South Mountain Hiking

Living in Phoenix can inspire this ongoing dialogue with yourself.

Me In September: It’s still hot. Why do I live here again?

Me 2 Months Later: Oh. Right. Now I remember.

The weather has been so beautiful the last couple weeks. It just makes Phillip and I (and probably the rest of the Valley of the Sun) want to go out and soak it all in!

One of our favorite places for a spur-of-the-moment hike is South Mountain. It’s not far from us, there are tons of not-too-strenous trails, and we almost always see some kind of interesting wildlife.

The 16,000-acre preserve is actually the largest city park in the country with miles of trails crossing the natural landscape.

And that’s where we went for a little impromptu hiking Christmas afternoon. We definitely weren’t the only ones with that idea. There were actually a lot of people out on the trails.

At one point, we heard coyotes yelping in the distance. I looked around and realized all the other hikers within eyesight had also stopped to listen. We took a side trail to the top of a little hill and counted at least three coyotes racing up the ridge across from us.

hiking South Mountain — Ridge where we saw coyotes. There’s probably a teeny one somewhere in the photo.

We continued up the dirt road that’s now closed to vehicles, past the wide space that used to serve as a parking lot and up a hill. You could see all the way across the park, across the rest of the Valley, to the Superstition Mountains, sitting east of the metro area and glowing pink from the sunset.

We took it all in for a few minutes before heading back.

By the time we got back to the trailhead, there was already one bright star shining down on us. For Christmas night in the desert, that somehow seemed fitting.

July 3, 2013July 3, 2013

Introducing camping

As you may recall from my last post, Phillip and I decided with 5 days’ notice to take 2 friends from China on their first (and possibly only) camping trip ever. No pressure or anything.

Fortunately, our friends Zhipei and Jingjing are flexible and have a great attitude about trying new things. So when something didn’t go quite right (from my perspective), they just rolled with it. It was all a new adventure to them.

A week ago Saturday, we picked them up, and Phillip managed to pack their things into our already-full Prius. We headed toward Show Low. We opted for the less-traveled Globe route instead of driving through the (relatively) cool pines of Payson, since we were concerned about weekend traffic, with all us Phoenicians escaping the scorching desert like rats deserting a sinking ship.

On the drive there, we told them about road trip traditions, like playing the alphabet game and holding your breath in tunnels (we even tried this out in the Queen Creek Tunnel), pointed out places we’d visited before, and wound through the Salt River Canyon – which is huge and stark and beautiful.

We made it to Show Low, then the small town of Pinetop-Lakeside. (I had to figure out what the hyphenated name was about. According to the town’s website, the communities of Pinetop and Lakeside were joined together in 1984. Obviously, that was before DOMA.)

The directions from the reservation site didn’t include how far to drive down State Route 260, but we still managed to find the campground just across the street from the Ranger Station, as promised.

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Lakeside Campground (Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ)

A few details about the campground, in case you’re thinking of visiting…

Location: Lakeside Campground is right off Highway 260 in Pinetop-Lakeside, just across from Rainbow Lake. From our campsite, you could stand in one spot and see the lake – and turn around and see the highway. Convenient to get to but doesn’t quite feel like you’re getting away from it all.

Campsites include a picnic table and fire pit but no water pump. We only saw one in the campground, so bring plenty of water or be prepared to trek across the campground when you need more. The sites are fairly large with lots of pine trees.

Restroom situation: Small outhouses with vault toilets are scattered throughout the campground. There are no sinks or showers.

To do: Rainbow Lake has fishing and a boat ramp but not much space to just hang around. The Rim Trail (also see below) was just north of the campground and the Panorama Trail is just south of it.

More information and reservations

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We found the campsite we’d reserved, hopped out, and started scoping out the best spots for our tents.

The first tent we set up was the one my parents had lent Zhipei and Jingjing. I guess we wanted them to know we weren’t going to be leaving them out in the cold. But we really probably should have started with our tent, since Phillip and I can get that set up pretty quickly. My parents’ tent, however, was one we’d never set up before, and our friends had never set up any tent before. Plus, my dad has his own system of extra ropes, bungees, and tarps that go along with the tent. I’m sure it’s all very useful, but it didn’t come with instructions. I’m sure it was amusing to watch us figure out the setup.

