Southwest tour continued – Day 2
July 6, 2010 by taha
Spruce Tree House
We arrived in Cortez, Colorado last night. We stayed at a local Holiday Inn Express at the end of town heading out toward Mesa Verde National Park. The hotel staff were extremely welcoming and we found the property to be very clean and comfortable.
On our 2nd day on the road, we immediately headed to Mesa Verde National Park, which was the main reason for staying in Cortez in the first place. It took only minutes to reach the entrance to the park from downtown Cortez. Current construction work on the single lane road led to some delays, but it wasn’t too bad.
The ride through the park itself, before you even reach the visitor center, is just gorgeous! If driving on cliffside roads with no guardrails is not your thing, you may not enjoy the views along the way as much as we did. We also had the opportunity to see some wildlife in the meadows as well which made the ride that much more interesting.
Once you arrive at the Visitor Center, be sure to purchase tickets for any of the tours you may want to do. Each tour is $3 per person and there are discounts available depending on age (both young and those who are young at heart have the opportunity to get a discount!) The park offers tours of certain ruins, which is the only way you can experience these particular areas up close. However, there are plenty of other areas available which do not require a ranger-led tour. These ruins (and there are plenty of them) are just as interesting as the ones you pay to see. Of course, with the ranger-led tour you have the opportunity to learn a little more from the ranger as you go along – if you get a knowledgeable ranger.
Before we met up with a ranger for our guided tour, we decided to visit the Spruce Tree House ruins. This is a great site to see. There is a bit of a hike to get to it, which is all downhill getting there. Coming back out, especially in the heat, can be a bit of a challenge for those who don’t do normally do much hiking or walking. The kids really liked this particular site because you can climb down ladders into the 800 year old kivas where it is said that the Pueblo people held ceremonies and had social gatherings. It was definitely one of the highlights of the ruins.
We then headed to our guided tour. We selected a tour of Cliff Palace, one of the larger sites. The remains of the Pueblo civilization are definitely impressive and really awe inspiring. It’s amazing that structures of this magnitude could be built 800 years ago and the still remain standing in relatively good condition. I sometimes wonder if our modern houses would last that long! Anyway, the Cliff Palace is a bit more of a challenging hike then the Spruce Tree House. It’s not bad getting down to the ruins at all, but you are required to climb several ladders to get back out. But, I think it is worth the effort.
So we concluded our trip to Mesa Verde National Park by driving to several more of the ruins that are accessible without a guide. The Mesa Loop trail is worth driving as it gives you access to several of these ruins and the views are phenomenal! So, if you are heading to Southwestern part of Colorado, don’t miss the opportunity to check out Mesa Verde National Park. Even if you have only a few hours to spend, just check out a couple of the ruins. It would be well worth your time!
With our visit to Mesa Verde National Park done, we then headed to Durango where we planned to do a little shopping and dining. Check out our next blog posting which will highlight a couple of fun things to see and do in Durango! If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to comment below on our blog or send us an email at info@takeahikearizona.com. We would love to hear from you!!
A day on the Apache Trail
April 25, 2010 by taha
View looking toward Superstition Mountains
I love when family and friends come to visit us here in beautiful Arizona! It gives me the perfect excuse to do some more local sight seeing in my own backyard that I otherwise probably wouldn’t take the time to do. Sound familiar? Our latest “adventure” was taking a day to travel along the Apache Trail, one of my favorite scenic drives. To begin this drive just head out on 60 East and take the Idaho Rd exit and follow the signs to Canyon Lake.
After a short drive down the Apache Trail, we started our day at Goldfield Ghost Town, the old mining town located right by the Lost Dutchman State Park. We had a great time exploring the old town and taking lots of photos of the area. Years ago, this little “ghost town” didn’t have much to offer, but it has since been rediscovered and tourists have been pouring in ever since. As a result, it has gotten a little bit kitschy but it is still worth seeing especially with the kids! I think we investigated every nook and cranny the town had. We also spent a bit of money of some of the tours they offer there such as the mine tour.
The mine tour was a pleasant surprise. We learned quite a bit about how the miners spent their days and toiled under ground with only candle light to help them see. Did you know that the miners were only given about 6 small candles on each shift to help them see what they were doing? They would conserve their light by putting the candles out and eating their meals in the dark of the tunnels. If I’m not mistaken, there are some restaurants that currently charge a pretty price for guests to eat in the dark now! I guess the miners were on to something.
After our adventures at Goldfield, including a mock gunfight battle performed by volunteers, we hit the road again. We drove towards Canyon Lake. It is a gorgeous drive through interesting landscape with rock formations, plants, and animals not commonly seen in other parts of the valley. We stopped at the Marina where Steamboat Dolly is docked. We parked there and walked across the street to the Boulder Canyon Trail entrance. We hiked up the trail to get some unbelievable views of the area. We could see far into the Superstitions Wilderness and a good bit of Canyon Lake. We saw some folks rafting up into one of the canyons that the larger boats cannot get into (add that to my list of things to do this summer!) and we saw plenty of collared lizards and a snake!
After working up an appetite hiking, we got back in the car and continued down the Apache Trail. Our destination was Tortilla Flats. We made it just in time for dinner. Even for a Saturday evening, the restaurant closes pretty early at 7:00pm so we felt fortunate to get in for last call (for food that is). Tortilla Flats is best known for its decor of dollar bills covering every inch of space on the walls of the restaurant. It is quite entertaining to read what people have written on the dollar bills and to see how old some of them are. The food is pretty good too! I will warn you though, if you plan to order the Nachos Grande, make sure you have someone to share them with!!
At Take A Hike Arizona, we love to share our experiences with our fans and we love to hear from you as well! Tell us about some great adventures you have had whether it is here in the valley or in your hometown. Just send us your experiences to info@takeahikearizona.com and we can share them with our readers as well! Also, we offer great day hikes in the Superstitions area, described in this posting, during which our guides will show you some fantastic scenery and share many local legends and history with you along the way. Just call us at 480-634-8488 to learn more about the excursions we offer!
Homemade granola with Greek Yogurt
March 24, 2010 by taha
Okay, I thought I would try something new on our blog. One thing that most of us probably agree on is that many outdoor adventure/fitness enthusiasts enjoy eating good, healthy food. Although, I have to say I may be the exception to that as I do give in to my McDonald’s and Starbucks cravings probably a little too often. Anyway, I got this recipe from my mother-in-law for homemade granola and it is so good that I had to share it. It is very easy to prepare and stores quite well, although our supply doesn’t last long so I’m always making a fresh batch! So here’s the recipe:
- 1 cup of quick cooking (not instant) rolled oats
- 1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds (I use slivered)
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons of good honey
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toss the oats, coconut, almonds, oil and honey together in a large bowl until they are completely combined. Pour mixture onto a sheet pan and bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even golden brown. This takes about 15-20 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring once.
I then serve the granola with honey and greek yogurt. I use the honey flavored greek yogurt, but plain is good as well. This is a great way to start the day or have as a snack. It is also really delicious on ice cream or sprinkled over fruit. I included a photo below so you could see how I serve it when we have guests over for brunch. I also make it “pretty” for the kids. They seem to think it tastes like a treat that way! Hey, whatever it takes!!
Anyway, give it a try and let me know what you think. We would love to hear back from you as well on your favorite, healthy and easy recipes. You can either email us your favorties at: info@takeahikearizona.com or submit comments on our blog. We look forward to sharing more fun, easy recipes with you in the coming months. Enjoy!
A delicious and easy recipe!
Hiking in the Rain
March 9, 2010 by taha
Okay, so I’m sure you’ve heard the song “Singing in the rain” right? Well, there should be one for Hiking in the rain! Wow, we have had so much rain this year in the desert!! I have never seen the desert as green as it is right now. There is so much ground cover and plenty of tiny wildflowers popping up everywhere. If you haven’t been out there yet, you should try to make some time to do so. We do not get great rainy seasons like this too often.
Speaking of which, we just did a hike this past Sunday (a very stormy day). We started out (and finished the hike) with 17 people in an absolute downpour! First of all, I have to say hats off to the hardy souls that joined us for what promised to be a very wet hike. Fortunately, the rain did slow down and actually stopped for some time so we were not being rained on the whole hike. I have not had many opportunities to actually hike here in the desert during a rainstorm. It seems more often than not, that our rains are accompanied by thunder and lightning and we do not go out in that weather. But on Sunday, we were fortunate enough to have the rain minus the lightning which would have been a showstopper. Anyway, as I was saying, this is one of the first times I’ve been out hiking in the desert mountains in the rain here in the valley. I have to say it was absolutely beautiful! The creosote bushes, which give our desert that great aroma when it rains, literally filled the air with their scent. It kind of reminded me of when I used to hike in the pine forests back east and you couldn’t seem to breathe in enough of the beautiful scented air.
