Peralta Regional Park Preview

PERALTA REGIONAL PARK

Trail users spoke. Park developers listened.

Peralta Regional Park will open Jan. 12, 2023

The footprint of Peralta Regional Park isn’t visible from the access road. That was the idea.

The master plan for the Pinal County Park that’s scheduled to open to the public on January 12, 2023, leaned heavily into stakeholder input that advocated for a minimally disruptive footprint and preservation of the natural landscape.

Park is located just outside Tonto National Forest

“The less development, the better,” says Kent Taylor, Director Pinal County Open Space and Trails of input received from stakeholders.

Kent Taylor, Director Pinal County Open Space and Trails

Pre-construction feedback from government agencies, and trail users like bikers, hikers, and equestrians, helped ensure that park planners thought of everything.

“A couple of things that we never considered came out of our conversations with stakeholders,” Taylor said. “First was an idea for stargazing which we incorporated into the plans with a trail and stargazing node.

Trail to the Stargazing Node

Second, the potential for rock climbing came up and that will be addressed in the park’s future phase two planning.”

The park offers a primitive, pristine and safe outdoor experience.

Occupying a natural pocket of Upper Sonoran Desert at the edge of the Superstition Mountains and Tonto National Forest a few miles north of U.S. 60 near Gold Canyon, the site is a unique outdoor recreation hub that straddles the gap between an amenity-rich park and bare bones backcountry experience.

A drive-up tent camping site

Roads are dirt and picnic, and camping sites are simple and designed with profiles and colors that blend into the landscape.  There’s no electricity or water.

Hike-in backpacking campsites are bare bones.

“The park is 500-acres, but only 22 acres were disturbed for construction,” Taylor said. “We used existing dirt roads where possible and didn’t want to over develop.”  Extra care was taken to preserve the native vegetation and soils as well. “We harvested 100 saguaros during construction. Eighty of those were replanted in the park and another 20 were given to Tonto National Forest to use in forest restoration projects. Disturbed ground was restored and planted with native seeds."

It's located near popular recreation hubs.

While the park is new, the surrounding desert has long been a popular destination for outdoor recreation. The park sits just a few clicks down Peralta Road (Forest Road 77) from the Lost Goldmine Trail, Carney Springs Trailhead, and the Peralta trailhead--a busy jumping off point for the Peralta Canyon, Dutchmans and Bluff Spring trails in the Superstition Wilderness.

Stargazing node, under construction on Dec. 16.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not glamping (No glamorous hot showers here, kids.)

Camping in the park embraces the low-impact theme. “Glamping” it’s not. There are no RV accommodations or cabins. Only tents are allowed.  There are two types of tent camping opportunities to appeal to those in search of an authentic roughin’ it style experience with the comfort of being within a managed space with a nearby site host and rangers in case of an emergency.  The choices are simple or primitive. Traditional “car camping” sites are drive-up clearings with a picnic table and fire pit.  Hike-in backpacking sites are accessed from non-motorized trails and are no more than small clearings where pack-hanger posts are the only luxury afforded.  Neither have electricity, water, or trash service so campers must pack in what they need and pack out all waste.

The Desperado Trail in Peralta Regional Park

All camp and picnic sites have easy access to 9 miles of non-motorized trails and a quarter-mile barrier-free interpretive walking path. “Even in a compact space we were able to build trails with good diversity from easy to difficult.” Taylor says.

Except for the Desperado and North Star Trails, which have some difficult sections, park trails are rated moderate and link up nicely for creating loop options.

Barrier-free interpretive trail has educational signs

The stargazing node will be a big draw.

The park’s shiny penny is its stargazing node. Equal parts vortex, sanctuary and educational launch pad, the tiny gathering place is tucked into a natural bowl-like amphitheater with big sky views.  The science-centered node features a circular siting area with directional posts and room for telescopes.

The park was built with minimal environmental disruption

A short trail leads to the cliff-bound site that flanks a tree-cluttered wash. It’s a beautiful little spot that oozes as much spirituality as it does science.  

Picnic ramadas are designed to blend into the landscape

While it's not yet designated an official International Dark-Sky Association location, certification work is on the agenda. Taylor, who has camped out in the area, says nights here are free of light pollution and extraneous sound. So stars, planets and galaxies will be  really pop against the inky darkness.  

