A storm of seeds

RIO SALADO HABITAT RESTORATION AREA

Downtown Phoenix

Cottonwood seeds in irrigation channel

Like ephemeral misty extras in a fantasy film, a matinee of billowy white cottonwood seeds are now playing in downtown Phoenix.  If you've ever watched movies that feature elves, forest faeries or warring factions of sword-wielding gladiators, then you may have noticed how Hollywood likes to use  mood-enhancing showers of airborne white stuff (seeds, snow, ash) to build drama while tickling trees and mythical characters alike.  That's what it looks like right now along desert waterways where the seeds of female cottonwood trees are  bursting free and hitching rides on air currents before settling into lofty drifts among blooming shrubs. The easy trails of Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Project offer quick, barrier-free access to this annual natural event which runs through mid-April.

Seed drifts beneath mesquite trees

LENGTH:

To 19th Ave:  2.0 miles one way

To 7^th Ave 0.8 miles

To 12^th Ave scenic overlook: 1.2 miles one way

Basic stroll on paved surfaces: 0.5 mile one way

ELEVATION:  1050' - 1070'

RATING: easy, paved, partially barrier-free

DOGS: allowed but leash & waste pick-up laws are strictly enforced to protect the habitat

HOURS:  sunrise to sunset (or 7 pm, whichever comes first)

GETTING THERE:

There are several access points.  The cottonswoods are best at the Central Ave location at 2439 S. Central Ave. Phoenix.

INFO: City of Phoenix, 602-262-6863

http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/riosalado/index.html

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Take a hike with wildflower experts

McDOWELL SONORAN PRESERVE WILDFLOWER WALK

Ever wish you knew a little more about the colorful springtime blooms that pop up all over the Valley? Then, join wildflower experts Marianne Jensen and Steve Jones this Sunday for an educational walkabout in the foothills of Scottsdale's McDowell Mountains.  In addition to learning a thing or two, the weather should be perfect and you'll get in a good hike.
WHEN:  Sunday, March 24, 2013
TIME: 7:45 a.m.
WHERE: Tom's Thumb trailhead--directions below.
LENGTH: 3 miles
RATING: moderate, appropriate for ages 10 and older
ELEVATION: 2800' - 2950'
GETTING THERE:

Tom's Thumb Trailhead:

From the loop 101 in Scottsdale, take the Pima/Princess Road exit 36 and continue 5 miles north on Pima to Happy Valley Road.  Turn right (east) and go 4.1 miles on Happy Valley to Ranch Gate. Turn right on Ranch Gate, follow it 1.2 miles then turn right onto 128th St. and continue 1 mile on 128th to the signed trailhead. Roads are paved all the way.

INFO:
http://mcdowellsonoran.org/event/displayEvent/297#sthash.DJygPv3H.xHnEvfDF.dpbs

Now blooming: Phoenix Sonoran Preserve

UNION PEAK-DESERT TORTOISE LOOP
Phoenix Sonoran Preserve

Summit of Union Peak

Some friends just sent me photos of their hike yesterday in this northwest Valley preserve, , and WOW.  Now is the time to go see the wild poppies covering the slopes around Union Peak and Dixie Mountain!

Mexican Gold Poppy

Blackfoot daisy

chuparosa a.k.a. hummingbird plant

LENGTH: many trails, refer to trailhead sign for options RATING: easy-moderate ELEVATION:  1,600' – 2,200' DOGS: dogs must be on leash and handlers must pack out poo
KID FRIENDLY: yes
FACILITIES: no restroom or water. plenty of parking, trail map sign, and there’s a special lot for horse trailers
HOURS: 6 a.m to 7 p.m.  GETTING THERE: 

Desert Vista Trailhead:
From Phoenix, go north on I-17 to Jomax exit.  Go 0.2 mile on Jomax to Norterra Parkway, turn left (north) and continue 1.2 miles to North Valley Parkway.  Turn right (south) and go 0.2 miles to Copperhead Trail.  Turn left and go just a few yards  to Melvern Trail.  Turn left on Melvern and go 0.1 mile  to Desert Vista Trail on the right .  Follow Desert Vista through a gate that leads to the trailhead..