Not only did the desert smell fresh and the air felt crisp, but we were rewarded with some great views from within the clouds and above the clouds as we hiked up. At some points during the hike it felt like we were walking out of the mist into a new world. It was very serene to say the least. Then to top off the hike, the clouds cleared just enough to let the sun peak through and create an unbelievably bright, colorful rainbow as we were hiking back down to reality. It really doesn’t get any better than that! Anyway, I was just so in awe of the beauty of the desert on this hike, that I just had to mention it on our blog. And I wanted to highly recommend to those of you who haven’t done so yet, try to take advantage of some of the rainy days and get out there and hike! Just don’t go if there is thunder and lightning in the forecast! If you do get out there, let me know about your experience and send me some photos. I’d love to hear about it.
Lastly, you can go to our photo gallery on our site http://www.takeahikearizona.com and look at the gorgeous photos we took during this hike. They are included in the WM Symposium folder on our flickr page (which is linked to our photo gallery). I also included a photo with this post of the rainbow we saw on our way back down.
Sonoran Desert Rainbow
Snag and Save excursions
March 9, 2010 by taha
For those of you joining Take A Hike Arizona on our Snag and Save hikes, here are the directions to the trailheads that we will be starting from.
Piestewa Peak Park (Phoenix Mountains Preserve). From Highway 51, take the Glendale Ave exit. Head east on Glendale Ave (which actually turns into Lincoln Ave as you head further east). About 3/4 of a mile from Highway 51, you take a left turn at the traffic lights onto Squaw Peak Drive. Follow this road straight into the park and stay on this road all the way to the far end where you come to a circular parking area and can drive no further. This is where we will be meeting to start this hike.
McDowell Sonoran Preserve (Gateway Trailhead). For those of you with GPS, the exact address for this location is 18333 E. Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale. We will be meeting at the main building area on the east side of the parking lot. For those of you who still drive around the old fashioned way (like me), here are the directions.
Heading North on Hwy 101, take the Frank Lloyd Wright exit. This exit will drop you onto the service road that runs parallel to the highway (Pima Rd). Stay on this road through the first set of traffic lights (cross over Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd at the traffic lights). Go past the West World entrance. Stay straight until your next set of traffic lights at Bell Rd. Turn right onto Bell Rd. Follow Bell Rd past the Ice Den skating rink and past the Basha’s shopping center. At Thompson Peak Parkway (major intersection) take a left. Follow Thompson Peak Parkway for a few hundred yards. The entrance to the Gateway Trailhead parking area is on your right. Follow the entrance into the parking area and park wherever you find a spot. We will all meet up by the main building.
Heading South on Highway 101, take the Pima Rd/Princess Rd exit. From the exit ramp, stay straight through the first set of lights at Pima Rd. At the second set of lights, take a left onto Bell Rd. Follow Bell Rd past the Ice Den skating rink and past the Basha’s shopping center. At Thompson Peak Parkway (major intersection) take a left. Follow Thompson Peak Parkway for a few hundred yards. The entrance to the Gateway Trailhead parking area is on your right. Follow the entrance into the parking area and park wherever you find a spot. We will all meet up by the main building.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@takeahikearizona.com. See you there!
Spring showers bring new flowers!
February 26, 2010 by taha
Scottsdale and Phoenix hiking trails are starting to show off their colors! I did a quick scouting trip to see what is going on out in the desert as far as our spring flower season. The amount of rain we have had over the past month or so should definitely provide us with a much more colorful wildflower season than last year. Anyway, just to give you a real quick update on what we are seeing out there right now….
The Chuparosa, always an early bloomer, is hitting its full stride right about now. You will find the red blossoms on the plants especially abundant on the sunnier sides of the trail and along the warmer areas along the washes. In particular, you can see these plants in full bloom along the sides of the road as you drive around town as well. The Chuparosa further up the slopes and on northern sides of slopes have yet to blossom. For those of you who may not already know this, you can eat the blossoms of the Chuparosa. You will even find them mixed in for color in salads you order from select restaurants around the valley. So go find a blooming Chuparosa and pick a fresh red blossom and try tasting it (please make sure you know it is a Chuparosa before eating it!). Let me know what you think it tastes like.
