Today’s day hike target is Willow Canyon in the Superstition Mountains, relatively close by to the city. We are not sure exactly what to expect and are a bit surprised that the parking lot is quite full and we even meet a few people a few minutes out on the trail. Soon we see the first interesting location of the hike, an old abandoned mine shaft clearly visible below us.
The views from the trail are quite good as we walk past pillars of stone which can be quite impressive from up close.
We decide to explore a side canyon following a few geocaches, it is a nice walk in the beginning with some historic remains along the wash and cooler than on the main trail.
Soon the wash is a canyon and becomes wilder and the only way to proceed is to descend in what is basically a pond so we decide to return to the main trail. In the canyon we stop to explore a few caves for ruins and petroglyphs and while they are cool there are no Anasazi signs everywhere so we continue back to the main road after finding and logging the cache.
Back on the main road we bypass the canyon from above and even see three bald eagles fighting between them and then passing calling overhead.
On the other side we descend into an impressive forest of saguaros that we enjoy for a while and even have a picnic in before continuing on on the trail.
Between the saguaros we also watch for birds and besides the more common ones like black-throated sparrows we see a few cactus wren, which while common are quite colorful and fun to watch as they are looking for nest locations or building nests.
Soon we branch off on a side road which at some point has been closed off quite methodically with branches every few feet, not sure why they didn’t turn it into a hiking trail instead. Our plan is to climb a nearby peak with a cache on top and the goal is in front of us almost all the time as the road is slowly climbing towards it.
We leave the side road when we get close to the peak and continue without a trail to the top, it is hard going especially as we approach the summit so we stop multiple time to catch our breath and enjoy the views.
As we reach the top we catch our breath and find the cache and then it is time to enjoy the sweeping views all around us. We take our time also watching the hilltopping butterflies and a host of bees enjoying the neaby flowering bushes before finally deciding to start our descent.
The descent in this case was as difficult of not more than going up but we make it to the trail and then continue on it around the peak and marvel at the inaccesibility from other routes without technical gear. The trail ends back at the main road and we continue on it with the goal being the end of the road.
The road is easy going compared to the trail and we make good time as we pass through some beautiful desert landscape. There is no one else on the trail this late in the afternoon and we have the area all to ourselves as we approach the end of the road.
The reward for reaching the end of the road are some great views of the other side of the mountains and of the Saguaro Lake in the distance. It is a great spot to catch our breath eat some snacks but then it is time to return back towards the car.
Going back is much faster as we know the road and we avoid the side trip up the mountain instead following the road past weird saguaros that look vaguely like cartoon animals.
As we approach the trailhead it is getting dark and we have the opportunity to see the same formations that we saw earlier in the day in the twilight, it certainly has a different feel, spookier, and with the cold also coming in we hurry to the car to avoid total darkness (and really cold temperatures).
In the parking lot there is one more car and in the car there is one person and he strikes a conversation with us, supposedly he is looking for javelinas that are common here. We haven’t seen any and after he is convinced of that we can leave to return tired back towards Phoenix.