INFO: City of Phoenix, Phoenix Sonoran Preserve

 http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/sonoran/index.html

Superstition Mountains wildflower hike

CROSSCUT-TREASURE LOOP

Tonto National Forest

Brittlebush: March 9, 2013

Blessed with a beveled topography leaning into sun-drenched exposure, the open rangeland of the western Superstition Wilderness is choice property for spring wildflowers. In addition to its fortuitous floral fortitude, the Crosscut Trail is very easy to get to, making it one of the most popular hikes for viewing annual blooms. A backdrop of abrupt volcanic escarpments that have been photographed and filmed to death (think, Jerry Maguire) add to the allure of this Apache Junction tourist magnet. 

Wild hyacinth & cholla cactus

Crosscut trail, which wanders 4.5 miles from First Water Road to Broadway in Mesa, also connects with a bevy of routes just outside the boundary of Lost Dutchman State Park.  The Treasure Loop is a favorite because it gets nice and high, brushing the base of geologic landmarks like the "Green Rock" and the "Praying Hands".  For flower lovers, the 500 feet of elevation gain and entry into damp drainage gullies, produces a variety of moisture-loving plants (Dainty Desert Hideseed) as well as those that thrive in more open and arid micro climates (Mexican Gold Poppies).   March and April are the best months for to see the blossoms before impending heat takes them out for another year. 

view from the trail

HIKE DIRECTIONS:

Follow Crosscut Trail (aka Jacob's Trail #58 and Jacob's Crosscut) 1 mile to the junction with Treasure Loop #56 and follow the signs.

LENGTH:  3.5 miles

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 2580'- 2060'

FACILITIES: none
GETTING THERE:

From Phoenix, travel east on US60 to exit 196 (Idaho Rd/AZ88).  Go left at the off ramp and follow AZ88 7 miles to First Water Road (FR78) near milepost 201 on the right. Go 1 mile on FR78 to the signed Crosscut trailhead on the right. There is NO fee to park here.

Alternate access:  For access with restrooms, maps and picnic tables enter via Lost Dutchman State Park and use the maps posted at the trailheads. The park charges a $7 daily fee per vehicle.

INFO: Tonto National Forest, Mesa Ranger District, 480-610-3300

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/tonto/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=35455&actid=50

MAPS: Lost Dutchman State Park

http://azstateparks.com/Parks/LODU/map.html

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Barrier-free wildflower trails

JUDITH TUNELL TRAILS

South Mountain Park

Judith Tunell Challenge Trail, March 7, 2013

Recently re-paved and groomed these two trails make getting out into the desert easy for everyone.  Two connected loop routes offer choices for those with mobility concerns or families with little kids.  The Accessible Loop is 100% paved, flat and outfitted with benches, shade ramadas and interpretive signage giving insight to the local flora, fauna and human history.  The Challenge Loop, although also paved, features a slightly steeper grade leading to a scenic rest point overlooking downtown Phoenix.  Both loops are perfect choices for viewing spring wildflowers. Right now, brilliant Mexican Gold Poppies are spilling over the bajadas while vivid purple lupine and scorpionweed vie for attention among saguaros and hedgehog cactuses.  Today’s rain will surely amplify the colorful show, which usually runs wild through April.

Scorpionweed & Gordon's Bladderpod

LENGTH:  1 mile (two 0.5-mile loops)

RATING: easy, barrier-free

ELEVATION:  1370’ - 1440

GETTING THERE:

From Phoenix, travel south on Central Ave., which will dead end at the park entry gate.  Pass through the gate, take the first left and continue 0.1 mile to the Environmental Education Center.  Trail begins behind the center.

INFO & MAPS:

City of Phoenix, South Mountain Park

http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/south/hiking/index.html

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Urban wildflower hike

TERRACE TRAIL

Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area

Globemallow, March 7, 2013

Wolfberry, March 7, 2013

She appeared out of a pile of rubble to check me out as I photographed wildflowers on the flood plain.  The beautiful white pitbull mix kept both her distance and a watchful eye on my wanderings, never letting me get more than a few dozen yards of her. I dubbed her “Ghost”. Sadly, feral dogs and cats are common in this 5-mile stretch of the Salt River, which cuts through Phoenix just south of downtown.  Surrounded by quarries and construction industries, this 595-acre City of Phoenix multi-purpose project spanning from 19^th Ave to 28^th Street was developed to restore the native riparian life zone, improve flood management and open new recreational opportunities.  The formerly blighted river corridor was cleared, water pumped in and thousands of native plants reintroduced into created wetland marshes, mesquite bosques and cottonwood-willow habitats. Even with all the improvements, the sights and sounds of the heavy industry end of town are ever present ---planes overhead, earth movers groaning in the quarries that flank the river and unfortunate piles of trash carried in on the wind.  Still, it’s important to keep in mind how extraordinary it is that this place even exists.  And, for me that’s the draw.  Although the Terrace Trail is one of the least attractive of the area’s hiking routes, I find it fascinating to marvel at the variety of life inhabiting this sliver of green wedged between freeways and barrios.  Beautiful life such as globemallow, wolfberry and popcorn flowers mix with water fowl, rabbits, lizards and misplaced beasts like Ghost, who I last saw loping off toward 19^th Avenue.

