Tag: McDowell Mountain Park (page 20 of 46)

Amy, Janet, Mike, and I hiked 6.7 miles on Friday. We hiked to the pond and then explored some of the arroyos on the other side of the Pemberton Trail.

View from the Pemberton just prior to dropping into Stoneman Wash

Janet, Amy, and Mike

Amy, beneath a crumbly wall

We saw the barn owl several times on our hike.

Amy and Mike

Banks of Stoneman Wash

An old Chevy in Stoneman Wash

Note the small bird, a phainopepla, on the gnarly tree.

Janet and Mike examine the remains of what might have been a truck.

Two saguaros on the way into a box canyon.

Leaving the box canyon.

A deep channel in the wash.

Marilyn, Bob, Mike, Linda, Nancy, Shawn, Lisa, Nick, and I hiked 8.4 miles starting at the Wagner Trailhead.

Large boulders leaning towards each other:

A view of Weaver’s Needle, far far away:

A large saguaro in front of the McDowells:

Marilyn, Bob, Mike, Linda, Nancy, Shawn, Lisa, and Nick:

The desert is drying out again. I was surprised to see these flowers…

A view from the Pemberton Trail:

Mike identified this bird as a red tail hawk.

Saguaros on the Delsie Trail:

Bob, Nick, Allen, Janet, Mike, Nancy, Lisa, and I hiked in the the Competive Track / Stoneman (Pemberton) Wash are on Friday.  Bob’s dog Sarge and Allen & Janet’s dog Bella trotted along on the hike too. Nancy, Lisa, Mike, and I hiked nine miles; the rest did a somewhat shorter hike.

Lisa, Nancy, Janet, Nick, Allen, and Bob with Bella and Sarge leading the way

Nick with his hand-made hiking stick

Janet, Allen, Nick, Lisa, Nancy, Bob, and Mike with Bella and Sarge in front

A Dead Palo Verde Tree; Did the Desert Misletoe kill it?

One of the clay pits along the Pemberton Trail

Another view of the clay pit

Lisa, Nancy, and Mike

Nancy hiking trhough a brushy wash

Creosote Bush (I think)

A view from the Tonto Tank Trail

A view from the Technical Loop

Another view from the Technical Loop

Linda, Bob, and I hiked 11.5 miles starting from the Horse Staging Area. We hiked over to the Pemberton Trail and then took Pemberton to Dixie Mine Trail. We hiked down Dixie Mine until we got to South Wash, which is the first major wash that you come to after leaving the Pemberton Trail.

South Wash is a real treat. It heads ESE from Dixie Mine and crosses the Long Loop (in the competitive track area) twice. We saw many butterflies, a number of owls, and a snake (which happened to be dead) in South Wash. Shortly after leaving the Dixie Mine Trail, South Wash is narrow with high banks, but eventually opens up into being a very wide wash, with even higher banks. It is arguably the most scenic wash in McDowell Mountain Park.

Early morning shots from the trailhead…

This is a view from the Technical Loop, just prior to topping out on T-Bone Ridge.

At the intersection of Dixie Mine & Pemberton:

South Wash…

We saw a lot of butterflies.

I was fortunate enough to get a shot of a flying owl!

An owl in the tree:

This is “Convict Crossing” on the Long Loop.

Near the end of the Long Loop:

Lisa, Shawn, and Jovanka joined me for a six mile hike out to Dixie Mine and back.

These are the mine tailings above the lower entrance.

Shawn, Jovanka, and Lisa at the adit (horizontal mine entrance).

Petroglyphs:

Lisa, Jovanka, and Shawn:

Approaching the “waterfall”…

Ascending the waterfall…

A low angle, but surprisingly smooth slab further up the canyon:

Views from the Dixie Mine Trail on the return trip…

Linda, Bob, Jerry, and I hiked 9.3 miles starting from the Trailhead Staging Area.

Sunrise:

Stoneman Wash:

I think this is White Thorn Acacia:

Barrel Cactus with new blooms:

This might be another Acacia.

We were wondering about the plant next to the agave – Linda, with help from Steve Jones on iNaturalist, identified it as boundary ephedra (mormon tea).  But, while we were pondering this plant, Bob noticed the rattlesnake between these two bushes.  It was really mellow for a good while, but then started rattling like crazy.

Another view of the rattlesnake:

Bluff Wash:

Bob, Linda, and Jerry:

Saguaros on the wash bank:

Another view of Bluff Wash, after crossing the Granite Trail.  (This wash eventually flows into Stoneman Wash.)

Linda and I hiked a little over eight miles on Friday.  Starting from the Wagner Trail, we hiked Wagner, left on Granite, down Bluff to Stoneman Wash, then south on Stoneman Wash. We hiked through the competitive track area, and then returned via Cinch, Pemberton, and Tortoise.

The view shortly before sunrise…

A view of Red Mountain from near the Wagner Trailhead:

Topaz Impression applied to a sunrise photo…

The moon is setting over the McDowells…

A large saguaro in Stoneman Wash:

The remains of a burned tree in Stoneman Wash:

Linda spotted this rattlesnake in Stoneman Wash:

Recent rain has caused the Senna to bloom.

A view of Four Peaks:

Weaver’s Needle and the Flatiron in the distance: