Friends of ours we met RV’ing were going to be in Mesa for a few days and wanted to get together. John and Jane were full time RV’ers but are now living in Iowa near their granddaughter. This trip was scheduled because they wanted a break from the cold and enjoy some warm weather.
We met them at the Oro Brewery in old downtown Mesa and enjoyed a few craft beers there. Next we visited a place called Chupacabra which had a nice happy hour. It was fun catching up and the time flew by. Toward the end they mentioned they’d like to do a hike at our next get together.
After a bit of research I found the Lost Dog Wash Loop which is on the southern edge of the McDowell Mountains and is part of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. It’s a hike that Sharon and I hadn't done either and after reading reviews it seemed to be a good hike which also would only have a few other hikers on it.
We started at the Ringtail Trailhead because our GPS couldn’t seem to direct us to the Lost Dog Wash Trailhead. We made the best of it and hit the trail. The hike would consist of hiking a 4.25 mile loop taking us through some protected washes, bajadas and foothills of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
The hike was a relatively easy trail but is rated moderate mostly because of the rocky and rough terrain. We experienced only about 400 feet of elevation changes and the trail took us through typical Sonoran vegetation with some fairly dense concentrations of saguaro, barrel cacti, Teddy Bear and Cane Cholla, interspersed with Ocotillo, Lead Trees and Palo Verde trees.
There were plenty of good signs marking the trails making it easy to find our turns. One nice thing about our hike this day was that the early blooming spring flowers were beginning to bloom due to the heavy rains we had one day last week. While the flowers weren't abundant there were plenty to make us smile at their beauty…
With John and Jane leaving the next day we headed down Gilbert, AZ to visit one of our favorite breweries there called O.H.S.O. brewery where they have good beer and a great happy hour selling 32 ounce mini pitchers for $7.00.
We ended the day back at our park for some snacks and last minute conversation before it was time for Jane and John to head back… Until next time friends…
NOTE: We are currently in Mesa Arizona until March 11th 2020, then over to Tucson for four nights.
Hiking is such a wonderful feeling but sometimes it will be very stressful if path is not as we expected. All the tips and points which you have mentioned in this article are very useful. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
ReplyDeleteThe local desert is starting to come alive with its early spring blooms. A nice hike to burn off a couple beers.
ReplyDeleteLove this time of the year in the deserts...
DeleteLost Dog Wash Loop must have a story behind its name. Was that the trail you actually h iked even thoughyou could not find the trailhead? Love the wildflower pictures. I'd really like to see a spring bloom in the west. "only a few other people" is music to my ears about any hike.
ReplyDeleteYes even though we didn't start out on Lost Dog Wash we did end up hiking though it... not sure about its historical name though, guess I need to do some research!
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