Hike #15 - Sonoran Preserve - Desert Vista Trailhead - Dixie Mountain Phoenix AZ

Hike #15

Date: February 9, 2014 

Location: Phoenix AZ

Hikers: Jim & Linda 

Directions:  
I17 North to Happy Valley Road or 7th Street North to Happy Valley Road. North on 19th Ave. Stay Straight onto N North Valley Pkwy. Take 3rd right onto W Copperhead Trail. Take 1st left onto N Melvern Trail and first right onto W Desert Vista Trail.  This trailhead is behind the Fireside Development. No Water/No Restrooms

Sonoran Preserve - Desert Vista Trailhead 

http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/sonoran/index.html
or    http://phoenix.gov/webcms/groups/internet/@inter/@dept/@parks/documents/web_content/095100.pdf

Today's plan is to hike the South part of the Sonoran Preserve.  This is a quick drive from my house. Easy to get to.  Jim and I plan to do about 5 miles. The Dixie Mountain loop is about 4 miles. The trailhead is new and nothing special.

 I knew that you can not start directly on to Dixie Mountain.  We started out on Hawk's Nest and headed up a hill.  It was a surprising uphill climb.

I had D for Dixie in my head.  When we hit this post I thought oh DT = Dixie Trail.  Ahhhh Wrong.  So we headed south for a while watching the Sunrise Chit Chatting as we always do.  We had two weeks of stuff to talk about because we did not hike last weekend.  Well, I felt we were going a little longer and flatter than expected.  We were on the wrong trail.  

As we looked up you could see the trail that we should have been on. No one was on this trail.  Come to find out DT stands for Desert Tortoise Trail and it is a dead end.  No biggie. We picked up V which was Valle Verde Trail and would hit Dixie Mountain.  Not to self. Look at the map better when you start or pull it out.  It was a nice upward climb.

Once we climb to the top of the hill we were able to pick up the Dixie Mountain Trail. The funny thing was we went 1.5 miles out of our way.  Oh well, this is NEW hikes so you can't say you got lost when you really don't know where you are going.  It is all an adventure.  Just like life, you take a wrong turn you go another direction.  (Sunday church session with Reverend Jim)

 We were in ballon territory again.  About 10 balloons were up in-between this mountain and the one we did two weeks ago.  It really is beautiful.  Lots of Cholla fields and cactus.  The preserve has truly been preserved here.

If I don't get my Audi back soon I may do this to it. 

 Lots of bikers use these trails.  On the way down there was a huge ditch and this burnt car was in it.  Kind of strange to see that out here.  Maybe it is a conversation piece.  A little bit ahead of this was an Owl and her babies in a nest tucked between a saguaro.  Funny I took this picture but not the owls.

In the end we did a little over 6 miles.  More than expected.  It was a beautiful hike.  Started very chilly.  (50's) When we ended it was 75 degrees.  Crazy!
 

#15 Done!