 “We anticipate a lot of interest in night sky viewing here as well as requests for weddings, which can be arranged by permit.”

Celestial events will shine at the Stargazing Node

When asked if there’s going to be a prize for the first person to site a UFO, Taylor laughed.

“We hadn’t thought of that.”

Park map

  

KEY PARK FEATURES:

• 9 miles of non-motorized trails that range in difficulty from barrier-free to challenging.

• Stargazing

• Car and tent camping sites

• Picnic ramadas

• Interpretive trail

• Equestrian staging area

• Waterless restrooms

PARK HOURS: dawn to 10 p.m. daily for day-use

FEES:

Day-use:  $7 daily. Pay in advance online, or at park entrance by scanning a QR code or with exact change at the self-serve kiosk.

Camping & Picnicing:

Camping and picnic sites are first-come-first served but may also be reserved online.

Camping reservations: $10 per night

Picnic ramada reservations: $10 per day or $35 for group ramadas.

GETTING THERE:

From U.S. 60 in Gold Canyon, turn left at the Peralta Road (Forest Road 77) stoplight and Peralta Trailhead sign just past milepost 204.  Follow Peralta Road 5 miles to the park entrance on the right. Peralta Road is maintained dirt suitable for all vehicles.

INFO:

Peralta Regional Park

https://www.pinal.gov/1204/Peralta-Regional-Park

International Dark-Sky Association

https://www.darksky.org/

 

Black Canyon Trail: Copper Mountain Segment

BLACK CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION TRAIL: COPPER MOUNTAIN SEGMENT

Ubiquitous yet largely invisible to the casual hiker, barn swallows play an interesting game of hide-and-seek with those who wander through their habitats.

Cattle graze near the Black Canyon Trail

The migratory species feeds in mid-air, capturing insects (they love flies, which explains their name) in acrobatic swoops over open terrain, rangeland and farms. 

Barn swallow nests in the SR 69 tunnel near the Big Bug trailhead

Similar to cliff swallows, the tiny birds build their nests in natural rock crevasses, caves and crags, but have discovered that human-made structures like highway tunnels, bridges, culverts and abandoned buildings are also suitable locations for their distinctive nests. 

Prescott Hiking Club members take a break on the Copper Mtn Segment

Plastered to ceilings and walls, the cup-shaped nests are made of dry bits of local grasses molded with mud and lined with feathers.  For observant hikers, the earth-toned cups-which mostly look like wads of mud flung onto ceilings-- can be spotted in overhead shadows in the concrete tunnels that usher trails under busy roads and freeways.

The tunnel under State Route 69 in the Yavapai County town of Mayer outside of Prescott is rife with nests as the surrounding landscape is dotted with farms, washes and open range where the swallows never hunger for a meal of insects.

A handsome longhorn regards hikes on the BCT

Said tunnel ferries trail users between the Big Bug and Copper Mountain segments of the Black Canyon National Recreation Trail, a 100+-mile historic route that runs between Phoenix and the Verde Valley.  While a walk through the tunnel is—at least for nature nerds—an interesting passage, there’s much more to love about the Copper Mountain segment. The trip begins at the Big Bug Trailhead, that's located about an hour's drive north of Phoenix,  by taking the left fork a few yards south of the restroom, passing through the tunnel and heading into wide open pastureland. Save for a few lonesome junipers, the scrubby, windswept terrain has little shade and even less to disrupt big mountain vistas including glimpses of the long mesas of the Pine Mountain Wilderness and the pine-covered Bradshaw Mountains. 

Copper Mountain Loop adds 8.7 miles to the hike

After passing a couple of ranch sites, the trail dives into the an unrelenting series of ups-and-downs.  At the 1.6-mile point, the trail meets the Copper Mountain Loop junction. 

Rock cairns mark the hilly route

The 8.7-mile add-on loop heads left for a twisting trip through the foothills below 5,026-foot Copper Mountain.

Open rangeland dominates the landscape

The loop reconnects with the Copper Mountain segment at the Russian Well Segment 3 miles north of the south junction.

