Posts
MAVERICK-CHOLLA MOUNTAIN LOOP
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| Saguaros on the Maverick Trail |
All it takes is a little rain to paint the desert in wildflower color.
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| Buckwheat |
The late December precipitation in the Phoenix area soaked the Sonoran Desert just enough to revive drought-stressed plants and spur new growth.
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| Chuparosa |
Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve is a rich botanical garden that’s already teasing of spring blooms to come.
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| Desert lavender |
A short hike using Browns Ranch Road, Maverick Trail, Cholla Mountain Loop and the Corral Trail provide a good tour of desert plant diversity. From the Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, follow Brown’s Ranch Road north.
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| Dry Gulch Trail |
Along this wide passage, fragrant turpentine bushes and yellow-flowered brittlebush dominate the fringe, shading delicate wishbone bushes sporting tiny white blossoms.
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| Cholla Mountain Loop |
At the one-mile point, turn right at the Maverick Trail sign. Fiddleneck, globemallow and shrubby deervetch sprout along washes and at the bases of desert hackberry and wolfberry shrubs.
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| Mormon tea |
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| Wolfberry |
This early in the season, it takes a sharp eye and slow pace to catch patches of rattlesnake weed, lacepod and scorpionweed emerging from the sandy soils.
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| Wishbone bush |
Continue following the signs to the Cholla Mountain Loop trail where massive boulders harbor clumps of chuparosa, desert lavender and jojoba bushes.
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| Shrubby deer vetch |
Hang a left at the Dry Gulch Trail and follow it a short distance noting the expansive basin of giant saguaros that front views of Tonto National Forest mountains to the north.
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| Christmas cactus |
Next, turn left at the Corral Trail. This leg features acres of filaree, also known as stork’s bill. Introduced by Spanish settlers, the low-growing naturalized plant with purple flowers and a beak-like seed pods served as forage for livestock.
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| Filaree aka stork's bill |
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| Brown's Mountain seen from Corral Trail |
Also, along this leg, look for spiny Mormon tea, fragile paperflower, pungent triangle bursage and Christmas cactus.
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| Fiddleneck |
Back at the Browns Ranch Road junction, head back to the trailhead taking in big views of distinctive flat-topped Brown’s Mountain framed by mesquite, yucca and creosote.
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| Fairy duster |
Happy New Year!
LENGTH: 4.5 miles
RATING: easy
ELEVATION: 2,678 – 2,800 feet
GETTING THERE:
Browns Ranch Trailhead:
30301 N Alma School Pkwy, Scottsdale
