big man tips

WILD BURRO TRAIL Globemallow & lupine along the trail Lake Pleasant Regional Park Cove on Lake Pleasant Whether you love �em or hate �em, you�re likely to encounter rogue donkeys on the Wild Burro Trail.   One of the newer routes in Lake Pleasant Regional Park, the moderate two-mile path passes thru prime burro territory. The desert-adapted, North African imports first arrived in Arizona in the 1600s carrying supplies with Jesuit priests. Valued for their strong backs and hardy work ethic, the burros soon found additional employment with prospectors. During boom times, they hauled ore but when the mines went bust, they either wandered off or were released into the wild where they thrived in the arid territory. Today, their descendants wander in loose-knit social groups and are easily spotted along the park�s lakeside trails. The free-roaming herds and their habitat are protected by the Bureau of Land Management. Globemallow are abundant along the trail in springtime The Lake Pl...

WILD MUSTANG LOOP Tortolita Mountains, Marana Yucca on Wild Mustang Trail frames Santa Catalina Mtns. If you dig deep enough into the barrel of misunderstood hiking routes, you just might discover a gem like the Wild Mustang Trail. Because it snuggles up to the Ritz-Carlson Dove Mountain property in Marana, access to the trail requires a stroll past groomed gardens, posh casitas and a golf course. Not exactly the stuff of hardcore hiker dreams. But hold on to your horses--the scenery quickly transitions from fancy to fierce. Getting to the Wild Mustang Trail requires the use of connecting routes that are signed with color-coded posts. The trail can be hiked as an out-and-back or tied into several loop options. We decided to try the West Rim Loop as described on the Dove Mountain Hikers website (link below). The first 1.4 miles of the hike follows a wash in full view of the resort. After that, it ascends 1,250 feet into the raw beauty of the Tortolita Mountains, where crested saguaros ...