Arizona Desert Hiking: Gateway Loop Trail

My last desert hike near Scottsdale was the Gateway Loop. It is only a four mile loop with 625 foot elevation gain, but at 85 degrees, it was a challenge.

Arizona Desert Hiking: Markus Landslide

Our last morning of desert hiking in February took us to the east side of the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve and the Markus Landslide Trail.

There were many weathered granite mushrooms along the trail.

The view to the east and the Verde River Valley.

The bottom photo shows the Weaver's Needle and to the right, the Superstitions.

Arizona Desert Hiking: Sunset

Gateway Hiking Center, Scottsdale.

Arizona Desert Hiking: Hieroglyphics Trail

The trail begins at the foot of the Superstition Mountains near Gold Canyon. It's about three miles round trip and yields some interesting views of petroglyphs created by the Hohokum.

There are seasonal pools at the petroglyphs.

The hike ends in the valley shown below.

The trail is a little rough in places but is very popular.

Arizona Desert Hiking: Cow Poke Trail

The last part of our hike around Granite Mountain was on the Cow Poke Trail.

Not in Washington Any More

When I saw this sign on our hike near Scottsdale, AZ, I knew I wasn't in western Washington any more.

Arizona Desert Hiking: Canyon Trail

We continued around Granite Mountain on the Canyon Trail.

Arizona Desert Hiking: Crown Cactus

We took a loop off the Granite Mountain Loop Trail. The Coyote Trail took us to a crown or crested cactus. These are rare, although nearly 800 have been identified. What causes the unusual tip is debated. Some say it is genetic while others say it is the result of lightning. 

Arizona Desert Hiking: Balanced Rock

A short spur off the main trail on the southwest side of Granite Mountain took us to Balanced Rock, at the upper right in the photo above. Of course, I needed to prove I was there.

Arizona Desert Hiking: Granite Mountain

The Granite Mountain Trail is in the northern region of Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve. There are lots of granite boulders, huge saguaros, and views of the surrounding desert. 
To the west are Cone Mountain and Brown's Mountain, shown below. Can you spot the two hot air balloons to the right of Brown's Mountain?

Arizona Desert Sunrise

We began our hike around Granite Mountain near Scottsdale before sunrise. It was a longer hike and we were avoiding the heat of the later part of the day.

How old is this cactus?

There was a sign at Pinnacle Peak informing us how old some of the cactuses were that we saw on our hike. This one would be around 175 years old since it has a woody base.

Hiking Arizona: Pinnacle Peak

We took an afternoon hike at Pinnacle Peak, a Scottsdale park. My niece volunteers at this park so it is one of her favorites. The views were great.

My niece and sister on the trail.

Bajada Nature Trail

We took an informative stroll through the Bajada Nature Trail at the Gateway Trailhead. A bajada is the area between the steep mountain slopes and the flat valley floor. We saw many saguaro.

The spines of the saquaro are tough and can be used as walking sticks.

The teddy bear cholla was my favorite as its spikes seemed to glow in the sun.

Here is a fish hook barrel cactus and below is a buckhorn cholla.

Teddy Bear Cholla and a Packrat's Midden

This is a teddy bear cholla, sometimes called a jumping cholla because the segments that fall to the ground will stick to legs, seeming to jump onto them.

Under this tree is a midden, a packrat's home. They carefully carry the cholla segments in their mouths. The packrat's urine hardens to a crystalline coating and the interior is often twenty degrees cooler than outside. 

Desert Hiking in Arizona

Our first hike was an early morning one at the Gateway Trailhead of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

The Preserve is a large protected desert habitat next to Scottsdale and has lots of trails. This view is to the west and Scottsdale.

This view is to the east and the McDowell Mountain area.