Arizona Archive

A Drive Along The Apache Trail

A Quick Escape From Phoenix

The Apache Trail, also known as the AZ 88, is an old road running from Apache Junction through the Superstition Mountains towards Globe. Believe it or not, a good portion of the road is unpaved. When driving along the road, you get some good looks at Canyon Lake, Four Peaks, as well as the Theodore Roosevelt dam. It is really amazing to see the Superstition Mountains and all the different types of rock formations.

The 40 mile drive is an awesome experience, and it reminds you what the world looked like before gigantic cities took over. There are a few small towns (and I mean small) along the way but other than that, it is simply nature. No paved roads, just power lines running over the mountains.

The Drive

The road is pretty rough in some spots and the car I was riding in managed to lose a piece of a hubcap. Now the cars alignment is all out of whack and it raddles like its going to fall apart. But it was worth it, check out the pictures:

View of Four Peaks

That is my favorite picture, along with these

Hiking in Arizona: Four Peaks Wilderness

So the last few months, I have driven by Four Peaks a few times and have always wondered if hiking to the summit was possible. If you are unfamiliar with these mountains, they are located about 60 miles northeast of Phoenix. Browns Peak is the highest peak in Maricopa country with an elevation of 7,657 feet. For those familiar with Phoenix, that is roughly 400 feet shy of being three times the height of Camelback Mountain.

Four Peaks Up Close

Time To Give It A Shot

Yesterday, I decided to finally give it a shot. I read up on what trails to take and how to get to the trailheads. From what I found, taking a dirt road over 12 miles was the only way to get to the starting trailhead known as Lone Pine Saddle.

Hiking In A Lightning Storm

Why It’s Probably Not A Good idea

This weekend was another adventure out in the wilderness. I did some hiking in Sedona, Arizona and almost got struck by a massive bolt of lightning. It was pretty intense, but luckily I got some pretty cool pictures of the whole thing.

I’d like to start this story from the end with this picture I snapped of a lightning bolt at the bottom of the hike:

That’s Not Good

I am no expert on weather, but I am smart enough to know that lightning and thunder at relatively the exact same time means get out of dodge.

Short Road Trip to Lake Pleasant

Lake Pleasant, Arizona

I will start by showing you the picture I managed to take overlooking the lake:

Lake Pleasant is about 20 miles northwest of Peoria on State Rt. 74. It is a pretty short drive to escape the city and get your feet wet. When I first arrived, I was surprised at the size of the lake, which is somewhere around 16 square miles. The water has a cool blue hint to it that reminds me of the ocean.

Things To Do

Lake Pleasant offers a lot of different things to do. Some of the things it offers include:

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

I had the privilege of checking out the Tonto Natural Bridge, near Payson, Arizona this past weekend. It was a really cool experience and I would love to share it with everyone.

My Photographs

I took a lot of pictures, but narrowed them down to a few I would like to share. So check them out (click to enlarge):

Top of Tonto Natural Bridge

The Hiking Trails

There are three separate trails to hike, and they all lead to different places. Here is a little information I gathered from the trail guide they had at the park: