Road Trips and Excursions

Introductions

This webpage is the jumping off point for vacations/road trips and other excursions that involve multiple days and locations.

 

Dates

Title

Total Hiked Miles

Summary

2022/05/02 - 2022/05/12

Trail of the Ancients

104

A 11 day whirlwind tour of Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico focused on hiking and viewing Indian ruins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Trail of the Ancients

Bannister House Ruins

Owachomo Bridge

Black Peak

 

Summary

This road trip was mostly focused on seeing Indian ruins in the states of Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.

Itinerary

 


Distribution List

If you would like to be added to our distribution list email us at jtyweb2020@ArtCentrics.com.  Make sure to have Add Me to Mailing List in the subject.   We will send out periodic updates for new hikes we do along with Astronomy related events and photos.  If you are into gardening out here in the South West, feel free to ask to be added to our Gardening distribution list where you will get periodic updates and information on gardening out here in the great southwest.

Best Time to Hike In The Desert

We are fair weathered hikers, so we generally will hike between October to April.  We like avoiding the crowds, and the birds seem to be most active in the first few hours after down, so we generally will time our hikes to start within 30 minutes of sunrise.  This also gives us the rest of the day to relax. :)

Resources

Hikes

Below is a list of hikes we have documented. Listed in order that we hiked them.  Select the hike name go to the page for that hike.  There you can see more details on the hike including pictures, Printable PDF guide, Google Earth Waypoints File and GPX file downloads.

 

Plants and Critters

We have pages dedicated to various plants and critters we have photographed while hiking.

 

 

2022 Hikes

 

State

Area

Hike Name

Length (Miles)

Rating (10)

Difficulty (10)

One Line Description

Date

2022 Total = 217.1 miles (as of 2022.04.22)

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Goldfield Ovens Loop

7.6

5.0/10

7.5/10

A good percentage of this hike is in a wash and very sandy.

2022.04.22

Arizona

Picacho Peak State Park

Sunset Vista Trail

6.4

8.5/10

7.5/10

This trail is less traveled to the famous peak; a preferred route.

2022.04.20

Arizona

Cave Creek Ranger District

Bronco Trail 245

10.1

7.0/10

7.0/10

Rolling hills of Cave creek with nice views.  We also did a segment of Trail 247

2022.04.12

Arizona

Hawes

High Ridge Loop

4.1

7.0/10

4.0/10

Bike Trail - Night Hike

2022.04.11

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Turks Head (Peak 2822)

5.9

8.5/10

8.0/10

Quite nice views on peak, and desert hike is good.

2022.03.31

Arizona

Bartlett Reservoir

Palo Verde Trail #512

7.3

7.5/10

7.0/10

Water levels very low!

2022.03.27

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Sunset Arch Trail

1.0

8.5/10

2.5/10

Gelu & Raluca out for a visit

2022.03.26

Arizona

Payson

Derrick Trail to Promontory Butte

9.0

7.5/10

8.5/10

A lot of climbing for the view, that 0.75 miles to the Butte is a lot of work.

2022.03.25

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Picketpost Mountain Summit

7.3

8.5/10

8.5/10

Nice Summit views

2022.03.14

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Arizona Trail Segment #18

8.4

7.0/10

5.0/10

A nice walk in the desert, only did part of this segment and turned back

2022.03.11

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Mask Arch Loop

8.3

6.5/10

5.5/10

Hobbled together loop hitting the Mask Arch.  This trail is mostly on trails with some road.  Also goes to the Blue Ridge area.

2022.03.09

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Weavers Needle Crosscut Loop

9.5

9.5/10

8.5/10

Put together sections of a number of trails to make a loop while avoiding Siphon Draw Trail #53 and  Fremont Saddle.  Generally can follow trail, but trail is a little difficult to follow in some sections of the Cave Trail and Crosscut Trail.  Many Fantastic views and avoid crowds for most of the hike.

2022.03.07

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Hill 2685 Loop

 

6.8

6.0/10

4.5/10

Give this trail this name since it loops around Hill 2685.  A combination of trail and dirt road hiking.  We never actually went up Hill 2685

2022.03.04

Arizona

Usery Mountain Regional Park

Goldlink / Deer Tanks Trails

10.1

8.0/10

7.0/10

Combine Goldlink trail and Deer Tanks Trail.Both trails are great, too bad views aren't as nice on the Goldlink section due to city views on south.

2022.02.25

Arizona

Saguaro Lake

Butcher Jones Trail #463

5.5

8.5/10

4.5/10

Great lake views, good place for wildflowers when in season

2022.02.24

Arizona

Picacho Mountains

Picacho Mountains Petroglyph Sites

3.8

8.0/10

4.0/10

Petroglyphs

2022.02.22

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Little Four Peaks

2.1

9.0/10

4.0/10

Finalized GPS track

2022.02.20

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Needle Vista to Garden Valley Loop

7.5

8.5/10

7.0/10

Exploratory hike to locate arch on Garden Valley Mesa for possible moonrise photos

2022.02.18

Arizona

Payson

Gold Ridge Trail #47

6.8

7.5/10

8.5/10

Just went up about 3.5 miles then turned back - Didn't want to do loop

2022.02.14

Arizona

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

Lariat-Delsie Loop

10.3

4.5/10

4.5/10

Combine a number of tails to create a loop:

1. Wagner

2. Lariat

3. Pemberton

4.Delsie

2022.02.03

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Razorback

6.9

8.0/10

9.0/10

Last 1.4 miles to peak is off-trail and not very fun, but great views on top of Razorback.

2022.02.01

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Little Four Peaks

1.9

9.0/10

4.0/10

Trail has more markers and is now easier to follow.

2022.01.30

Arizona

Cave Creek Regional Park

Slate Trail Loop

5.6

4.5/10

4.0/10

Combine trail to make loop:

Slate Trail, Military, Flat Rock, Go John, Jasper

2022.01.28

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Needle Vista to Garden Valley Loop

8.5

8.0/10

6.0/10

Nice stroll in the Superstitions

2022.01.24

Arizona

Hawes

Red Mountain - Capricorn Loop

7.7

7.0/10

9.0/10

Recommend Night Hike - Due to high utilization of this trail by mountain bikers.

 

Difficulty due to steep slippery grades

2022.01.16

Arizona

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Renegade Loop

10.7

8.0/10

7.0/10

Combine a number of tails to make a large loop.

2022.01.14

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Needle Vista to Hackberry Spring - Figure 8

6.2

8.5/10

5.0/10

Nice Trail, Spotted a Bobcat this time.  Also made this into a figure 8 hike.

2022.01.11

Arizona

Hawes

JTY-Red Mountain - Gemini Loop

6.8

8.0/10

7.0/10

Recommend Night Hike - Due to high utilization of this trail by mountain bikers.

 

Exploratory hiking to obtain route.  Hike should be done in reverse order of how done today.

2022.01.10

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Picketpost Mountain Loop

9.0

8.0/10

7.0/10

Nice trip around Picketpost Mountain

2022.01.07

Arizona

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

JTY-Toms Thumb Loop

10.1

8.0/10

9.0/10

This loop is composed of the following trails: Toms Thumb, Windgate Pass, East End.  Creating a 10.1 mile balloon

2022.01.05

Arizona

Hawes

Riverview-Sisters Loop

5.9

4.0/10

4.0/10

Popular biking trail.

2022.01.03

 

2021 Hikes

 

State

Area

Hike Name

Length (Miles)

Rating (10)

Difficulty (10)

One Line Description

Date

2021 Total = 481.4 miles (as of 2021.12.30)

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Tomahawk Mine Loop

7.4

7.5/10

7.0/10

First half is road, then joins Horse with No Name trail, gets better then.

2021-12-30

Arizona

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Granite Mountain Loop

6.1

8.5/10

4.5/10

This area has a wide range of desert birds

2021-12-25

Arizona

Hawes

Red Mountain Pass

10.1

8.5/10

7.5/10

Night Hike: Bike trail with great views on the Red Mountain.

2021-12-18

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Miners Needle Loop

9.5

9.0/10

8.0/10

Great views in the Superstitions

2021-12-17

Arizona

Skyline Regional Park

Quartz Mine Loop

5.4

5.0/10

5.5/10

Combine Quartz Mine, Lost Creek, and Turnbuckle hikes for this loop.

A few decent views on this loop.

2021-12-12

Arizona

Hawes

Twisted Sister Mash Up Loop

7.2

4.5/10

3.5/10

This area for bikers.  Might be good for night hikes

2021-12-10

Arizona

Tonto National Forest

Coon Bluff Loop

4.5

4.0/10

3.0/10

This area near the salt river and is quite popular.

2021-12-05

Arizona

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

Escondido Loop

9.8

4.5/10

4.5/10

A few nice views

2021-12-03

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Willow Springs Basin Loop

5.7

7.5/10

4.5/10

Follow road to trail that loops back to trailhead.

2021-11-28

Arizona

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Whiskey Bottle Loop

5.5

5.0/10

4.5/10

Nothing super special here.

2021-11-25

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Sunset Arch Trail

1.0

9.5/10

2.0/10

Some of the best views of the Superstitions and the Goldfields

2021-11-21

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Black Top Mesa Loop

14.5

8.5/10

8.5/10

Long, but nice hike

2021-11-18

Arizona

Spur Cross Ranch Recreation Area

Indian Ruins at Chalk Canyon

8.9

8.0/10

7.0/10

Interesting ruins & petroglyphs

2021-11-16

Arizona

Payson

Cornucopia via East Fork Sycamore Creek

5.9

2.0/10

8.0/10

A dirt road hike.  Not worth doing

2021-11-05

Arizona

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Granite-Cholla Mountains Loop

9.7

8.5/10

5.5/10

Classic Desert hike, lots of birds

2021-11-01

Arizona

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Marcus Landslide Loop

6.5

8.5/10

5.5/10

A pleasant stroll thought the desert

2021-10-29

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Sunset Arch

1.6

8.5/10

2.5/10

Great views of the Supersitions on the Butte

2021-10-24

Arizona

Gaddes Canyon Trail #110

Gaddes Canyon Trail #110

6.5

5.0/10

5.0/10

Hike in the mountains, very few views

2021-10-22

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

2881 Consensus Loop

3.3

9/10

4.5/10

Just to GI Joe Overlook, not entire hike

2021-10-18

Arizona

Oracle State Park

Oracle State Park - Loop 02

6.0

4.0/10

5.0/10

Rolling hills

 

Combine the following hikes for a loop

  1. Wildlife Corridore

  2. Arizona Trail

  3. Manzanita

2021-10-08

Arizona

Anza Trail

Birding: De Anaza Trail

8.0

9.0/10

5.0/10

Great Birding and wildlife location

2021-10-07

Arizona

Patagonia Lake State Park

Cat Cave Loop

10.5

2.0/10

9.5/10

Rainy summer caused lots of grass growth, trail impossible to follow, legs got shredded from grass.  Views were not great.  On the good side, we did see some Coatis.

2021-10-06

Arizona

Kartchner Caverns State Park

Foothills Loop Trail

3.9

6.0/10

4.0/10

Decent views

2021-10-05

Arizona

Mount Graham Study Area

Ladybug Trail #329

12.2

8.0/10

9.0/10

For elevation gain, hike is quite reasonable

2021-10-04

Arizona

Mount Graham Study Area

Roper Lake and Dankwroth Pond State Parks

2.2

4.0/10

2.0/10

Roper is for swimming and limited hiking.

Dankwroth is for fishing

2021-10-03

Arizona

Mount Lemon

Green Mountain to Mount Bigelow

6.7

7.5/10

5.0/10

A number of scenic views on this hike

2021-09-29

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Willow Springs Canyon to Bagley Tank

7.5

2.5/10

4.0/10

Follow 4WD road to Bagley Tank (Dry).

2021.09.27

Arizona

Usery Mountain Regional Park

Lone Mountain Peak 2809

2.6

9.0/10

2.5/10

Just north of Usery, Nice views.

2021.09.10

Arizona

Groom Creek Area

Groom Creek Loop #307

9.5

5.0/10

6.5/10

Hike in the mountains, very few views

2021.09.03

Arizona

Usery Mountain Regional Park

Meridian-Blevins Loop

7.1

??/10

4.5/10

Evening/Night Hike

2021.08.27

Arizona

Woodchute Wilderness

Woodchute Trail #102

9.9

9.5/10

5.5/10

Nice hike with exceptional views near the beginning and at the end of the hike.

2021.08.20

Arizona

Granite Mountain Wilderness

Granite Mountain Trail #261

8.6

7.5/10

6.5/10

Seem this place could get a little busy.  Best to go in the early morning on a weekday.  Good views.

2021.08.13

Arizona

Usery Mountain Regional Park

Pass Mountain Loop Trail

8.2

6.5/10

6.5/10

Night Hike

2021.08.05

Arizona

Payson

Woods Canyon Lake

4.1

6.5/10

3.0/10

Not many birds this time round

2021.07.30

Arizona

Payson

Rim Vista Trail #622

5.0

6.5/10

4.5/10

Nice views over the rim, but next to the road.  Only did 1/2 trail (West End)

2021.07.30

Arizona

Lost Dutchman State Park

Lost Dutchman Park Loop

3.3

9.0/10

4.0/10

Morning Hike

2021.07.24

Arizona

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

Competitive Track Loops (all three)

14.7

??/10

8.5/10

Night Hike Three Loop Hikes

2021.07.15

Arizona

Lost Dutchman State Park

Lost Dutchman Park Loops (3)

8.3

??/10

7.5/10

Night Hike.  Three loop hikes

2021.07.10

Arizona

San Tan Mountain Regional Park

San Tan Mountain Regional Park: North Loop variation.

7.5

??/10

6.5/10

Night Hike with light showers - no photos

2021.07.03

Arizona

Mount Lemon

Red Ridge-Oracle Ridge Loop

8.4

7.5/10

9.0/10

Combine Red Ridge and Oracle Ridge trails

2021.07.02

Arizona

McDowell Mountain Preserve

Adero Loop (JTY)

8.2

??/10

7.5/10

Combine multiple trails for night hike

2021.06.27

Arizona

Watson Lake

Watson Lake Loop

6.7

5.0/10

5.0/10

Mixed bag, a little bit of everything

2021.06.25

Arizona

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

Northern Loop Excursion (JTY)

8.6

??/10

5.0/10

Night Hike: Primary Verde Trail, Northern Trail and Lousley Hill Loop

2021.06.20

Arizona

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

Granite Trail Loop (JTY)

11.8

??/10

5.0/10

Night Hike: Combine parts of many hikes, Granite being the longest

2021.06.18

Arizona

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

Escondido Loop

11.1

??/10

5.0/10

Night Hike: Combine Escondido and parts of Pemberton and Scenic trails.

2021.06.12

Arizona

San Tan Mountain Regional Park

SanTans Odds And Ends Loop

7.2

??/10

4.0/10

Night Hike: Various segments to get Stargazer and LittleLeaf in a loop.

2021.06.11

Arizona

San Tan Mountain Regional Park

Malpais Loop

8.1

??/10

4.0/10

Night Hike: Malpais Loop via Rock Peak Wash Trailhead.

Night Hike

2021.06.06

Arizona

Superior

Arizona Trail Section #18, Reavis Canyon

5.3

6.0/10

4.0/10

Night Hike: for a few miles past the freeway.

2021.05.29

Arizona

Payson

Pivot Rock Canyon

7.1

4.5/10

4.5/10

Good percentage of hike is on read/atv trail, hike after Pivot Rock to Spring is nice.

2021.05.03

Azizona

Goldfield Mountains

Night Hike: Goldfield Wonderings

8.2

7.0/10

5.0/10

NightHike! wondering around in goldfields. 8.2 mile loop

2021.04.25

Arizona

Payson

Y Bar Trail #44

8.5*

5.0/10

8.5/10

Much of the trail is rocky.  Only went to the saddle, then turned back

2021.04.19

Arizona

Payson

Stewart Pocket Grand Circle

7.8

7.5/10

5.5/10

Pleasant hike, but parking is confusing.

2021.04.12

Arizona

Payson

Gold Ridge - South Fork Loop

13.7

8.0/10

9.0/10

Wide variety of terrane, but a long hike with alot of elevation gain.

2021.03.29

Arizona

Superior

White Canyon Walk

6.3

6.0/10

5.0/10

Some nice views, This is part of an old section of the AZ Trail #16 that is no longer used.

2021.03.22

Arizona

Gila River Canyons

Arizona Trail #16: Gila River Canyons - P1

10.6

8.5/10

5.0/10

Nice hike with train bridge

2021.03.15

Arizona

Payson

Deer Creek Trail No45

5.4

8.0/10

3.0/10

Birding - Mostly American Robins this time.

2021.03.08

Arizona

Oracle State Park

Oracle State Park JTY Loop 01

8.3

4.0/10

5.0/10

Combine the following trails to form tri-loop:

01. Cherry Valley Wash

02. Power Line

03. Windmill Loop

04. Arizona Trail

 

Birds at Widmill area.  This might be a good place for night hikes.  Will need to park at American Avenue Trailhead since gates close.

2021.03.01

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Horse With No Name Loop

10.7

7.0/10

8.5/10

Pretty easy to follow with some nice views.

2021.02.22

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

2881 Consensus Loop

8.2

9.0/10

8.5/10

Some exceptional views in the first 1/2 of the hike. Wash hike was not fun.

2021.02.16

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

The Gatekeeper

4.3

5.0/10

5.0/10

Rock formation in Siphon Draw. Lots of people on Siphon Draw Hike.

2021.02.15

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Horns of Dilemma

3.2

6.5/10

4.0/10

Interesting formation.  Peak 2276 is also from this parking location, you may want to do that one also.

2021.02.08

Arizona

 

Superstition Wilderness Area

Picketpost Mountain Summit

5.1

8.5/10

8.5/10

Great views at summit

2021.02.01

Arizona

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Rock Knob-Boulder Loop

5.6

8.5/10

5.0/10

Pretty flat, but real nice views

2021.01.25

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Orohai Loop

5.1

5.0/10

4.0/10

A lot of walking on the roads

2021.01.19

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

South Goldfield Ridges Loop

6.3

6.0/10

5.0/10

View of IQ Arch

2021.01.11

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Picketpost Mountain Loop

8.7

7.0/10

5.0/10

Variation on Circumference loop, Nice casual hike.

2021.01.04

 

 

2020 Hikes

 

State

Area

Hike Name

Length (Miles)

Rating (10)

Difficulty (10)

One Line Description

Date

2020 Total = 283.7 miles (as of 2020.12.28)

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Black Top Mesa

12.3

9.0/10

7.5/10

Great views

2020.12.28

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Peak 3134

6.9

6.0/10

7.0/10

Peak has nice view

2020.12.14

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Peak 2276

2.1

6.0/10

4.0/10

Interesting view of Canyon Lake

2020.12.11

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Little Four Peaks

1.7

8.5/10

4.0/10

Sunrise Photos

2020.12.11

Arizona

Goldfield Mountains

Caves Loop

8.2

6.0/10

5.0/10

Hobbled sections of a number of hikes to go to caves

2020.11.30

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Little Four Peaks

1.8

8.5/10

6.5/10

Short, but surprisingly slow progress.  Exceptional views.

2020.11.26

Utah

Santa Clara River Reserve

Rock Rim Loop

6.4

8.5/10

5.0/10

Starts out rather boring, but gets better as you proceed.

 

2020.11.20

Utah

Zion National Park

Wildcat Canyon Trail

12.9

8.0/10

8.0/10

Best to do this as a there and back again trail.  It will shorten it, and the road walk is nothing exciting.

2020.11.18

Arizona

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Brown's Mountain Trail Loop

5.7

7.0/10

4.0/10

Combine a couple of hikes together to form a loop.  A few nice views going up the mountain.

2020.11.10

Arizona

Usery Mountain Regional Park

Peak 3004 Loop

4.8

8.0/10

6.0/10

Best hike in the park.

2020.10.26

Arizona

Payson

Woods Canyon Lake

4.0

6.5/10

3.0/10

Good birding

2020.10.13

Arizona

Payson

Pine Trail #26

9.2

8.0/10

6.0/10

Pine trail with side track to Dripping Spring

2020.10.05

Arizona

Payson

Horton Loop

9.5

7.5/10

6.5/10

Forest and stream along with high desert gives a wide range of scenery

2020.08.31

Arizona

South Mountain Park

National Trail

17.0

5.0/10

9.8/10

Did this as a night hike at worst time of year (July - HOT) making this a very difficult hike.  Three times I got on the wrong trail adding length to the hike.

2020.07.06

Arizona

Payson

See Canyon Loop Hike

11.1

7.5/10

7.0/10

Combine See Canyon Trail #184, Rim link trail/road to Drew from See Canyon into a 11 mile loop

2020.04.13

Arizona

Payson

Deer Creek Trail No45

8.8

8.5/10

6.0/10

Flowers, Birds and nice hike by a stream, what's not to like?

2020.04.20

Arizona

Payson

Pine Loop Trail

3.9

8.0/10

3.0/10

Nice short hike in the high country

2020.04.13

Arizona

Payson

Bearfoot Trail

11.8

5.0/10

6.0/10

There and back again trail.  Last 2 miles are best;  Other 4 miles you can hear the freeway, or you feel like you are in some ones back yard.

2020.04.06

Arizona

Madera Canyon

Mount Wrightson

12.4

9.0/10

9.5/10

Super Trail and Old Baldy Trail to peak.  Great views

 

2020.03.29

Arizona

Bartlett Reservoir

Palo Verde Trail #512

6.9

7.5/10

7.0/10

Not much for wildflowers this year, but Buzzards are still there.

2020.03.22

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Weavers Needle Vista Loop 2

3.9

8.0/10

3.0/10

Made up loop of various trail segments.  Includes a little wondering around in the middle

2020.03.21

Arizona

White Tank Mountain Regional Park

Goat Camp-Mesquite Loop

13.7

7.0/10

8.5/10

Big loop combining: Goat Camp, Mesquite Canyon, Mule Deer, Bajada trails for a 13.7 mile loop.

2020.03.15

Arizona

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Dixie-Pemberton-Coachwhip Loop

12.3

8.0/10

6.0/10

Night Hike!

Combine three trails for a loop hike

2020.03.07

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Praying Hands Loop

 

6.0

9.5/10

4.0/10

Quick morning hike with wife and sister Kathryn.

2020.02.29

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Cavalry Trail Big Loop

15.3

8.7/10

8.5/10

Good views, and lots of stream crossing in the spring

 

2020.02.26

Arizona

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Sunrise Peak Trail

4.0

3.5/10

3.5/10

To many people and in-city views

2020.02.23

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Barks Lower Canyon Loop

 

4.3

7.5/10

5.0/10

Main hike is down stream bed with lots of rock hopping.

2020.02.16

Arizona

Skyline Regional Park

Turnbuckle-Mountain Wash Loop

4.4

7.5/10

5.0/10

Night Hike! fun track.  accidentally took a wrong turn and cut this hike short.

2020.02.08

 

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Needle Vista to Hackberry Spring

5.7

8.5/10

4.0/10

Nice Trail hitting pats of Garden Valley Loop

2020.02.07

Arizona

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Lost Dog Jeep Loop

5.5

5.0/10

4.0/10

Typical City hike with plenty of people. Combine portions of Lost Dog Wash, Old Jeep Trail, Ringtail Trail, Sunrise Trails

2020.02.02

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Black Top Mesa

11.8

9.0/10

7.5/10

Fantastic views on the mesa top, and enjoyable hike there.

2020.01.29

Arizona

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Marcus Landslide Loop

6.7

8.5/10

6.0/10

A pleasant stroll thought the desert

2020.01.20

Arizona

Catalina State Park

Romero Canyon

14.1

7.0/10

9.5/10

Lower pools are nice but a lot of work for the view at Romero Pass

2020.01.18

Arizona

 

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

Dixie Prospector Loop (JTY)

10.4

 

8.0/10

 

6.5/10

 

Surprisingly nice hike

2020.01.08

Arizona

 

Spur Cross Ranch Recreation Area

Skull Mesa from Spur Cross Trailhead

14.4

8.0/10

9.0/10

Views on mesa are great.

2020.01.01

 

 

2019 Hikes

 

State

Area

Hike Name

Length (Miles)

Rating (10)

Difficulty (10)

One Line Description

Date

2019 Total = 352.0 miles ( as of 2019.12.25)

 

Arizona

Skyline Regional Park

Skyline RP - West Loop (JTY)

7.5

8.0/10

6.0/10

Combine sections of multiple hikes to form a western loop.

2019.12.25

Arizona

 

Spur Cross Ranch Recreation Area

Spur Cottonwood Loop (JTY)

8.3

8.0/10

8.5/10

First section of trail was smooth, but trails in Cave Creek recreation area are rocky.

2019.12.21

Arizona

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

Pemberton Trail Loop

15.1

5.0/10

8.5/10

Night Hike! Flat and long, and a very popular mountain biking trail.  Ideal for night hike.

2019.11.15

Arizona

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Gooseneck Pemberton Loop

7.2

7.0/10

6.0/10

Pretty flat but good hike for sunrise and birds.  Not ideal for weekend, this appears to be a big bike trail.

2019.12.11

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Red Tanks Cutoff Loop

14.2

8.5/10

9.0/10

Combine parts of

Bluff Springs Trail, Dutchman Trail, Red Tanks Trail, Whiskey Spring Trail for this 14.2 mile loop

2019.12.07

Arizona

Pass Mountain Area

Ironwood Loop Trail

6.5

3.0/10

9.0/10

Most of this hike is not on a trail at all. Do not do this hike.

2019.12.01

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Garden Valley Loop

7.2

9.0/10

3.0/10

One of the best easy hikes in the Sups.

2019.11.27

Arizona

Usery Mountain Regional Park

Peak 3004 Loop

5.0

8.0/10

6.0/10

This hike combines parts of Pass Mountain Trail Loop and the Mountain Pass RidgeLine hike.

2019.11.17

Arizona

San Tan Mountain Regional Park

San Tan Mountain Regional Park - South Loop

8.0

7.0/10

6.0/10

Night Hike

2019.11.10

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Dacite Super Loop

8.1

8.0/10

9.0/10

Difficult to follow trail

2019.10.30

Arizona

Cave Creek Regional Park

Go John Trail (Loop)

5.8

8.0/10

6.0/10

Night Hike

2019.10.13

Colorado

Weminuche Wilderness

Four Mile Creek and Anderson Trail Loop

13.6

8.5/10

9.0/10

Two falls, a lake and mountain views.

2019.09.13

Colorado

San Juan National Forest

Columbine Lake Trail

7.2

9.0/10

9.5/10

Highland hike with large blue lake at 12,700'.

2019.09.11

Colorado

San Juan National Forest

Ice Lake Basin Trail

8.1

10/10

8.5/10

Highland hike with fantastic mountain views and blue lake at 12,250'

2019.09.10

Colorado

San Juan National Forest

Highland Mary Lakes Loop

8.8

9.5/10

9.0/10

Highland hike with lakes and falls with max elevation of 12,572'

2019.09.09

Arizona

South Mountain

Bursera-National-Pyramid Loop

10.6

6.5/10

8.5/10

Combine three trails for night hike

2019.08.16

Arizona

Payson Area

Fred Haught Trail #141

15.4

8.0/10

9.0/10

Nice forest hike with Elk and a Bear

2019.08.14

Nevada

Great Basin NP

Wheeler Peak Summit Trail

9.1

9.8/10

9.0/10

Great hike with fantastic views

2019.07.13

Nevada

Great Basin NP

Bristlecone-Glacier Trail

5.6

9.0/10

8.0/10

Cool hike with great trees

2019.07.12

Arizona

Tucson Region

Lemmon Rock Loop

9.7

8.0/10

9.5/10

Nice scenery and cool weather, but altitude makes this a tough hike

2019.06.26

Arizona

Globe Region

Pinto Creek Canyon

2.9

9.0/10

4.0/10

Walk in streambed

2019.05.27

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Praying Hands Loop

 

4.9

9.5/10

4.0/10

A great night hike

2019.05.19

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Praying Hands Loop

5.1

9.5/10

4.0/10

Great short hike with classic desert views.

2019.05.12

Arizona

Tucson

Madera Canyon

7.0

8.5/10

8.0/10

Combine Vault Mine Trail, Agua Caliente Trail, Jack Mountain trail to make a loop

2019.05.08

Arizona

Sedona

Boynton Canyon Trail

Dead Mans Pass to Long Canyon

5.9

6.1

6/10

6/10

3/10

3/10

Nice scenery, but houses in sections of this hike

2019.05.05

Arizona

Payson Area

Mount Peeley

5.3

8.0/10

6.0/10

Nice views on hike

2019.03.30

Arizona

Globe

Highway 188 MP 220 & Boyce Thompson Arboretum

 

 

 

Highway WildFlowers

2019.03.27

Arizona

San Tan Mountain Regional Park

San Tan Mountain Regional Park - South Loop

7.6

7.0/10

6.0/10

Pretty nice, but lots of bikers and people

2019.03.24

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Roger Canyon Trail

11.9

9.0/10

9.0/10

Great views, Poppy mountains when done at the right time of year and if rainfall conditions are good.

2019.03.22

Arizona

Salome Wilderness

Hells Hole Trail #284

11.5

6/10

9.0/10

Forest Hike, a long way to hike to view a stream

2019.03.20

Arizona

White Tanks Regional Park

Ford-Mequite Canyon Trail Loop

9.8

8/10

8.5/10

Wild flowers OK, but not great.  Brittle bush are not quite ready this year but should be great in another month or so.

2019.03.16

Arizona

Bartlett Reservoir

* Palo Verde Trail

6.2

7.5/10

7.0/10

This time we cut it short due to rain and wanted to loop to road to view wildflowers

2019.03.13

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Black Mesa Loop

9.3

8.5/10

6.5/10

Lots of green this year and water flow as good on all streams

2019.03.09

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Reavis Falls Hike

14.1

9.0/10

9.5/10

200 foot Falls are great when flowing,  Last 3/4 mile is tough going upstream

2019.02.27

Arizona

Canyon Lake

La Barge Canyon to Battleship Mountain Saddle Loop

7.0

9.0/10

TBD

Turned back at La Barge Creek due to high flow and cold weather

2019.02.24

Arizona

Theodore Roosevelt Lake

Vineyard Trail

11.8

9.0/10

8.0/10

Didn't quite make it to the end this time.  But it's a great hike with minimal traffic.

2019.02.16

Arizona

Saguaro National Park

Bridal Wreath Falls Loop

9.2

8.5/10

6.5/10

Nice hike in Saguaro National Park (East) With two waterfalls.

2019.02.13

Arizona

Canyon Lake

Peak 3042 Salt River Overlook

6.1

5.0/10

9.0/10

Area has great views, but need to stay on trail.  Of trail is difficult

2019.02.02

Arizona

Bartlett Resrvior

Bronco TH to Bartlett Dam Road - North

11.8

4.0/10

6.0/10

Follows road and power lines for about 4 miles (one way on this hike).  Last 2 miles are ok with a nice view at the end.

2019.01.26

Arizona

 

Tres Rios Wetlands

N/A

8.0/10

N/A

Good place for birding, not as user friendly as some other places

2019.01.20

Arizona

South Chandler

Veterans Oasis Park

N/A

9.0/10

N/A

Great place for bird photography

2019.11.13

Arizona

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

Windgate Bell Loop

10.6

7.0/10

7.0/10

Nice loop with to many people

2019.01.12

Arizona

South Arizona

Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area

N/A

7.0/10

N/A

Famous for the tens of thousands of cranes, but somehow we missed all but three on this trip.

2019.01.05

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness Area

Praying Hands to Massacre Falls Loop

7.2

8.5/10

7.0/10

Variation on Praying hands loop to check out Massacre falls

2019.01.01

 

2018 Hikes

 

State

Hike Name

Length (Miles)

Rating (10)

Difficulty (10)

One Line Description

Date

2018 Total = 269.5 miles

Arizona

Orohai Loop

4.9

2.5/10

2.0/10

Good percentage of this hike is on dirt road or ATV tracks.

2018.12.30

Arizona

Bronco TH to Bartlett Dam Road - South

12.5

8.0/10

7.0/10

Lots of birds and waterfall make this hike

2018.12.25

Arizona

Goat Trail (Partial)

6.2

7.0/10

6.5/10

Same trail as Radio Summit via Goat Trail just didn't go to the summit, not really much more to see at the summit.

2018.12.22

Arizona

Bluff Spring Mountain Loop

15.8

8.5/10

9.5/10

A long hike with varied scenery.

2018.12.11

2017.12.25

Arizona

San Tan Mountain Regional Park: North Loop

9.9

7.0/10

6.5/10

Great foggy morning, combine parts of  Dynamite, San Tan, Hedgehog, Goldmine Trails to make a northern loop

2018.12.08

Arizona

Alamo Canyon

1.5

6.5/10

2.0/10

Casual walk good for birds in spring. - Did not complete hike

2018.12.02

Arizona

Arch Canyon

3.7

7.5/10

8.5/10

Described as "Siphon Draw with an arch" is about right with tons of cairns at the top.

2018.12.02

Arizona

JTY-McDowells Figure 8

10.8

8.5/10

9.0/10

Combine multiple trails to create a figure 8

2018.11.28

Arizona

Gardeners Wall

 

 

 

Little Climbing today

2018.11.22

Arizona

JTY-Kellner/Icehouse Loop

10.9

7.0/10

7.0/10

Combine Kellner trail with Icehouse trail to make a nice loop trail.A little late for the fall colors.

