Eight of us (counting Sarge) hiked the Scenic Trail in McDowell Mountain Park last Friday. When Nancy, Venie, Bob, Sarge, and I got to the Cinch Trail, we split off from the rest of the group and continued on. We made our way across the road, eventually ending up in Stoneman Wash and some of its feeder washes. Our hike was ten miles long with around 650 feet of total ascent.
On the Scenic Trail…
Sarge looks at me as if to say, “What are you doing with that camera?”
A group photo at the bottom of the Scenic Trail. It was at this point, that Bob, Sarge, Venie, Nancy, and I continued our adventure starting on the Cinch Trail.
Sarge leads the way on the Tech Loop.
Looking back at “The Leoge” on the Technical Loop. Fortunately for us, there are now some nice bypasses that go around these drops on this trail.
A Mexican Poppy. Many of the wildflowers have dried up or are in the process of wilting.
A view of Stoneman Wash in the foreground with the McDowells in the background.
A Hedgehog Cactus blossom.
This is a teddy bear cholla flower:
Some saguaros.
This might be another buckhorn cholla flower.
A look at some of the small canyons west of the homestead site.
I think this one is Spiny Goldenweed:
Another hedgehog flower.
Susan says:
Must have been a very nice hike. Very nice panoramas–smiley faces–and great weather!!
April 5, 2014 — 7:31 pm
Marilyn Huot says:
I love seeing the beautiful pictures of the Friday hikes, only sad I am not enjoying the hikes with the group. Hopefully next time I am back in Fountain Hills.
April 6, 2014 — 7:41 am
Tracy says:
Awesome flowers. You can even see the pollen in some of them. Really nice color too. Wish I was there to hike too!
April 6, 2014 — 10:45 am