After that, setting up our little tent was a snap!

Once the tents were up, I helped Jingjing get sleeping bags, pads and everything set up inside their tent. It was going to be her first time in a sleeping bag!

Before dinner, we walked over to the lake, which was just down the hill from the campground. A sign pointed out the area that was the “only dedicated public access point” for Rainbow Lake, which included a floating dock, boat ramp, and maybe a total of 100 feet (or so) of shoreline. (I think the rest of the lake is surrounded by private property – homes, vacation rentals, etc.). I had pictured us hanging out and relaxing by the lake, but the small area wasn’t so relaxing. It probably would have been a nice place to ease a canoe into the water and paddle away from the hubbub on shore.

Once we had checked out the ducks that were flocking to little kids feeding them Purina Duck Chow (or something like that), walked down the floating dock, watched some very happy dogs plunge into the water and then out again, we headed back through the campground to our site.

Phillip got the camp stove set up, and we heated up the beef stew Jingjing and I had made earlier in the week. After dinner, the guys filled a couple of large bowls with water, and we did the dishes.

And then it was time for one of the most important camping traditions – s’mores!

Because of the dry conditions and high fire danger, we couldn’t have a campfire (which is sad), so we toasted marshmallows over the stove with forks. Bringing our usual 18″ skewers had seemed like overkill. In hindsight, something with a little larger handle than a fork would have been good.

At one point, Phillip was deep into an explanation of something and didn’t notice his marshmallow was engulfed in flames.

Me: “Um, Phillip…”

Phillip: (Continues talking.)

Me: “Phillip! You’re on fire!”

Phillip: “I know. Anyway…”

Me: “PHILLIP!”

Phillip: “OH!” (Waves marshmallow around to put out fire. Fortunately, does not start a forest fire or burn his hand off.)

Me: (Wishing I’d photographed that moment.)

It was the night before the supermoon, so we almost didn’t need flashlights. It cast as much light as street light shining down through the trees. We could still see some stars and got our star chart apps to identify constellations we didn’t recognize.

We played cards by latern light and taught our friends how to play Spoons. By the time we called it a night, they were experts.

The next morning we heated up some water for tea. Our friends were still full from the night before, so I snacked on mountain bread, and we decided to break camp before breakfast. (I almost always wake up starving, regardless of what I eat the night before. Jingjing says it means my digestion is good. And I thought it was just inconvenient.)

I was grateful for Jingjing’s help with breakfast. We made pancakes, eggs, bacon and started on hashbrowns when we ran out of gas in our little propane tank. It’s okay. There was still plenty of food, especially since Zhipei was still saying he wasn’t that hungry.

Since we were already packed up, we decided not to stick around camp. I asked the camp host (who had been super nice and laid back the whole time) for some hiking recommendations. She directed us to the Rim Trail, just a mile or two down the road, on the way back to town.

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The Rim Trail (Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ)

The Rim Trail is a 1-mile loop. The first half is paved and barrier free, and that’s where the breathtaking view from the top of the Mogollon Rim is. After that, the trail winds through the forest. No sweeping vista, just a nice little hike with signs along the way with nature and historical facts about the area.

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By the time we had finished our hike, we were all ready to start heading home. I was just a little pink from the sun, and we were all tired out. We stopped at Los Hermanos in Superior for a late lunch and then made the descent back into the Valley.

The thing about “roughing it” is it always makes you glad to be back home.

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I’m trying something new with the format. What do you think of having the more informational stuff about the campground and the trail in the gray boxes? Do you feel this is helpful or too distracting from the story of the post?

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Photos that include me were taken by Phillip, except for the final one of us at the rim, which I think Zhipei took.

June 8, 2013February 28, 2014

West of Central Avenue

You know it’s May in Phoenix when someone tells you there’s going to be a high of 93 degrees over the weekend and you reply with some version of “Really?! Only 93? We have to go hiking!!”

That definitely happened a few weeks ago.

Phillip had to work that morning, so we planned wait until the evening when it would be a little cooler.

While I was pondering where to go, I remembered I had intended to stop by my uncle’s house over the weekend and see how he was doing with my aunt out of town.

So I checked out Google Maps for good hiking on the west side of Phoenix, and hello! there were the Sierra Estrella Mountains. Phillip and I have talked about how crazy it is that neither of us had ever made it out there. Time to remedy that.

So as soon as Phillip got off work, we filled up water bottles, had our standard ~~argument~~ debate about what to bring (or not) and whether it should all go in backpack(s), a hip pack, or what. We finally settled on no packs, just full pockets and water bottles (mine in kind of a dorky bottle holder with a shoulder strap because I haaaate carrying stuff in my hands while I’m hiking. But I am used to being a dork.)

We started off by going to Tacos Atoyac. It wasn’t exactly on the way. But close enough. If we’re headed west of Central, we usually go. Or, really, if we’re anywhere near there, we go. And sometimes when we’re nowhere near there, we go anyway. I would recommend you do the same. (Unless, of course you don’t like delicious tacos.) Like the best restaurants of the hole-in-the-wall-taqueria genre, the ingredients are fresh, the flavors are intense, the prices are reasonable, and the neighborhood is sketchy. It’s Oaxacan-style food, so, in addition to tacos and burritos, they have tlayudas, which are kind of like giant tostadas with smashed black beans (also delicious). We try something new almost every time but seem to keep coming back to the tacos al pastor.

After chowing down on tacos and chatting with my uncle, the sun was lower in the sky (okay, maybe a little lower than we were shooting for but at least it was cooler), and it was time to head for Estrella Mountain Regional Park.

Before we got to the park entrance, a trailhead on the other side of the road caught Phillip’s eye. It looked like it might go down to the river, so we had our hiking spot picked out. But, first, we wanted to check out the park itself.

Our short drive around the park was lined with palo verde and mesquite trees, with a hawk flying overhead and a rabbit bounding into the bushes for cover. A roadrunner lived up to his name and ran across the road ahead of us. We drove by a playground and lots of picnic tables. It looked like a great place for a big family gathering.

We definitely want to come back and explore the park when we have more time.

But, since we were running out of daylight, we went back to the trail Phillip had spotted. It was part of a revegetation project, which may be why we saw drip irrigation lines coming out of the ground and young mesquite trees surrounded by chicken wire.

As it turns out, the trail didn’t go as far as the river. But now we know where it goes, and next time we can stick to the park.

By the time we got to the end of the loop, we were losing light and in need of a restroom. Checking a map, I realized we weren’t too far from another of my favorite West Side spots: Ground Control.

It was in a new location since the last time I visited. They still have coffee and gelato, as well as a dining room with a dinner menu past the gelato counter. And the night we were there, it was p-a-c-k-e-d!

There was some kind of kids’ singing competition happening (someone told Phillip the name, but all I can think of now is “America’s Kids Got Singing.” Which is not a real thing.), and each mini-star seemed to have brought an entire fan club along. The corner designated as the “stage” was right next to the restrooms. So instead of being able to make a beeline to take care of business, you had to wind your way through overcrowded tables of doting relatives/fan club members, step over moms crouched in the aisles with video cameras, and cross in front of the next Justin Bieber (wannabe) belting his heart out. Of course, this arrangement also meant that, when you came back out of the restroom, all eyes were toward you.

It’s not every day that I exit the bathroom to applause from a packed house.

But you know what? Way to go me. I planned this little excursion that lead to a good (if incredibly awkward) pit stop, made small talk with a couple of gossipy 8-year-olds while waiting for a stall to open up, and was resourceful enough to have my own tissue in my super-stuffed pockets (which was good since the toilet paper had run out).

Actually, the real reward was enjoying our gelato outside – and out of earshot. Bravo.