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HOMOLOVI STATE PARK TRAILS Winslow Tsu'vo Trail Please don�t call this place a �ruin�.   Homolovi State Park is a Hopi ancestral village on the high plains of northeastern Arizona that teems with both animated and spiritual life.    Air-breathing, water-slurping terrestrial entities share space with invisible, but very present human souls who occupied the area from prehistoric times to 1400 AD. March is the perfect time to visit the park. Balmy temperatures and festivities associated with Archeology & Heritage Awareness Month add bonus points to a day trip that�s enjoyable any time of year.   The park is situated at the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau where the ruddy, sun-backed terrain smacks of NASA images of the surface of Mars.   Homolovi I The lifeline of this unforgiving yet striking landscape is the chocolatey flow of the Little Colorado River which feeds a fringe of greenery on the site�s western edge.   Five easy hiking trails explore pue...

V Bar V Heritage Site Petroglyphs at V Bar V  After surviving centuries of exposure to Arizona's extreme climate, the petroglyphs at V Bar V Heritage Site almost succumbed to cow butts. There's an air of mysticism about the tiny alcove that bears the etchings of the Southern Sinagua people who lived in the area from A.D. 1150 to around 1400. Shaded by sandstone bluffs near the banks of Wet Beaver Creek east of Sedona, site is wrapped in a strip of viney, deciduous forest that insulates it from the surrounding high desert heat. It's no wonder the cows found it too. Ranch relics along the trail Beautiful mysteries in the rock Seeking water and a shady spot to wallow away the days, grazing cattle from ranch operations that occupied the property during the 20th century would congregate at the cliffs, rubbing their hides against the ancient embellishments. Luckily, a rancher who understood the historical value of the rock art fenced off the site before the cows could scour awa...

RANGER LED EVENTS AT MARICOPA COUNTY REGIONAL PARKS Ranger led hikes exercise both body and brain It's common knowledge that there are many benefits associated with hiking. The exercise is good for your body and the rhythmic pounding of boots on earth and the sweat-fueled endorphin bliss afford a respite from the hassles of everyday life. Hiking just might be  the sweetest, most satisfying form of self-healing known to human kind. But the perks don't end with the physical gains. There are brain-fortifying learning opportunities right along the beaten path---if you know where to look for them. A geologist describes Go John diorite Abundant mental stimulation is within easy reach at Maricopa County Regional Parks. With close to town sites located near lakes, streams, mountains and sprawling valleys, the park system is sort of a microcosm of desert life. Although solo hiking within the parks provides a good workout with a side of grand scenery, it just skims the surface in terms...

JOHNS TANK TRAIL #94 Prescott National Forest View of Lynx Lake from Johns Tank Trail The eagle has not landed. Sadly, the bald eagles that nest near Prescott's Lynx Lake did not produce offspring this year. Since they first appeared in the winter of 2002, breeding pairs of the quintessential American raptors have commandeered lakeside osprey nests to raise their chicks. In years when the eagles are on the nest, Johns Tank Trail #94-- the hiking trail that traverses their breeding territory-- is closed to human travel from February through June to give the hatchlings their best chance to thrive. The trail explores a bird friendly environment of Ponderosa pine forests swaying over trout-rich waters while tethering two loop routes in the foothills of the Bradshaw Mountains. Ponderosa pines on Johns Tank Trail There's no dedicated trailhead for Johns Tank, so it must be accessed by either Lakeshore Trail #311 to its west or Salida Gulch Trail #95 to the north. To take the lake ac...