Piestewa Peak and Two Bit Peak

Unbelievably, we experienced a high temperature of 77 degrees in Phoenix on the first Saturday in May.  Because these temperatures simply do not extend further into the spring here in the Valley of the Sun, I decided to make what might be this season's last hurrah a big one.  After giving it some thought, I turned my attention back to the Phoenix Mountains Preserve and zeroed in on Piestewa Peak.

I approached Piestewa from the 40th Street Trailhead.  I parked my car and inadvertently stepped onto the wrong trail.  Instead of trekking down trail #8, I was merrily strolling along what appeared to be an old jeep road.  The road narrowed to an ordinary foot trail and proceeded straight up a mountain.  Seeing no alternate routes, I kept going, figuring this must be the way to Piestewa.  The trail became steep and steeper still.  As I continued scaling the mountain, I remember thinking this couldn't be the correct path.  Either the map was incorrect or I made a wrong turn at Albuquerque.  When I made it to what I would later learn was Two Bit Peak, I was rewarded with magnificent views in all directions.

Piestewa Peak, as seen from Two Bit Peak

As strenuous as the ascension was to Two Bit Peak, I hadn't been on the trail long and still wanted to summit Piestewa.  I scanned the landscape below and spotted the trail I needed to take in order to reach my destination.  After retracing my steps down the mountain and onto the old jeep road, I kept my eyes peeled and spied a trail connecting with trail #8, which I missed earlier during my approach from the other direction.

Trail #8 hands off to #304, which leads to the 302 and, ultimately, the 300 Piestewa summit trail. From where I was now, Piestewa Peak was 4 trail miles away.  Considering I'd already climbed the 887 feet to Two Bit Peak and back down, there was no doubt this was going to be a laborious hike.

Lonesome Looking Stretch Between Two Bit and Piestewa

It felt like a long haul getting to Piestewa, and I was glad I'd brought more water than I thought necessary, which is never a bad idea when doing any kind of hiking and an especially good idea when hiking in the desert.  The summit trail up Piestewa was busy but not crowded.  The ascension was rigorous and the views spectacular.

Sitting atop Piestewa's Summit

I was exhausted by the time I reached the peak, and I still had one heckuva hike back to the car.  My left knee started causing me some pain on the way down and by the time I reached the 304, I was feeling it in both legs from my hips down.  As lengthy a hike it had seemed getting to Piestewa, the return seemed even longer.  I was also running low on water.

Small hills felt more like mountains on the return trip

Level stretches of trail were a sight for sore eyes (and legs)

I do not believe I was ever so relieved to reach my car as I was on this day.  Out of water and flat-out exhausted, I had hiked 11.5 miles, including two summit peaks representing approximately 2,100 in elevation change.  While I do plan on returning to Two Bit and Piestewa again, I have no plans to summit both on the same day.

This hike would indeed be a last hurrah of sorts, as I abstained from hiking for a period of five weeks as the outdoor mercury climbed.  But on June 13, taking advantage of a day off work and a relatively cool morning, I was back in the saddle, this time navigating the famed trails of Camelback Mountain.  Stay tuned - full trail report to follow soon.

Camelback Mountain, as observed from Two Bit Peak

  

   

     

North Mountain

Back in April, before the 100-degree weather set up residence for the summer, I visited North Mountain in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve.  Just as I'd done one week earlier for my Shaw Butte hike, I parked at the North Mountain Visitor Center and headed west on Trail 100.  At 0.7 miles the 101 joins with the 100, which leads to Trail 44 and North Mountain.  So this would be my route.  Though a fairly short 4.2 round trip hike, it still proved to be a fairly good workout.

View from North Mountain

Ascending North Mountain from the north was easy enough.  The south side would be a more strenuous hike.  You realize this right away on the descent, which is rather steep and rocky.  I followed Trail 44 down the mountain to its southern terminus inside North Mountain Park.  Here I rested at a pavilion for a few minutes while snacking on a box of raisins and a granola bar.

Southern Terminus of Trail 44

My second climb to the North Mountain peak did, in fact, require significantly more effort than the first.  Not coincidentally, the hiking population on this side of the mountain was nearly non-existent.  Because of this, I made good time.  I was breathing heavy by time I reached the summit, but it was, as they say, all downhill from here.

The South Side of North Mountain

The hike down the north slope to Trail 101 was swift and easy.  I was moving fast when I saw a couple of kids were stopped and looking over to the right.  They had spotted a rattlesnake just off the side of the trail.  It was stretched out with its head facing away from us and motionless. That is, until we got a little too close for its comfort.  It slithered away just a tad before neatly coiling itself and squaring up in a defensive posture to meet us head-on.  Our curiosity was satisfied.  Nice snake.  Bye snake.

Later, Big Guy

After that encounter, the remainder of the hike felt as if I was just playing out the string, much as a 20-game below .500, cellar-dwelling baseball team must feel like come September.  But I added North Mountain to my ever-growing list of places to visit again.  Once the summer heat subsides, or about the same time those players on that last-place team scatter in 40 different directions, I'll be ready to trek back up North Mountain. 

