This Valley hike is a good place to see wildflowers
The sandy gap between the Axle Grease and Hawknest trails attracts a lot of horses. The north-south ribbon of soft stuff in Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve is a perfect substrate for hoofed travelers. For bikers and hikers, not so much.
That is unless the goal is to get the outdoor equivalent of a stair stepper gym workout. Even though the 4.2-mile route is mostly flat, wide and easy to follow, its shifting grains put extra pressure on leg and foot muscles, including some that ordinarily don’t protest.
The drag of the sand slows the pace, which in this case is a good thing because there’s plenty to see along the ephemeral desert spillway.
How to hike Rawhide Wash in McDowell Sonoran Preserve
Beginning at the Pima-Dynamite trailhead, the first mile is a normal dirt single track that swings among some spectacular saguaro specimens. The work begins where the trail touches a walk-in gate on Pima Road before bending east following the natural corridor of velvety grit.
The impact of sand versus compact dirt is felt right away. The rhythm of wash walking is one of shallow sinking, pulling and wobbling that, unlike hiking regular trails, demands more attention to what’s underfoot. Flood debris, hidden stones and uprooted trees and shrubs are common encounters that douse the trail with a wild flavor.
The ragged edges are also reminders of the power of running water.
That’s why it’s smart to avoid desert washes like this one during and immediately following rainstorms. Lined with wolfberry shrubs and paloverde, mesquite and hackberry trees, the wash meanders in a northeast arch on the preserve’s far northwest edge.
Here are the wildflowers to look for
Springtime brings a plethora of colorful wildflowers that thrive in the
loose, disrupted soils. Ubiquitous Mexican poppies, desert lavender, brittlebush, desert marigolds, buckwheat and globemallows are easy to spot while the tiny blooms of red maids, desert rock pea and desert wishbone are rarer sightings.
The wash trail ends at Browns Ranch Road below the Basalt Ridge Overlook where hikers may consult preserve maps to either backtrack or return via one of several intersecting trails that dial down the quadburning demands on tired legs.
Read more of Mare Czinar’s hikes at http://arizonahiking.blogspot.com.