Other plants not yet blooming quite as spectacularly as the Chuparosa are the Creosote and Brittlebush. Both of these bush-like plants produce pretty yellow flowers. The Creosote flowers are smaller and are accompanied by little white fuzz balls (I’m sure there is a technical name for those cute fuzz balls – if you know it – please tell me). The Brittlebush produces larger daisy-like flowers and can be found all over the desert in the Spring. I also noticed that the Buckhorn Cholla (not Staghorn which is not in this part of the desert) is starting to produce the very beginnings of its blossoms. As you hike along, check out the burgundy color shoots sprouting from the tips of the cholla branches on the Buckhorn.
We’ve also been seeing quite a few tiny little yellow and white flowers sprouting up here and there among the rocky slopes. I’ve yet to see any poppies, lupine, owl’s clover, desert marigolds or any other cactus blooming. As soon as those start popping up, I will be sure to let you know. If you’d like to see what these flowers look like, just go to our photo gallery and head to the Flower folder. We have photos of all kinds of desert flora. If you have any questions about anything you see during your desert wanderings, please give us a shout at info@takeahikearizona.com and we’ll try to help you out or find someone who can! Enjoy the Spring!
Geronimo’s Cave
January 19, 2010 by taha
As promised previously, here is an update about our hiking exploration to Geronimo’s Cave in the Superstitions. This particular route is one that I have not taken before so it was all new to me! Based on sound advice received from one of expert hiking pals, we started our day by heading up the Peralta Trail. First, I cannot say enough how beautiful the Peralta Trail is, which is why it is the most traveled trail in Arizona! As I’ve mentioned (probably many times) before, it is one of my favorites. With that said, I didn’t think heading over to Geronimo’s Cave was going to be that much different. But, boy was it!
So for those of you not familiar with the area, head up the Peralta Trail up to the Freemont Saddle that overlooks Weaver’s Needle. Do not try to hike up to the cave first. From the saddle, head up and over the rocks to your right where many people go to get an even better view of the Needle. If you look towards the Needle (twelve o’clock), a little to the right (about 1-2 o’clock) is a lone pine tree (a little one). You can’t miss it. As our friend told us, look for “the tree”. I was a little concerned at first until I saw that is is indeed the ONLY tree up there. That tree is actually on the trail that you want to pick up to head toward Geronimo’s Cave. However, the tree is in the opposite direction of where you want to head. So, start hiking on the trail to the right of the saddle that looks like it will take you toward the tree eventually, and you are on the right trail (just don’t bear left to head to the tree when that option appears).
Almost immediately you are in for a scenic treat. The minute you turn the corner and start heading back in the general direction of the trailhead, you have gorgeous views of the other side of the Superstitions that y0u don’t get to see while hiking up the Peralta Trail. It’s nothing but wilderness. At this point, I wish I could tell you to just follow the trail from here on out but it is not so easy. The “trail” is not a clear path or marked in any manner. You may see cairns once in a while that you hope point you in the right direction, but that is about it. The only thing I can tell you is stay parallel to the Peralta Canyon that you hiked up earlier and eventually you may find your way back to the trailhead. Seriously. This hike back via Geronimo’s Cave is not for the faint of heart nor the ill-prepared. You know the rule of thumb used at the Grand Canyon….it takes twice as long to hike a mile up than it does down? Well, reverse that for this hike.
Do not attempt to go back this way if you are running low on water or snacks. It takes some time to return by this route. You should also be concerned about returning this way if you have anyone in your group that has even a minimal fear of heights. There is quite a bit of scrambling over rocks and sliding down steep inclines – often close to the edge of large dropoffs. So take your time.
The cave itself will be off to the left side of the trail in the area where the landscape/rocks have a yellow tint. The cave is quite large and pretty open so you really can’t miss it. You have to leave the trail for a few yards to hike up to the actual cave entrance, but you should see some paths that are worn down a bit from others that have gone there before you. This is a great spot to hang out and enjoy the view for a bit and take lots of photos! After this point, the trail gets a bit scarce. You have to pick your way through the boulders – while staying parallel to Peralta Canyon. You will also have to scramble quite a bit to get back to an area that feels like an actual trail again.
With all that said, my best advice is if you are going to Geronimo Cave for the first time, go with someone who has been there before and can help guide you back to the Peralta Trailhead. Also, be sure to bring lots of water, snacks and really comfortable, sturdy shoes. Some of the descents are pretty steep and can be hard on your toes if you don’t have the right shoes on. I would not recommend bringing younger kids as some of the rock scrambling may be difficult for them to get up and it is a long hike for little legs.
If you are curious about the hike, please feel free to check out the photos we took. They are in our photo gallery on our website under the Superstitions hiking folder. If you would like more information about the hike or would like a guided hike out into the area, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@takeahikearizona.com. We love to share our experiences with you and keep you safe out in the desert!