Terraced waterfall & cottonwood trees

LENGTH: 2 miles roundtrip

RATING:  easy---rocky, unpaved route

ELEVATION:  1,100’

DOGS:  leashed dogs are allowed only on paved trails

HOURS: sunrise to sunset or 7 p.m. whichever comes first

GETTING THERE:

There are many access points.  I used the 7^th Ave trailhead just south of US 60. Hike west from &th Ave to 19th Ave. 

"Ghost" the feral dog

INFO & MAP:

City of Phoenix, 602-262-6863

Audubon Visitor Center, 602- 468-6470

http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/riosalado/index.html

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Wildflowers of the wild west

COFFEE FLAT to WHITLOW CANYON

Superstition Wilderness

corral at Whitlow Canyon

Fairy Duster

Early spring brings a magical transition to the Superstition Wilderness.  It's a time when winter-worn shrubs and the gray stubble of last year's flora make a yawning renewal.  Right now, the craggy, hilly terrain is awash in splendor-hinting shades of green with the first of the early blooming wildflowers already beginning to show on sunny side of the mountains.  Although most any trail in the Superstitions would be good for viewing wildflowers, the routes leaving from the Peralta trailhead are particularly productive due to the way water rolls down from hoodoo edged ridgelines over loose-soil slopes before settling into deeply incised canyons where mesquite and Palo verde trees play nurse maid to myriad fragile perennials.  For our first wildflower hike of the year, we selected a mostly unshaded route to catch the early bloomers. This week we observed spotty specimens of wild hyacinth, fiddleneck, scorpion weed, buckwheat, brittlebush, red maids, filaree and Mexican gold poppies.  Best of all, an abundant crop of sprouts teased for a better-than-average wildflower season to come. Color was best along the Dutchman's Trail, especially where riparian life zones thrive around lingering pools of water.  At 2.6 miles, we turned onto the Coffee Flat Trail with the goal of visiting the mesquite bosque and old stock corral at Whitlow Canyon. The corral is a collection of knotted barbed wire and rusty signs drenched in rugged old west character.  Before heading back the way we came, we took a break beneath a twisted mesquite tree surrounded by greenery that will soon burst into fields of golden poppies .

Water on the Dutchman's Trail

HIKE PLAN:

From the Peralta trailhead, begin hiking east on Dutchman's Trail #104.  At 2.6 miles veer right at the signed junction for Coffee Flat Trail # 108.  Follow #108 for 1.7 miles to the prominent wash of Whitlow Canyon, cross the wash and within a few yards, look for a cairned "Y" intersection.  Take the right fork to get to the corral. See "more photos" for images of these unsigned waypoints.

LENGTH:  9.2 miles roundtrip

RATING:  easy- moderate

brittlebush

ELEVATION:  2287' - 2680'

FACILITIES: restrooms

GETTING THERE:

From Phoenix, travel east on US60 to Apache Junction.  Continue roughly 8 miles to Peralta Road (FR77) located between mileposts 204 and 205.  There’s also a sign indicating "Peralta Trailhead". Turn left and follow Peralta Road 7.2 miles to the trailhead. 

INFO: Mesa Ranger District, Tonto National Forest, 480-610-3300

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/tonto/recreation/ohv/recarea/?recid=35495&actid=30

MAP:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5163340.pdf

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Desert wildflower season 2013

WILDFLOWER HIKING SEASON 2013 GETS OFF TO A COLORFUL START

Mexican gold poppy: Feb. 23, 2013

Red Maids: Feb. 23, 2013

Desert Rock Pea: Feb. 23, 2013

Wild hyacinth, aka Blue Dicks: Feb. 23, 2013

Desert wildflowers are popping up all over the low deserts this week.  With a decent amount of cultivating winter rain and warming temperatures, the show is off to a good start. Here's a sampling of what's blooming in the Superstition Wilderness right now.  Stay tuned for updates and wildflower hike trip reports. Can't wait?  Click on the "wildflower" link in this blog's trail index for dozens of top blossom-viewing trails.