Copper Mountain viewed from the trail

To stay on the main trail, head right and follow the route northward through drainages, gullies and grasslands where grazing cattle are nearly as pervasive as the swallows that dart among the cows and cacti diving for their dinners.

Pine Mountain Wilderness on horizon

LENGTH:

Copper Mountain Segment: 4.6 miles one-way ((.2 miles out-and-back)

Copper Mountain Segment with Loop: 15.1 entire loop plus access from trailhead

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 4,020 - 4,414 (1,265 feet accumulated elevation change)

GETTING THERE:

Big Bug Trailhead:

From Interstate 17 in Cordes Junction take exit 262 for State Route 69 heading north toward Prescott. Continue 4.2 miles to the signed turn off for the Black Canyon Trail on the left.

FACILITIES: vault toilet

INFO & MAPS:

Black Canyon Trail Coalition

https://bctaz.org/copper-mountain-loop/

 

ABOUT THE PRESCOTT HIKING CLUB

https://www.prescotthiking.com/

 

INFO ABOUT CLIFF & BARN SWALLOWS

https://azdot.gov/adot-blog/nesting-birds-are-protected-during-construction

 

Beardsley Trail

BEARDSLEY TRAIL

Beardsley Trail crosses the Agua Fria River

The fusion of cholla-encrusted foothills and desert waterways is the foundational flavor of the Beardsley Trail.  Running through undulating terrain on the southwest edge of Lake Pleasant, the 4.4-mile route rolls out in an unrelenting string of ups-and-downs. 

Beardsley Trail is part of the 315-mile Maricopa Trail

The trail, which is also part of the 315-mile, Valley-circling  Maricopa Trail, provides a walking tour of a riffled landscape carved by the Agua Fria River and Morgan City Wash that rush sporadically, and trickle regularly through the arid foothills below the New Waddell Dam that contains the lake.

The hike starts roughly 2 miles south of the lake at the end of Beardsley CSR Road off the Carefree Highway (State Route 74) about 30 miles north of Phoenix.

Cottonwoods in Morgan City Wash seen from Beardsley Trail

Cholla glow in morning light on Beardsley Trail

After passing the trailhead gate, the hike makes its first of many downhill dips--this one into a leafy riparian corridor where the Agua Fria River and Morgan City Wash merge.  The short walk under cottonwoods, mesquite and invasive salt cedar trees is outfitted with a pair of foot bridges where water periodically flows over the trail.

Brittlebush shrubs are plentiful along the route

Lush with greenery and laced with the herbaceous scent of triangle-leaf bursage, the watery segment quickly morphs from jungle-like to a more desert standard creosote-and-cacti ecozone.  The trail follows South Park Road for a few yards before beginning its twisted north-bound journey through saguaro cluttered slopes, tight bends and long, swooping stretches that hang over deep folds in the landscape. 

Mountain vista from the trail high points

New Waddell Dam seen from Beardsley Trail

Throughout much of the hike, a ribbon of cottonwoods and willows visible in the canyons below the trail, betray the course of Morgan City Wash.  

Water lingers in the Agua Fria River

The brilliant linear oasis, which shows off in shades of gold in autumn, is fed by a high water table and is home to rare native fish, myriad dragonflies, abundant birds, amphibians, and critters including racoons, foxes, deer and javelinas.

Desert tobacco blooms year-round in moist areas

About midway through the hike, the trail begins hitting its highest elevations.

Needleleaf Dogweed adds pops of color to the trail

At just over 1,700 feet in elevation, the views expand with glimpses of the Bradshaw and Cave Creek Mountains as well as looks at the glassy, cove-fringed reservoir and its smattering of islands before the trail ends near the Desert Tortoise Campground.

Saguaros line the Beardsley Trail

LENGTH: 8.8  miles round trip

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 1,459 – 1,735 feet (620 feet of accumulated elevation change)

GETTING THERE:

Agua Fria Trailhead, Lake Pleasant Regional Park.

From Interstate 17 in Phoenix, take the State Route 74 (Carefree Highway) exit 223 and go 8.8 mile west on SR 74 to the turn off for the Beardsley CSR access road. Turn right and continue a short distance to the parking area. 