    

Shaw Butte

The weekend finally rolled around, and I headed over to hike Shaw Butte in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. There are several points of access for trail #306; I chose the North Mountain Visitor Center on N. 7th Street, just south of Thunderbird Road. From the visitor center, trail #100 (the Charles M. Christiansen Memorial) is the east-west route leading to Shaw Butte. I pointed my feet westward on the dusty trail, and before long found myself standing at the foot of the butte.

Traveling clockwise on the 306 loop from the visitor center, the climb up the side of the butte is steep. I kept my head down as I rose toward the sky, trying not to think about the distance remaining to the top. With my heart redlining and threatening to jump out of my chest, I achieved high ground, taking in the sprawling city stretched out in every direction beneath me while simultaneously taking in massive quantities of air. A breathtaking experience, for sure.

Looking across the way toward North Mountain

Rounding the bend, the trail leads to what remains of the old Cloud 9 restaurant, which burned to the ground in 1964. I had read about this abandoned site but didn't realize I would encounter it on this day. I was glad to have learned about the restaurant in advance; otherwise, I would have likely stayed true to the 306 without veering off to investigate the ruins.

Site of the erstwhile Cloud 9 restaurant

The city expands below the remnants of Cloud 9

Looking back at the former restaurant site

Leaving the concrete and stone remains of Cloud 9 behind, there was only one more section of trail to ascend before it began the slow wind back down the other side. The north side of the butte offers up a clear view of nearby Lookout Mountain and of the McDowell Mountains further off in the distance. I passed quite a few people were ascending Shaw Butte from the north. They were smart. Clearly, they had chose the easier of the two paths to the top, as this section of trail follows an old roadbed once used to shuttle diners to and from Cloud 9.

Lookout Mtn on the left; McDowell Mtns in the distance

Coming down, I came across a gentleman who had spotted a snake coiled up inside a rock opening adjacent to the trail. I never would have noticed this western diamondback rattlesnake hidden in the side of the mountain had it not been for this fellow hiker, who said his eyes constantly scan the landscape in search of snakes. I had read how the owner of Cloud 9 would take a stick to rattlers that slithered too close to his restaurant and fling them back down the side of the mountain, much to the delight and/or horror of his patrons. Fortunately, because this rattler was so content, I didn't need to look for a stick or, more accurately, take off sprinting in the opposite direction.

Western diamondback rattlesnake tucked in the rocks

For the remainder of the hike my eyes, too, were constantly scanning the landscape for snakes. I didn't see any, but I did catch a glimpse of a rabbit rubbing its head in the dirt much in the same way a dog will. I closed out the 306 loop and retraced my steps along the 100 trail back to the visitor center. Surprised at how quickly I completed the hike, I referenced my map at home and discovered this hike was only a shade over five miles in length. But what the Shaw Butte Trail lacks in endurance-related qualities, it makes up for on the aerobic side of the house. Whether for exercise or enjoyment, or both, Shaw Butte is certainly worth exploring.  

Lookout Mountain Preserve

While glancing through a book featuring Arizona hiking trails at the local branch library one Saturday, the Lookout Mountain Circumference Trail at Lookout Mountain Preserve caught my eye. At 2.6 miles (3.8 including the Lookout Mountain Summit Trail), the trail seemed tailor-made for a Sunday afternoon. I reshelved the book, and we quickly made plans to squeeze in a visit after church the following day.

A full parking lot greeted us at the 16th Street trailhead, but, as luck would have it, a space opened up before we could seriously contemplate our next move. That was great because I really wasn't much in the mood for thinking; I wanted to hike. With much anticipation, we grabbed our water and hit the ground . . . walking.

The junction of the Circumference and Summit trails is within a stone's throw of the trailhead. So before two minutes had elapsed, we had a decision to make. Again, enough with the thinking already! Because the Summit Trail is the more difficult of the trails, we decided to hike this one first. The trail was steep and became steeper the higher we went. My wife was forced to turn around about halfway up, as it was just too much for her knees. Out of a sense of obligation, I hurried to the top so I could fill her in later on everything she missed.

Looking north over the city of Phoenix

The path up and down Lookout Mountain

I rendezvoused with my wife at the intersection of Summit and Circumference, and we headed counterclockwise along the 2.6-mile loop trail. This was a fairly easy hike. It's not without elevation change, but it's nothing drastic, to be sure. There are other established trails in the park, which created a certain degree of confusion for us, as the trail markers, or sometimes the lack thereof, left much to be desired. But we ended up making all the right decisions (too much thinking!) and closed the loop without incident.

On the Circumference Trail

The vast majority of the people we encountered this day were headed up or down the Summit Trail. The Circumference Trail, though surrounded by the city on all sides, offered a greater sense of isolation. I anticipate coming back to hike this trail again and again. By providing a convenient retreat from city life within city limits and without the large crowds that flock to many of the other area trails, Lookout Mountain Preserve is a true gem among the mountain preserves of Phoenix.