big man tips

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...

MARICOPA TRAIL: Bartlett Dam Road to McDowell Sonoran Preserve Maricopa Trail pass through Tonto National Forest The 300+-mile course of the Maricopa Trail takes many forms.   Sometimes it�s a single track, canal bank, road or suburban pathway. All the segments are beautiful and useful in their own ways and yet, some of the most memorable are within the Tonto National Forest.   Desert greenery flanks suburbia. The 20.5-mile Bronco to Granite Mountain segment northeast of Scottsdale stays within the forest boundary passing by Camp Creek, Blue Wash, Rackensack Canyon and hilly desert back country. The north-south running route is bisected by Bartlett Dam Road making it easy to tackle as a car shuttle hike. Four Peaks on the eastern horizon. North of the road, the route is a rugged trek through mountainous terrain, washes and rough drainages while to the south, the hike is a milder adventure with lots of variety.   Both halves share space with a power line that is visible to...

PALO VERDE TRAIL Tonto National Forest, Bartlett Reservoir Granite boulders above Bartlett Lake From the drive in to the trailhead to its turnaround point, this hike is packed with stunning scenery. Hedged among rough cut cliffs and desert highlands of the Verde River watershed, Bartlett Reservoir fills 12 miles of the canyon bound channel with crystalline waters teeming with bass, catfish and bluegills. Although the year-round recreation site which is located roughly 50 miles north of Phoenix is famous mostly for its boating, fishing, shaded picnic areas and camping opportunities, the Palo Verde Trail offers hikers a surprisingly challenging route with terrific mountain and water views. The trail meanders among the foothills and washes on the lake�s western banks. This is not a hike to try during or immediately after storms because rain rumbling off the foothills turns washes and gullies into raging rivers of debris. Chollas frame Tonto National Forest mountain vistas Don�t be fooled ...

RED ROCK SPRING to GERONIMO TRAILHEAD Tonto National Forest Red Rock Spring Water is the life force of the forest. In Arizona, where water is too often in short supply, the forests have some creative ways of storing and distributing the precious liquid. An example of a natural water system can be observed near the base of the Mogollon Rim near Pine. Beneath the imposing, vertical cliffs that mark the edge of the Colorado Plateau, numerous springs provide reliable water sources for wildlife and long distance hikers. The springs are charged when melting snow and rainfall on the 7,000-foot escarpment, soaks through the porous rocks emerging hundreds of feet below as gushing waterfalls (Horton Spring) oozing seeps (Dripping Spring) and trickling fountains like those encountered on a hike from Forest Road 64 to the Geronimo Trailhead. Using Red Rock Trail #294 and part of Highline Trail #31, this customizable, water-themed trek visits two springs and a creek on its way through scrubby foot...