2018.11.24

Arizona

White Tanks: Mesquite Canyon/ Willow Canyon Balloon

10.8

7.5/10

7.0/10

OK hike, added a little extra.  GPS failure

2018.11.17

Arizona

Barnhardt Trail

12.9

8.0/10

7.0/10

Last Hiked 2017.11.10

2018.11.11

Arizona

Butcher Jones Trail

5.9

7.5/10

4.5/10

Last Hiked 2017.05.17

2018.10.31

Arizona

Garden Valley Loop

5.6

9.0/10

3.0/10

Last Hiked 2017.10.21

2018.10.24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hawaii

Makapu'u Lighthouse

3.2

7.5/10

3.0/10

Nice views of coastline, Island and lighthouse

2018.09.30

Hawaii

Mana Trail

9.1

6.5/10

9.0/10

Muddy

2018.09.29

Hawaii

Kumuwela Walk About

4.4

4.0/10

5.0/10

Was unable to follow trail.  May not exists

2018.09.27

Hawaii

Pu'u Loa Petroglyphs

1.3

7.0/10

2.0/10

Nice Petroglyphs

2018.09.25

Hawaii

Crater Rim Trail

2.7

7.5/10

3.0/10

Look in the crater, no flow :(

2019.09.25

Hawaii

Sliding Sands Trail

4.9

9.5/10

7.0/10

Did not do whole hike, but had fantastic views

2018.09.23

Hawaii

Ka'ena Point

5.4

7.0/10

4.0/10

Good ocean views

2018.09.22

Hawaii

Mt. Ka'ala Trail

7.0

7.0/10

9.0/10

Nice views but hike was a pain in the butt

2018.09.21

Arizona

Fremont Saddle By Night

7.1

8.0/10

8.0/10

Purpose of this hike was to take star trails and Milky Way photos.  Started at 6pm and returned at 3:30am.

2018.05.19

Arizona

South Fork of Cave Creek

5.1

8.0/10

NA/10

Great spot for birding, did not do entire hike.

2018-04-17

Arizona

Flys Peak, Rustler Park Trailhead

7.2

8.0/10

7.5/10

Some nice views, but most trail felt like goat trail.

2018-04-16

Arizona

Spur Cross 3 - Ghost Loop

7.6

8.5/10

8.0/10

Seems to cover a lot of terrain.

2018-04-01

Arizona

Grand Canyon - South Rim

3.2

9.5/10

1.0/10

It's the Grand Canyon, what more to say

2018.03.27

Arizona

Mount Wilson Trail #10

12.2

9.5/10

7.5/10

Great views and wide variety of birds

2018.03.26

Arizona

Spur Cross Ranch

7.6

8.0/10

7.0/10

Combined Tortuga, Elephant Mountain, Spur Cross and Dragonfly into a loop

2018.03.17

Arizona

Radio Summit via Goat Trail (White Tanks)

9.2

7.0/10

8.5/10

Nice views of mountains, bad wild flower season this year

2018.03.14

Arizona

Vineyard Trail

12.3

9.0/10

8.0/10

Rainy day but enjoyed

2018.03.11

Arizona

Reavis Ranch (South Approach)

15.0

8.5/10

8.5/10

Fields and Pine trees in the Superstitions?

2018.02.25

Arizona

Estrella Mountain Park: Texas Loop

10.3

6.0/10

7.0/10

Combined parts of Butterfield, Gadsden, and Tothaker hikes to make this Texas shaped loop

2018.02.17

Arizona

Mount Kimball via Finger Rock

10.8

7.0/10

9.5/10

Spectacular view on top of mountain, but a lot of work to get there.

2018.01.13

Arizona

Peak 3004 Loop

5.3

8.0/10

6.0/10

This hike combines parts of Pass Mountain Trail Loop and the Mountain Pass RidgeLine hike.

2018.01.07

 

2017 Hikes

 

State

Hike Name

Length (Miles)

Rating (10)

Difficulty (10)

One Line Description

Date

2017 Total = 271.2 miles

Arizona

Bluff Spring Mountain Loop

15.3

8.5/10

9.5/10

A long hike with varied scenery.

2017.12.25

Arizona

Pass Mountain Ridgeline Bail

5.3

7.0/10

9.0/10

Great views, but on ridgline, no routes, lots of rock-hopping, we bailed before end at saddle.

2017.12.18

Arizona

Pyramid Ranch Loop

8.4

6.0/10

6.0/10

Combine 3 hikes on South Mountain to make this loop

2017.12.10

Arizona

Black Mesa Loop

9.3

8.5/10

6.5/10

Night Hike. Previously done on 2016.02.28

2017.12.02

2016.02.28

Arizona

Cave-Skunk Creek Trails Loop

10.7

7.5/10

8.0/10

Previously done on 2017.04.15 (No photos or GPS)

2017.11.26

2017.04.15

Arizona

Go John Trail (Loop)

6.0

8.0/10

6.0/10

Enjoyable hike, city views for part of hike

2017.11.12

Arizona

Barnhardt Trail

12.6

8.0/10

7.0/10

Great views, and slope was good

2017.11.10

2018.11.11

Arizona

Pass Mountain Trail Loop - By Night

8.0

8.0/10

6.5/10

Originally hiked in 2016, this time under a full moon

2017.11.05

Arizona

Cornucopia - Thicket Spring Loop

7.4

7.0/10

7.5/10

Nice views in the mountains

2017.10.29

Arizona

Piestewa Peak and Loop

6.2

3.0/10

7.5/10

City hiking with crowds

2017.10.25

Arizona

Garden Valley Loop

6.2

7.0/10

3/10

Pretty flat quick hike - Variant on original hike.  Adds 0.5 miles.

