This hike has views, flowers and a good workout
Towering over cotton fields, citrus groves and an ever-expanding landscape of subdivisions, the White Tank Mountains on the western edge of metro Phoenix rise to just over 4,000 feet.
For more than 30 million years, tectonic upheavals, volcanic events and erosion have shaped the range into a mass of canyons, ruptured ridgelines and scoured drainages where “white tanks” — depressions in buff-colored granite — retain rain water. The inhospitable terrain is made approachable via the trails in White Tank Mountain Regional Park in Waddell.
Although the park has family-friendly, effortless routes, most of its more than 30 miles of trails involve difficult to extreme mountain ascents. While challenging favorites like Ford Canyon and Goat Camp pass through hazardous sections of loose rock, precipitous edges and steep climbs, Mesquite Canyon Trail rises to equally dizzying heights with fewer obstacles.
The route may be accessed at either the main trailhead staging area or at Ramada 7. Starting at the ramada bypasses about a mile of flat, easy hiking and delves right into the uphill trudge. The first quarter-mile follows a roomy dirt track with benches placed at scenic overlooks.
The views start early
One of the best features of this trail is that great views can be had after only a short bit of climbing and the vistas continue to improve around every bend. A half-mile in, the lung pumping begins as the trail narrows and takes on a series of long switchbacks that snake up the canyon above a gorge with brilliant white stone at its base and a daisy chain of
tanks.
Crowds become noticeably thinner once the path transitions into an edgy traverse of outcroppings of layered metamorphic rocks bent into accordion-like folds and gigantic boulders with peeling veneers. Tucked among clefts, scree and exposed ledges, springtime wildflowers give reasons to pause on the way up.
Flowers are abundant in spring
Lush fringes of brittlebush, jojoba and cholla shade patches of dainty desert hideseed, lupine, Emory’s rock daisies, globemallow, buckwheat, scorpionweed and bright Mexican gold poppies that unfurl when warmed by the afternoon sun.
The twisted terrain contains a glut of microclimates that bounce between mossy gullies and parched flats. The varied pockets of shade, sun and moisture foster a vast assortment of blooming plants.
At the 1.8-mile point, you can opt to make an 8.4-mile loop using the Willow Canyon and part of the Ford Canyon trails. If not, continue uphill to the trek’s high point and the junction with Goat Camp Trail above Slick Rock Canyon. This breezy turnaround perch makes for a fine lunch spot before descending among poppies.
Hiking Mesquite Canyon Trail
Length: 5 miles one way from the main trailhead or 4.2 miles one way from Ramada 7.
Rating: Difficult.
Elevation: 1,540-3,023 feet. Getting there: White Tank Mountain Regional Park, 20304 W. White Tank Mountain Road, Waddell. Follow the main park road to the main trailhead area or continue to Waterfall Canyon Road and Ramada 7. There are restrooms at both sites. Construction on Interstate 10 and surface streets in the area may cause detours. Check the Arizona Department of Transportation website for updates: www.azdot .gov/home.
Details: www.maricopacounty parks.net.