Morning Hikes and Breakfast Bites

As midday temperatures rise, outdoor activities tend to get pushed out to the cooler edges of the day, when the sun is lower in the sky and less punishing.

So it was great to come across a list of shaded and/or shorter summer morning Phoenix hikes paired with local breakfast spots! The list came from a 2011 article* on the no-longer-existent Phoenix Metromix site. However, you can still read it on the Internet Archive.

The first few recommendations from Metromix (MM) are below, along with my notes.

MM reco #1: Echo Canyon (Camelback Mountain) Ramada Loop Trail + La Grande Orange

The Ramada Loop Trail is not on the Park map. Maybe it’s closed. Maybe they just forgot about it. Other sites also mention it, so I assume it actually exists.
Echo Canyon Bobbie’s Rock Trail is another short hike, which begins at the Summit/Echo Canyon Trailhead.
Dogs aren’t allowed in the Echo Canyon area.
I’m totally in favor of breakfast at La Grande Orange. Keep in mind, though, like the trailhead, it can get really busy on the weekends and parking gets tricky. (There is a valet in front of the restaurant.)

MM reco #2: South Mountain Park Kiwanis Trail + Local Breeze (closed)**

You can hike at South Mountain with four-legged friends.
Phoenix Public Market Cafe has great breakfast and a dog-friendly patio.
September through May, we also like the nearby Farm at South Mountain.

MM reco #3: White Tanks Mountain Regional Park Mesquite Canyon and Willow Canyon Trails (loop) + Bobbie’s Café

The White Tank Mountain Regional Park’s website describes this 7-mile loop as “very difficult and not recommended for novice hikers, small children and pets.” Which does not sound like something I’m going to be attempting before breakfast.
There other hikes in the Park that are rated as less strenuous.
I haven’t been to Bobbie’s cafe. I do like hanging out at Ground Control when I’m on that side of town.

Bonus reco (from me): Lo Piano Bosque Habitat Canal Trail + Ncounter

The Canal Path is partially shaded, about .7 miles long, and is in this little stretch of nature that’s oddly close to the freeway.
From Curry, head south on Lake View Drive. You can either turn right immediately to park or keep going south and park in the shade under the freeway.
Ncounter has omelets – as well as other hearty breakfast options – and good coffee.

Finally, be safe out there and take lots of water with you! In fact, if you’re not used to very hot, dry climates, you might want to skip the Phoenix-area trails until about October. In the meantime, just head straight to breakfast.

Do you have a favorite hike/breakfast combo?

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*I wish the 2011 article had been called “7 Hikes for 7 Breakfasts.” But it was an article, not a 1950s musical.

**The former Local Breeze location is now The Vig, which serves brunch and opens daily at 10 or 11am.

Photos by me. Map via Google Maps.

March 26, 2015

Wildflower hunt

Phillip and I went out looking for wildflowers. We found lots along the roadside and just a few sprinkled beyond that.

We also found the Picket Post trailhead.

We spotted some cactus wrens, some beat up old Saguaros, and the Silly Mountain Botanical Walk. Yes, there’s a Silly Mountain. With its own botanical walk. My state has some of the most ridiculous place names. (Why, Arizona)

Anyway, it was a nice little path with some wildflowers and blooming prickly pear cactus.

It wasn’t what we’d expected, but I’d still call it a success.

PS The latest edition of the newsletter went out today. If you didn’t get it, let me know.

March 23, 2015May 23, 2023

The Return of Southwest Maker Fest

It’s almost time for the second annual Southwest Maker Fest, a free celebration of creativity and collaboration, hacking and tinkering. Once again, there will be lots of workshops, interactive maker booths, and music.

I’ll be presenting “Make Art Travel Journals Anywhere!” I’ve built on last year’s workshop to make it more hands-on.

Southwest Maker Fest will be held this Saturday, March 28 from noon to 8pm in downtown Mesa, Arizona. My workshop is at 12:30pm in the i.d.e.a. Museum HUB Classroom (150 W Pepper Place).

I’m also relaunching my newsletter with the next issue coming out this week! If you haven’t signed up previously, get on the list!

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March 12, 2015December 4, 2018

The Farm at South Mountain

Have you been to The Farm at South Mountain? It has 3 restaurants, a big grassy field with pecan trees and picnic tables, a handful of shops, a crepe truck on the weekends, and, yes, a small organic farm. It’s a delightful place to spend the day. Phillip and I like to get breakfast from Morning Glory Cafe, or a picnic basket or cup of coffee from The Farm Kitchen, and then wander around.

The Botanica shop has unique garden and gifty things. On Saturdays, they set up a table in front of their chalk art wall and sell various local foodstuffs, like salsa and honey.

Maya’s Farm has an organic produce stand and its own CSA. Last time we were there, they were demonstrating simple ways to use more vegetables with samples of this amazing salad and sauteed breakfast radishes.

About 20 years ago (yikes), my family briefly lived at the base of South Mountain. On the way to school, we would drive down Baseline Road past all these beautiful fields of greens and flowers with little roadside stores selling local produce, sweets, nuts, and flowers. There are still a few left, but most have been replaced by stuccoed condos and strip malls.

The Farm is a way to preserve some of that open space, to keep the land viable and beautiful, to nourish the community in a way that asphalt and stucco simply can’t.

February 19, 2015February 19, 2015

Finding wildflowers in the Arizona desert

There’s something particularly breathtaking about wildflowers in the Sonoran desert. Maybe because of the way they transform the landscape. Maybe because their season is so brief and precious. Maybe because some years Mexican poppies turn entire hillsides gold, and other years there is only a sprinkling of color. The best years become part of local lore.

People try to guess when we’ll have a good year for wildflowers, but they’re hard to predict, like the weather. Actually, it’s the weather for months before wildflower season that has the largest impact on what you’ll see in March.

Because of their unpredictability, knowing if/when/where wildflowers have arrived depends on someone spotting them and spreading the word – which is much quicker with the internet amplifying the message.

Where to find Arizona’s spring wildflower sightings online

DesertUSA covers regions throughout the Southwest and as far north as Oregon. People submit notes (and sometimes photos) about where they’ve spotted wildflowers. There are also reports from Arizona State Parks, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, and Grand Canyon National Park.
The Desert Botanical Garden has a Pinterest map of Arizona wildflower sightings. The DBG itself is a great place to see wildflowers.
During the season, Wild in Arizona has more detailed field reports from two nature photographers.

Even though it’s early, Phillip and I have already been spotting wildflowers. There were a few as we headed north from town on the 17 over the weekend. A week before that we spotted a single yellow flower while hiking at South Mountain. It might’ve been the first Mexican poppy of the season or an earlier-blooming desert sunflower.

Either way, it looks like it could be a good wildflower year.

Tag: Arizona