Facebook page. If there are other sites you would recommend, please leave them in the comments box below.

Must see:

Chiricahua Mountains
Grand Falls, aka Chocolate Falls
Sunrise Ski Resort
Lake Powell
Petrified Forest
Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch (don’t judge 🙂 )
Sabino Canyon
Saguaro National Park
Meteor Crater
Town of Winslow

Have seen:

Apache Trail
Grand Canyon
Lake Havasu
Mormon Lake
Mount Lemmon
Warren Field
Town of Bisbee
Town of Tombstone
Four Corners
Canyon Reservoir
Town of Payson
Lake Roosevelt
Town of SedonaSnowbowl Ski Resort
Summerhaven, Mt. Lemmon
Supai Village
Joshua Forest Scenic Road
Tonto Natural Bridge
Town of Williams
Tortilla Flats
West Fork Oak Creek Trail (Sedona)

Enjoy!

Reflections on my hike of Cholla Trail on Camelback Mountain

I’ve been prepping myself for a 3-day hike in the Grand Canyon in May 2014 by taking on some of the more strenuous trails around Phoenix. Camelback Mountain has a reputation for setting the legs on fire, so when I saw that my church had organized a hike up the humps the first weekend of December, I couldn’t pass it up. Below is a quick summary of my experience.

At the time of our hike, the only way to access the top was via Cholla Trail (pronounced choy-ya) which rises up from the east side. In the picture below, envision hiking a trail cut just on the other side of the spine of the camel that runs from the right (or rear) to the left.

Quick stats:

Destination: Camelback Summit – the top of the tallest hump in pic above
Distance: about 3 miles round trip
Elevation gain: 1,300 feet
Time: 3.5 hours; time of day: early morning
Weather: sunny with calm air and temps in the mid-50s

Likes:

Free admission
Views from the top and other vantage points
Desert landscape
That burn in the legs

Dislikes:

Parts of trail require scaling rock walls and navigating back down them
Concern of bee attacks as advised by signs (bees killed a few people on Camelback in 2013)
Volume of other hikers on the weekend resulted in congestion
Parking a half mile from the trail head on a residential street

Conclusion
I’m glad I hiked Camelback so that I can say that I’ve done it, but I won’t be rushing back anytime soon. The single biggest turnoff was the volume of people. Friends have recommended other trails that will help prep me for my Grand Canyon hike, so I’ll place priority on those trails in the future.

If you have hiked Camelback, I would like to hear your thoughts in the comment box below. Questions? Fire away and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Some more pics from my hike (click to enlarge)…

Overlooking the Phoenician Resort

Some members of our hiking party approaching one of many steep segments of the trail.

A cool feeling visual you don’t get very often in the Phoenix area.

A brief stop along the trail to admire the valley view.

Another steep section of trail. Notice the helicopter landing pad for mountain rescues in the upper left third of the pic.

Somehow we need to get to where the gent in the upper right is.

This Christmas tree is at the summit. Another hiker there that day said she saw a couple 20-somethings carrying it up a few days earlier.

Descending Cholla Trail. Good view of a golf course in the upper half of the photo.

Uphill and downhill hikers often negotiate tight spaces on the narrow trail..

I’m sure more than one developer has thought of building a resort up here too.

Nature showing off its amazing ability to adapt to harsh environments.

This is the top of Camelback from a viewpoint several hundred yards before the final ascent.

Me at the summit of Camelback Mountain.

My first visit to the Grand Canyon won’t be my last

Two weeks shy of my family’s June 1 anniversary of living in Arizona we finally took a weekend to go see the state’s crown jewel: the Grand Canyon.

So many people ask me if I have been yet, and I always felt a little weird saying no. I have really had no excuse other than, “we’re too busy.” We found an empty weekend on our social calendars, so we took the drive four-hour drive to see it.

In a way, I thought of seeing the Grand Canyon as a bucket list item. Been there, saw that. Check! I had seen plenty of pictures and videos, so I knew what to expect; or so I thought.

What I wasn’t prepared for was literally losing my breath the first time I walked up to the edge of the south rim. If photos are two dimensional and real life is 3-D, the Grand Canyon is definitely 4-D. I can’t explain the fourth dimension, but it’s there.