2017.10.21

Arizona

Woods Canyon Lake

4.0

6.5/10

3/10

Pleasant hike around a forest lake

2017.10.18

Arizona

Horton Loop

10.4

6.5/10

6.5/10

Forest and stream along with high desert gives a wide range of scenery

2017.10.08

Arizona

Pine Creek and Ballantine Trail

9.5

6.5/10

8.5/10

Nice hike with good views of rock fields

2017.10.01

Wyoming

Sour Creek Loop JTY

5.9

8.5/10

7.0/10

Yellowstone: Nice hike with stream crossing and Bison encounter possible

2017.08.26

Wyoming

Ribbon Lake Loop JTY

7.1

8.5/10

7.0/10

Yellowstone: Scenic view and lakes

2017.08.25

Wyoming

Fairy Falls

7.7

9.0/10

7.0/10

Yellowstone: Great falls and nice Geyser

2017.08.25

Wyoming

Terrace Mountain

7.2

8.0/10

7.0/10

Yellowstone: Nice hike around mountain

2017.08.24

Wyoming

Monument Geyser Basin

2.8

7.5/10

7.0/10

Yellowstone: Short steep hike to Geyser area that is seldom visited

2017.08.24

Wyoming

Pebble Creek

9.4

7.0/10

8.0/10

Yellowstone: Steep mountain hike to valley.  surprisingly little wildlife to be found.

2017.08.23

Colorado

Palmer Loop

5.4

7.0/10

7.5/10

Hike about the mountains of Colorado

2017.08.19

Colorado

Mueller State Park

3.0

7.5/10

6.5/10

Nice hike in the park will little traffic

2017.08.19

Colorado

Garden Of The Gods

6.1

7.5/10

6.0/10

Nice scenery, to many people

2017.08.18

Arizona

Butcher Jones Trail

5.9

7.5/10

4.5/10

Good views of lake.  Best to do during weekdays to avoid crowds.

2017.05.17

Arizona

Flatiron via Siphon Draw

7.9

7.5/10

9.0/10

Great views but to many people

2017.04.29

Arizona

Mount Peeley

5.4

7.0/10

6.5/10

Good mountain views

2017.04.19

Arizona

Palo Verde Trail

7.4

7.5/10

7.0/10

Nice flowers, Buzzards and Bald Eagle

2017.03.29

Arizona

Ford-Mequite Canyon Trail Loop

9.8

8.0/10

8.5/10

Wonderful wildflowers at this time of year

2017.03.26

Arizona

Peridot Mesa Wildflowers

N/A

N/A

N/A

Looks like we were about 1 week late on this one.

2017.03.19

Arizona

Rainbow Valley Trail

9.7

8.0/10

7.0/10

Nice views, best visited during wild flower season

2017.03.12

Arizona

Table Top Mountain Trail

9.3

8.5/10

8.0/10

A cactus jungle with a steep climb and excellent view.

2017.03.05

Arizona

Weavers Needle

10.0

9.9/10

10/10

Hiking, Climbing with 75lb backpack makes for quite an adventure! But great views on the needle.

2017.02.08

Arizona

Black Mountain Trail

2.4

4.5/10

5.0/10

In city hiking with nice view of Superstitions at top.

2017.02.04

Arizona

Toms Thumb

6.2

8.5/10

7.0/10

Granite wonderland with high desert views

2017.01.11

Arizona

Elephant-Spur Loop

7.0

8.0/10

6.0/10

Classic Sonoran desert scenery with some city views.

2017.01.02

 

2016 Hikes

 

State

Hike Name

Length (Miles)

Rating (10)

Difficulty (10)

One Line Description

Date

2016 Total = 112.9 miles

Arizona

Lost Gold Mine Trail

11.7

8.5/10

8.5/10

Nice open views with surprisingly little sub divisions visible

2016.12.11

Arizona

Picketpost Mountain Summit

4.9

8.5/10

8.5/10

Steep climb to great views of the Superstitions

2016.10.09

Arizona

Browns Peak Trail

5.6

7.0/10

7.5/10

Highest point in Maricopa county

2016.09.15

Arizona

Boulder Canyon Trail - East

8.4

8.0/10

8.0/10

Nice hike with good views of the lake.

2016.04.13

Arizona

Pass Mountain Trail Loop

8.0

8.0/10

6.5/10

Nice views on the North and East parts of the hike.   Crowds at Wind Cave Trail.

2016.04.09

Arizona

AZ Boulder Canyon Loop

12.2

9.0/10

6.5/10

Super views with a bit of river rock hiking

2016.03.30

Arizona

Massacre Grounds Trail

5.5

7.0/10

4.5/10

Nice hike with great views at the end.

2016.03.23

2017.04.01

Arizona

Petrified Forest National Park

N/A

4.0/10

N/A

Just Pictures of park

2016.03.14

Arizona

Quartz Peak Trail

6.0

8.0/10

8.5/10

Great Views, feels like 12 miles

2016.03.06

Arizona

Black Mesa Loop

9.2

8.5/10

6.5/10

Gentle pleasant inclines in this hike in the Superstitions.

2016.02.28

Arizona

Saguaro NP East - Garwood Loop

6.3

9.0/10

4.0/10

A nice hike with typical Sonoran desert scenery and lots of cacti and wide variety of birds.

2016.02.19

Arizona

Garden Valley Loop

5.7

7.0/10

3.0/10

Pretty flat quick hike

2016.01.17

Arizona

Rogers Canyon Cliff Dwellings Loop

14.8

8.5/10

7.5/10

Great change in landscape and wonderful cliff dwellings, up close and personal.

2016.01.23

Arizona

Hoolie Bacon Trail - Peters Trail Loop

14.6

4.0/10

9.5/10

Two nice hikes, but off-route cat claw bushwhacking between routes is hell.

2016.02.05