FEE: $7 daily fee per vehicle. $2 daily fee for walk/bike in with no vehicle parking in the area.

INFO & MAPS:

Lake Pleasant Regional Park

https://www.maricopacountyparks.net/assets/1/6/lake-pleasant-8x111.pdf

 

 

Secret Slickrock Circuit

SECRET SLICKROCK CIRCUIT

Water pools on the Secret Slickrock Trail

It’s a rare hike that packs in as much over-the-top awesomeness as the Secret Slickrock trail.  Short in length but serving up a generous dose of Sedona scenery, the 0.4-mile route with outlets on Chavez Ranch Road and Red Rock Crossing Road appears on maps as if it goes nowhere in particular.

Bradshaw Mountains view on Secret Slickrock

In fact, it goes everywhere without going too far.  That might sound like a contradiction, but the trail’s position high above Oak Creek is a unique eye-candy platform.

Drainage crossing on Ramshead Trail

On paper it reads like a touristy step-out, but when tied into a longer trek using the Carroll Canyon Area Trails network, it’s a confectionary capstone.

Located at the end of a paved street in west Sedona opposite a popular roadside overlook, the Secret Slickrock trail is not so secret.

Extend the hike using Carroll Canyon Area trails

Marked only by a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it trail sign that competes with the marquee attraction across the road, it’s low key presence doesn’t scream epic journey. But, like an icy shower, this one wastes no time delivering the shock factor.

Bear Mountain seen from the Ridge Trail

Red rocks and gullies on Ramshead Trail

However, scenic climaxes such as this one are best experienced with a little foreshadowing.  By looping it up with the Coconino National Forest Old Post, Ramshead and Ridge trails, the journey is a slow burn to the in-your-face final act.

Go either way at the Ridge Trail junction

Beginning at the Old Post trailhead, which is little more than a dirt turn out, the circuit heads north to connect with the Ramshead trail. Ramshead rolls out the teases with peeks at Cathedral Rock, the distant Bradshaw Mountains and the leafy course of Oak Creek and its floodplains.

Scenic overlook opposite the Secret Slickrock trailhead

The trail crosses a road and continues up russet sandstone ledges to meet the Ridge Trail junction where hikers may go either right or left to get to Secret Slickrock. For this trip, go left, hike 0.4 mile and head right and trudge 0.1-mile up paved Chavez Ranch Road to the scenic overlook parking area.

High desert flora on the Secret Slickrock Trail

The overlook serves as the hike’s penultimate moment.  

A fugitive cairn (center right) on Secret Slickrock

A bare rock ledge hangs over Oak Creek and the Crescent Moon Picnic Area that’s world famous for its access to one of the most photographed sites in the Southwest, the towering spires of Cathedral Rock reflecting into the river.  While the spot is great for making pretty pictures, the big show happens across the road where junipers shade the sign for the Secret Slickrock trail. A brief section of level trail opens up views of Sedona’s chiseled land forms all around before encountering an abrupt edge where a steep staircase-like trail marks the descent to a massive stone platform.

Autumn color along Oak Creek seen from Secret Slickrock

The open air, bald stage is home to a convergence of blue sky, red rock towers and the tree-cluttered course of Oak Creek flowing below. 

Cathedral Rock viewed from Secret Slickrock

Capitol Butte viewed from Secret Slickrock

The tiny paradise is a microcosm of everything Sedona. It has reflecting pools like the remote and difficult Cow Pies Trail without the effort to get to them. Heavenly views of iconic vortex Cathedral Rock looming over Oak Creek, without the crowds. A mix of cactus-and- yucca-studded high desert grasslands and 360-degree mountain vistas all in one place.

Maps like this one are posted at trail junctions

Closing up the loop hike can be tricky because the trail disappears on the slickrock. Only fugitive basket cairns mark the sketchy route that descends to reconnect with the Ridge Trail.  The trail is there, but route-finding and attention to uneven footing are required for those looking upgrade from the 5-cent tour.

