Hike #5 - Ventana Trail to Maiden Pools - Tucson, AZ

 The desert and mountains of Southern Arizona around Tucson are spectacular!  To celebrate our one year anniversary since our first hike, Paul and I hiked Ventana Trail to Maiden Pools on December 30.  The trail starts at  The Ventana Canyon Resort which is at the base of the Catalina Mountains.  This 2.4 mile one way hike winds through a residential area before entering the canyon.  You can hear and see water through much of the trail and the canyon is designated as a Big Horn Sheep management area.  We looked hard for Big Horn Sheep but could not find any.  The last mile or so of the hike is fairly steep with a lot of climbing.  When we reached the top after one hour and 15 mins, I thought we had passed the pools until we hiked another 15 minutes and then found them.  This was a very enjoyable hike through a pnumbra of saguaro cactus.

Hike #4 - Chuckwagon Trail to Devil's Bridge - Sedona, AZ

I still have many trails yet to hike in Sedona.  The Chuckwagon Trail to Devils Bridge is a popular hike and I can see why.  The trail is 4.2 miles one way to where it meets the trail to Devils Bridge.  It is relatively flat with beautiful views in every direction.  Paul and I hiked this trail the week before Christmas and the weather turned out to be perfect.  Once we reached Devils Bridge trail, the trail climbed 320' in .5 miles, just enough to really get your heart pounding.  The natural arch/bridge is spectacular and I walked across it enjoying more views of the red rocks in the distance.  I included a link to a video of Devil's Bridge.  You can also drive a 4 wheel drive vehicle to the Devils Bridge Trail if you would rather not hike the 4 miles to get to the trail head.

A very special part of this weekend was staying at the luxurious Enchantment Resort nestled in Boynton Canyon.  We had our own casita with a beehive fireplace, a kitchenette and viewing deck of the beautiful red rocks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oE7iRZ0-iGE

Hike #3 - Siphon Draw, Apache Junction, AZ

 

                      Siphon Draw trail in the Superstition mountains has a reputation as a challenging hike. I can attest to this trail living up to it's reputation!  The 6 mile RT trail starts out gradual to the waterfall then becomes steep requiring a lot of hands and arm work to balance and pull yourself up large boulders and squeeze through narrow clefts in the rock. Paul and I hiked to the Flat Iron which is a large flat mesa like area on one of the highest cliffs.  We then hiked to the summit of the trail where there is a flag made from an agave stalk with a piecs of white denim where hikers can write there names etc.  The day we hiked was also the anniversary of a plane crash from one year ago that killed 6 people including the 3 small children of Karen Perry.  We met her on the trail as she was nearing the top of a memorial hike with some friends.  We visited the memorial that friends have made for the crash victims.  This was a long day of hiking, approx. 5 - 6 hours and very tiring but rewarding.

Hike #2 - Corona Loma Trail, Phoenix, AZ

Thanksgiving morning a friend of Paul's (Bob) invited a group of us to do a trail run up this popular mountain biking trail at South Mountain Park.  The trail was approx. 5 miles round trip.  The first mile and a half was relatively flat dipping in and out of a washes, dodging cactus and other shrubs with lots of stickers.  The second mile was much more challenging having a steep grade of switchbacks climbing 1000' to spectacular views.  (I didn't take a lot of photos so I am posting photos from Mare Czinar with permission http://arizonahiking.blogspot.com/2011/11/corona-de-loma-trail.html)

Hike #1 - Seven Falls/Bear Canyon, Tucson, AZ

Sabino Canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains is a popular hiking area in Tucson, AZ. The Bear Canyon Trail takes you to Seven Falls which in the Spring time has seven spring crossings, large pools and seven water falls.  Paul and I hiked this trail in the Fall, November 10, 2012. There were 2 small pools of water but no water falls.  The trail is 7.8 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 650'.  We actually hiked a little further since it was a beautiful day and we were curious to see the view of the falls from above.