Trying to beat the heat's arrival!
This is a gorgeous mountain preserve overlooking the city of Phoenix once you reach the top. There are hardly any shade trees, so it's not the best for little ones once the temperature gets to the 90's and up. Since we started later in the day, we decided to hit the easy trail.
We saw lots of little wildlife such as Antelope squirrels, Whip Tail lizards, Desert Spiny lizard, Chuckwalla (with new tail growing back), on our nature walk through the #6 Merkle Trail. It's about a mile loop and a little more when you cut through the rocky hill. Bring a double walled stainless steel bottle filled with ice water by the end of springtime, you'll thank me later. It also helps to carry snacks such as Cuties oranges or nice crisp apples to replenish a young hiker's energy...and adults. Yeah, I carry a 10-15 pounder backpack so a little hike like this can still give me a good workout!
There are ramadas everywhere, the bigger ones need to be reserved. The Nature Center is new and beautiful and full of live desert creatures in terrariums. I pick up nature books whenever I could to add to my growing collections. Check the calendar for nature walks and events held here. The flashlight tours are worth the trek!