My first visit to the Grand Canyon definitely won’t be my last. As I stood there at one view point looking down to see a few dozen hikers making there way on the trails like tiny ants, I couldn’t help imagining myself in their shoes. The wheels started turning and I have already begun to plan my next trip.

Our church sponsors a hiking trip each June where you hike down to the bottom of the canyon on day one, then stay two nights in a lodge, and hike back out on the last day. The trip is completely booked for this year but you can bet my wife and I will be near the top of the list when they open it for registration in 2014.

Here is a brief slideshow of some 2-D snapshots of the Grand Canyon.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Vintage baseball at America’s oldest ballpark: Warren Field, Bisbee, AZ

One of the things I love about living in Arizona is the virtually endless opportunities for watching baseball. One such example takes place each Spring in the town of Bisbee, not far from the Mexico border. On the south end of town sits Warren Ballpark – America’s longest continuously active baseball stadium according to local historians. The stadium opened in 1909 and has been active with baseball, football and other activities since.

Image: front of Warren Stadium in Bisbee, AZ

Front of Warren Stadium in Bisbee, AZ – America’s oldest active baseball stadium,

Image of vintage baseball team Warren Field infield, Bisbee, AZ

Glendale, AZ vintage baseball team salutes opponent

Player for Glendale, AZ vintage baseball team balances bat on his nose while awaiting the game to start.

View of action on Warren Field (Bisbee, AZ) from the stands.

Image of Warren Field infield, Bisbee, AZ

Warren Park Infield, 2013 Copper City Classic

Intrigued by an article I had read in American Profile tabloid newspaper last Fall, my wife and I made a road trip to Bisbee for the 2013 Copper City Classic – a tournament of vintage “base ball” teams from around the region. They don vintage uniforms and play by the old rules: under-handed pitching, no balls or strikes, ball caught on one hop is an out, and so on.

I wouldn’t say these guys (and a few gals) are stellar athletes, but they are good sports. The players range in age from teens to sixties. Important to them is respect for each other and, more importantly, the game. Scoring appears to be second to having fun in their order of priorities. The announcer livens things up by getting a little animated with the players’ nicknames and applying an appropriate amount of jeering to certain players when necessary. And the community will benefit from the modest amount of money raised to help improve the stadium.

An unexpected Spring Training experience

On the second to the last Saturday of the 2013 MLB Spring Training season I had a unique and unexpected baseball experience. My plan was to go to the Brewers – Angels game at Diablo Stadium in Tempe. I was solo and didn’t really care where I sat, so I didn’t bother buying a ticket in advance. Bad decision, good outcome.

Ordinarily you can buy general admission tickets to sit in the outfield lawn for $8. By the time I arrived, the stadium was completely sold out and scalpers were asking $50 a ticket, so I decided to pass. Shortly after I jumped in my truck and began to pull away, I noticed some guys in uniform on a nearby field.

Since I had no other plans that afternoon, I did a u-turn and returned my truck to the parking spot then walked over to the field. When I got close enough, I could see that the two teams were wearing the uniforms of the Brewers and Angels.

AA baseball in Tempe, AZ — Angels and Brewers AA teams battle it out in 2013 Spring Training, (Tempe, AZ)

After taking a seat in the second row of the bleacher I asked a woman, who was there with her three young kids, if she knew anyone playing. She did. Her husband was playing third base for the Angels. I then found out he’s on the AA farm team in Arkansas where he’ll be heading for summer ball. He was drafted from the Dominican Republic I would find out.

To my right about eight feet away was the bench where the coaches sit. A few paces beyond that was the opening to the dugout. One of the coaches appeared to be in his 60s and communicated equally effectively with both his English and Spanish speaking players.

So here I was sitting practically in the midst of the visiting team, able to hear and see every interaction between the players and coaches. It wasn’t much different than the dugout experience I remember from high school.

Other than the fact that the Brewers won with two home runs and three RBI (that I witnessed), I couldn’t tell you the story line of the game. Oh, and the Angels’ third baseman from the DR flied out twice.