Hiking in the Superstitions
January 19, 2010 by taha
One of our favorite hikes in the Superstitions is the ever popular Peralta Trail. It is so popular that parking can be a problem on the weekends. But even on a busy weekend, the area is so large that you are not competing for space on the trail like you would on Pinnacle Peak, Camelback or Piestewa Peak.
Right from the start, the Peralta Trail has beautiful scenery around every corner. The rock formations along the way are some of the most unique to be found in the valley and during the warmer months, we often see gorgeous collared lizards and blooming flowers of all kinds. From the Peralta Trail you can also find Geronimo’s Cave (if you know where to look). We are heading out there tomorrow for a fun (day off) hike. We’ll be sure to take some more photos – especially of the cave – and post them to our blog. So stay tuned for some more info about the hike and a few other trails that you can find starting from the same trailhead.
Take A Hike Arizona, LLC is one of the very few companies/organizations that holds a commercial permit to hike in this area of the Superstitions. If you’d like to learn more about the excursions we offer in the Superstitions Wilderness Area, just give us a holler at 480-634-8488 or email us at info@takeahikearizona.com. We’d love to take you out there and show you the beauty found in this special part of the Sonoran Desert.
Grand Canyon Camping & Hiking Trip
August 19, 2009 by taha
Grand Canyon Wildlife
So, we had a few extra days (4 to be exact) on our hands before the kids returned to school and we figured why not get out of the heat of the desert and go camping up at the South Rim? So we did! We made reservations at Mather Campground, which is one of the campgrounds located within the National Park boundaries of the Grand Canyon. We packed up our camping gear and the kids and headed out. With kids, it’s about a 4 hour drive from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon. We always time it just right so we can stop in Flagstaff to stretch our legs a bit and have lunch.
Mather campground is one of my favorite places to stay (as long as you can get a reasonably sized site with shade). The campground has bathroom facilities throughout (although the facilities on the Juniper Loop by site #118 are closed and currently under construction) and there is also a shower/laundry facility available as well. We sort of like the idea of having a shower handy after hiking the Grand Canyon in 90-100 degree heat all day!
After settling in at the campsite, we decided to go for a walk on the Rim Trail at sunset. It was my 5 year old’s first visit to the Grand Canyon so I was curious to see what his impressions would be. As usual, on the way through the campground and the village, we came across a number of mule deer and elk. I don’t care how often you visit the National Parks, it is still always a great treat to see the wildlife! What’s really nice about the Grand Canyon village area, is you can almost set your watch by when the deer appear around the railway station and tracks. At least during this time of year, you are practically guaranteed to see the deer which makes it a great evening walk for the kids! So, we admired the deer (from a distance) for some time and then hightailed it to the rim for the view of the canyon at sunset. As always, it was spectacular! And yes, my 5 year old was duly impressed with the sheer dropoffs and kept asking what would happen if he jumped/fell from this spot…or this spot…or this spot. Needless to say, his wrist still has the indentations from my fingers wrapped tightly around it!
That was our first foray of the weekend to the edge of the canyon. Since we had kids with us, we decided to do a pretty mild hike the next day that we figured they could handle. We headed down the South Kaibab Trail with the plan to stop at Cedar Ridge, have lunch and head back up. I could only hope that the kids would enjoy their hike into this phenomenal wonder of the world as much as they enjoyed their shuttle bus ride to the trailhead. So, with lots of water, snacks and lunch we started down the trail in the early morning. The temperature at the trailhead (about 7,000 feet elevation) was about 75 – 80 degrees with a forecast of 95 degrees for later in the afternoon. Now, as you head down into the canyon those temperatures increase significantly. It is not uncommon for Phantom Ranch (elevation of 2,400 ft) to be at least 20 – 25 degrees hotter than the top of the canyon. Something to keep in mind when you know you will be hiking out as the day is heating up.
Anyway, we had a great hike down to Cedar Ridge (a descent of 1,140 feet from the rim). The kids did an awesome job and by that I mean, few complaints and few incidents of being too close to the edge of the trail. The one thing to keep in mind about hiking this trail is that there is no water supply available to refill your hydration pack or water bottles. So be sure to bring enough water (about 1 -1.5 liters per hour) for your trip down and back up from Cedar Ridge or Skeleton Point. What is nice about Cedar Ridge, besides the view, is that there are restroom facilities available. But there is no water to wash your hands so have some anti-bacterial gel or wipes along with you as well. And Cedar Ridge is a beautiful spot to have lunch. Just ask the squirrels!
