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RIO SALADO HABITAT RESTORATION AREA

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RIO SALADO HABITAT RESTORATION AREA Phoenix Dragonflies live in the riparian corridor Just two miles south of downtown Phoenix, where the Salt River once flowed freely, a former dumping ground has been transformed into a thriving oasis in the desert. Hiking in The Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area is like taking a step back in time to an era before dams placed along the Verde and Salt Rivers in the early 20 th century dried up the channel leaving behind a parched corridor of debris.   Landfills and quarries moved in and the area became blighted.   The site attracts myriad birds and waterfowl In 1993, the City of Phoenix began efforts to restore a portion of the river to improve the urban landscape, help in flood management and provide recreation and educational opportunities.   The $100 million project was completed in 2005. With the cooperation of the Army Corps of Engineers, the Flood Control District of Maricopa County and droves of volunteers, tons of waste were cle...
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PUMPHOUSE WASH TRAIL

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PUMPHOUSE WASH TRAIL The north leg of the trail overlooks a sprawling marsh. Pumphouse Wash is a tributary gorge of Oak Creek Canyon that runs between Sedona and Flagstaff, roughly paralleling State Route 89A. The trail wanders through moist meadows. Its rugged, lower channels�that can be accessed from SR 89A just south of the switchbacks 12 miles north of Sedona �are popular destinations for backcountry hiking and technical canyoneering. From the looks of the tangled corridor�s boulder-choked base, vertical walls, slots and pools of dubious depths, it�s difficult to imagine that its headwaters are located 600 feet uphill in unassuming meadows around the tiny community of Kachina Village. Four O'Clock flowers are plentiful in summer. Located 9 miles south of Flagstaff off Interstate 17, the mountain hamlet is an idyllic residential area of log cabins, A-frame summer homes and a hub of nature trails in the Pumphouse Wash County Natural Area. The trail stays on the brown and out of t...
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HOTSHOTS and JOURNEY TRAILS

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HOTSHOTS and JOURNEY TRAILS Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park, Yarnell Journey Trail I�m not a fan of writing trail descriptions in the first person. Hiking trails are not about me. The staring characters of Arizona trails are the terrain, waterways, scenery, wildlife and plants. That I happened to hike a particular trail is incidental and not part of its theme or the influence it will have on other trekkers. When approaching a trail, I plan for the worst and hope for the best while in anticipation of foul ups, the mantra �suck it up, buttercup� bounces around in my skull. Normally, I subdue my voice so my personal biases won�t dilute a trail�s character or unwittingly seed expectations.   Why rob hikers of the joy of discovery? But occasionally, there�s a trail that�s so steeped in emotion that all I can muster is a stammering, first person account. The Hotshots and Journey Trails at the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park near Yarnell embody that spirit. Hot...
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