Our goal for this trip is simple, we want to see the rare elephant trees that reputedly live in a side canyon in South Mountain. After some research we think we identified the place where they are hidden and so we start our hike from a less used trailhead on the south side to access the Desert Classic Trail at a distance from the main trailhead at Pima Canyon.
The trail is really popular for bikes with quite a few of them passing by at high speed. So we are happy when we veer into the side canyon where we guess that we will find the elephant tree. The way becomes gradually more difficult with large boulders that need to be negotiated.
After a quarter of the mile of hiking through the bush we catch our first glimpse of the elephant trees that look like a mesquite tree from a distance. The main thing that differentiates them from the mesquite trees is that they are green while the mesquite trees don’t have any leaves.
As we get closer we notice the other difference which is the one where they get their name from which is that their trunk looks like an elephant trunk and is quite distinctive. We enjoy the area quite a bit and the solitude and eat lunch in the wash near the trees.
As we still have some time left we continue up to the National Trail that we take for a short distance enjoying the great views. We find a few petroglyphs however they are more like modern graffiti, still interesting to find.
After taking in the views on both sides of the ridge we return via the No Name trail to the Desert Classic trail and then to the car. On the way we even get some raindrops which of course is a bit unusual in Arizona but very welcome.
