big man tips

Celebrate & Support the Maricopa Trail Full Circle. On Saturday, November 17, 2018, the sweet aroma of singed wood at Cave Creek Regional Park marked the completion of Phase 1 of the Maricopa Trail.   Using a hot branding iron, Former Maricopa County Board Supervisor Andy Kunasek and current Maricopa County Board Supervisor, Steve Chucri brought the nearly two-decade-long effort of building the Valley-circumnavigation route full circle by burning the initials �MT� into a wood panel, exactly as was done at the trail�s 2004 groundbreaking. Ceremonial final shovelfuls. American Conservation Experience. The branding followed a ceremonial tossing of the final shovelfuls of dirt onto the trail and the unveiling of a new informational kiosk at the Overton trailhead where the Maricopa Trail departs the park on its 315-mile journey. Speakers, information booths, guided hikes and the release of two Harris's Hawks rehabilitated by Wild at Heart, a rescue organization for birds of prey, ma...

"Hikernators" Find Inspiration on Scottsdale's Tom's Thumb Trail Iconic Tom's Thumb in McDowell Sonoran Preserve. For Valley hikers, autumn�s balmy temperatures are at the center of a triple conjunction of will, weather and wherewithal that rekindles desert hiking envy. Tom's Thumb seen from the Prairie Falcon Overlook. The inertia is palpable as swarms of �hikernators� emerge from air-conditioned gyms, the darkness of night or mountain climes to once again walk in desert sunlight. It�s a heady time of year for hikers who are anxious to shake off the smell of pine and ditch the 4 a.m. start times. The Preserve is open from sunrise to sunset daily. What better way to inaugurate a new season than to climb to one of the Valley�s iconic geological features for tantalizing views and a chance to build your checklist of places to hike over the coming cooler months. Granite boulders line the upper parts of Tom's Thumb Trail. With its challenging grade and Valleywi...

The Trails at Desert Mountain China Wall Loop  At the risk of inciting an uproar, be warned--I�m about to write about private hiking trails. I hear you. What? Why? Don�t tease me!   In fact, I wrestled with this one myself, and ultimately decided that although only residents and invited guests may hike on The Trails at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, the story of their development is an inspiration. A Sugar Sumac tree shades a trail   Many of us traipse along Arizona trails never giving a thought about how they got there or who takes care of them.   Desperados Trail Scouts prep to lead guided hikes Some hikers I�ve encountered believe that tax dollars and some mysterious well-funded branch of government plans, builds and hires the magic fairies who fix damage and haul out dog poop and trash.   Although some trails are within the domain of federal, state and city governments, they may also receive additional support non-profit agencies and volunteers. Other trails...

RESTORATION OF MARICOPA TRAIL SEGMENT 20 COMPLETE Tree burned in the 2005 Cave Creek Complex Fire Wildfires can be as confusing and they are devastating.   Sometimes they roar through a forest in take-no-hostages fury while in other situations, they hopscotch over the land creating a random patchwork of destruction and untouched swaths.   Strawberry Hedgehog cacti bloom March-April The 2005 Cave Creek Complex Fire that swept through Tonto National Forest north of the Valley resulted in a combination of heartbreaking ruin and pockets of unscathed life.   One fluke is the survival of a stand of junipers along Cottonwood Creek, an intermittent stream below Quien Sabe Peak. A point of pride of the restoration efforts of the nearly 14 miles of fire damaged trails that connect the Bronco Trailhead at Seven Springs Road with Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area is the mending of the route that passes by the  mile-long juniper haven that escaped the blaze. Corrals at the Bronc...