The second we sat down we had a number of rock squirrels doing reconnaissance around our spot. We literally were under constant surveillance! Obviously, many visitors before us have conditioned the animals to expect a hand out. As frequent guests of our National Parks, we have learned that you do not feed the animals. First, it makes the animals dependent on humans to feed them, second, the type of food we feed them is detrimental to their health and lastly, they will bite you! Did you know that the Grand Canyon rangers have reported that more people are injured by bites from these cute furry little squirrels than by anything else at the Grand Canyon? I don’t know about you, but I’m in no hurry to go get my rabies shot! So keep the kids (and yourself) away from the squirrels and please don’t feed them your leftovers. Oh and did I forget to mention that all wildlife in the park is protected by federal law and if a ranger does happen to see you feeding the animals that you could be subject to a $500 fine? Ouch.
So, with lunch done and the day starting to heat up quickly, we started heading back up the trail towards the rim. The hike back up is about 1.5 miles and we needed to go up that 1,140 feet that we just came down quite easily a short time ago. It quickly became apparent that we made a wise choice to turn around at Cedar Ridge (as originally planned) versus heading a bit further down to Skeleton Point. The kids got tired with the steep climb and the increasing heat as did my husband who was backpacking our 5 year old up. But, we made sure everyone took frequent rest stops and drank lots of water. I even had a couple of bandanas that I wet down and used to cool off heads and necks. That helped immensely. We made it up the trail with no issues and still had water to spare at the top. So, overall I would have to say that our camping/hiking trip to the Canyon with our kids was a success. My husband actually admitted that he enjoyed camping (never did it before in his life!) and my kids will have fond memories of their Grand Canyon adventure and their favorite shuttle bus.
If you have never visited the Grand Canyon and would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact us at Take A Hike Arizona. We do not guide hikes in the Canyon, but we love to share our knowledge about it with those who are interested and we do know of a few great companies that do provide guiding services there if that is something else you would like to know about. If you are going to the canyon, have a safe trip and send us your photos! We would love to see them.
Kids Camp Schedule
August 8, 2009 by taha
Heading into the desert!
Well, the summer has been fun so far. We’ve been keeping busy doing sunrise, sunset and night hikes during the hot desert season. Check out some of our beautiful photos from these excursions when you have a chance. The sunsets this summer have been amazing! One of the things we’ve really enjoyed this summer is our Parents’ Night Out kids camp. This is a night hiking camp for the kids which is about 4 hours long. During the summer it is a great opportunity for parents to get out for a night knowing their children are having a great evening themselves. This camp was so popular that we are offering several additional opportunities for parents to tell their kids to “Take A Hike“!
The next night hiking camp for kids will be held on Friday, August 28, 2009. The kids will love this night hiking camp made just for them! We will take the kids out on a desert scavenger hunt for fluorescent gems, go on a scorpion hunt (we don’t get that close to them!), look for small desert critters that come out at night and we will get them actively involved in lots of fun desert themed activities and games!
For only $30 ($25 for each additional sibling) the Camp Adventure includes: Guided hike, pizza, water, snacks, refreshments, use of backpack, an arts & crafts project, and lots of FUN!!! See below for our night hiking camp schedule.
Also, as we head into the Fall season and the weather cools, we will once again be offering our Kids’ Day Hiking Camp. We often schedule these camps to coincide with the Scottsdale School District calendar. Our day camps are 5 hours long and similar to the night camps include water, refreshments, snacks, lunch, an arts & crafts project, fun interactive desert themed games and a guided hike into the Sonoran Desert. The cost for this hiking camp is $40 per child ($35 for each additonal sibling). See the schedule below for our upcoming day hiking camps.
Please keep in mind that these camps do fill up quickly. If you would like more information or would like to reserve your child’s space, just give us a call at 480-634-8488.
Parents’ Night Out/Kids Night Hiking Camp
Dates: August 28, 2009, September 25, 2009, November 20, 2009
Time: 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Meeting Place: McDowell Mountain Community Center, 10607 E. Paradise Lane, Scottsdale, AZ
Kids Day Hiking Camp Schedule
Dates: Wednesday-November 11, 2009, Monday-December 21, 2009, Wednesday-December 23, 2009
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm
Meeting Place: The Gateway Trailhead, 18333 E. Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale, AZ
Recent Photo's
