From Arivaca Cienega Trail we drive towards Arivaca Lake, a rare permanent water feature in the desert. The road is mostly asphalt till the turnoff to the lake and from here it is about 2.5 miles to the lake on a well maintained dirt road.
We stop at a side road to look for caches and also to gain a vintage point from where we might see the lake however while the view is great the lake is not visible. And the cache cannot be found either but still it is a nice short walk before continuing on.
While we haven’t seen nary a car since we started on our way to the lake the parking lot is surprisingly busy with many people boating or camping in the general area. We decide to explore the shore for birds and dragonflies and also to find a cache that hasn’t been found for a while.
Following the shore it is a nice hike even though for some reason turkey vultures are following us, it doesn’t feel like there is that much danger that they need to follow us?!
There are some beautiful damselflies along the shore, we especially like the Rambur’s Forktail which are quite colorful.
The cache is near a nice viewpoint and we eat some snacks before returning via some quite scenic trails back towards the parking lot.
There are also lots of beautiful birds along the way especially the elusive Yellow-Breasted Chat which allows us some nice views and a cardinal who is well hidden in the greenery but we still manage to see it. And then it is time to continue towards Ruby to further explore this scenic road and area.