Grasslands and mountains on Secret Slickrock

LENGTH:  5 miles round trip as described here

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION:  3,955 – 4,185 feet

GETTING THERE:

Old Post Trailhead:

From the State Route 179/89A traffic circle in Sedona, go 4 miles west (toward Cottonwood) on SR 89A to Upper Red Rock Loop Turn left and continue 1.8 miles to Chavez Ranch Road (Forest Road 216A), turn left and go 0.1 mile to the Old Post trailhead on the left.

To drive to the Secret Slickrock trailhead, continue on Chavez Ranch Road to the trailhead located a few yards past the Forest Road 788A junction at a road gate. The trail begins across from the parking apron and forest service kiosk.

INFO:

Coconino National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=72089

Paloma Regional Preserve

PALOMA REGIONAL PRESERVE

An ironwood tree frames views on Compass Rose Trail

Bounded by two desert waterways, a CAP canal, freeways, isolated mountains and the geometric grid of cul-de-sac communities, Paloma Regional Preserve is an island of natural outdoor space. 

Mountain vistas on Multi-Use Path A

The ephemeral character of desert rivers creates seasonal shows of monsoon surges that fade into trickling rivulets and residual pools, all along, feeding swaths of lush greenery in otherwise dry, prickly places. A walkable tour of this critical cycle is on display on the trails of the preserve.

Mesquite trees on the New River Trail

The mostly-flat block of open space straddles the floodplain of New River,  in Peoria, east if the Agua Fria River.

New River Dam bolsters the south end of the preserve

The preserve is anchored by Paloma Community Park which opened in 2020. The amenity-rich site has playgrounds, a dog park, restrooms, sports fields and picnic ramadas. Access to the preserve hiking trails begins at a gate near the dog park where Multi-Use Path A heads east away from the barking commotion.

Speckled Rattler trail leads into Westwing preserve

Wide and sunny, the path serves as a gateway to the preserve’s 12+ miles of trails that also link with the Westwing and Eastwing Mountain Preserves as well as Sonoran Mountain Ranch Park. 

Interesting geology on the New River Trail

With a backdrop of mountain vistas and acres of saguaros, the path soon enters the floodplain of New River.  Mudflats, sandy drainages and water-scoured channels fringed with mesquite and palo verde trees clinging to embankments speak to the power of running water. At the 1.1-mile point, Multi-Use Path A encounters its first major junction where it meets the New River Trail-- a multi-use pathway that runs from Bethany Home Road in Glendale to Pinnacle Peak Road in north Phoenix and serves as a main artery running north-south through the preserve.  

Friendly advise at the trailhead gate.

Park maps available online and well-signed junctions with QR codes and emergency help locator decals, make getting around and staying safe a cinch. While each trail offers excellent hiking, the not-to-miss route on the menu is the Compass Rose Trail. 

View from Multi-Use Path A

The 1.42, moderate-rated path ascends a knoll overlooking the New River Dam for sweet views of the river’s course through the landscape. 

View of New River Mesa & Skull Mesa from Compass Rose

The extra height also opens up views of the Cave Creek Mountains to the northeast and the Sierra Estrella Mountains to the south. From the high point, the brilliant connectivity of the preserve trail system is obvious. The grid of trails below hint at the dozens of options for completing short loop hikes or long distance treks in and around this distinctly desert-water-centric environment.

New River floodplain bisects the preserve

LENGTH:  12+ miles of interconnected trails

RATING: easy - difficult

ELEVATION:  1,369 – 1,550 feet

TRAIL HOURS: sunrise to sunset daily

PARK HOURS: 6 a.m. – 10:30 p,m. daily
FEE: none

GETTING THERE:

Paloma Community Park Trailhead
29799 N Lake Pleasant Pkwy, Peoria.

From Interstate 17, take the Loop 303 exit 221 and continue west to Lake Pleasant Pkwy.

Turn left (south) and go 1 mile to the park entrance on the left.

Trailhead is at the gate at the end of the road near the dog park.

HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION NOTE:

As of this writing, the Loop 303 exit was closed. Use State Route 74 (Carefree Highway) as an alternative. Take the SR74 exit 223B and head 6 miles west to Lake Pleasant Pkwy. Turn left and go 3.5 miles south to the park entrance on the left.

INFO & MAPS:

City of Peoria

https://www.peoriaaz.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/26718/637774189542300000