March 20-24, 2023

By Tim Briese

Prolific winter rains graced the Arizona desert this year, setting the stage for a potential superbloom, or at least the best conditions for wildflowers that had been seen in several years. Finding beautiful desert wildflowers can be a hit or miss proposition because local conditions can abruptly change with the passage of storms and so forth but we thought it would be fun to check it out. After hiking Coyote Gulch in southern Utah we headed south to Arizona to hunt for the wildflowers.

1.6 miles, 300’ elevation gain

The flowers in this state park were said to be phenomenal this year, and the long line of cars at the entry station seemed to confirm it. After waiting in line a half hour or so we got in and proceeded to hike part of the Sunset Vista Trail and to check out other places around the park. The flowers had already peaked the week before but were still very nice.

picacho peak

mexican gold poppies

poppies below picacho peak

2.6 miles, 300’ elevation gain

The weather today was cloudy and windy as a storm approached and we mostly laid low but went for a short hike on the Wild Dog Trail in the western section of Saguaro National Park a few miles away from where we were staying in Marana, on the outskirts of Tucson. We took advantage of an opportunity to visit some friends in Tucson that evening.

a view from the trail we hiked  in saguaro national park

new growth on the top of a cactus

a buckhorn cholla

It was rainy in the morning but conditions were set to improve later in the day. We drove the scenic Pinal Pioneer Parkway, SR 79, north through Florence, stopping to take numerous photos of the colorful desert flora along the way.

Then we went east on US 60 to Globe, and continued a few miles further to see the Peridot Mesa, a spot famous for vast stands of Mexican Gold Poppies. It is located on the San Carlos Indian Reservation and we had to stop in Peridot to pay a $10 fee and get a permit from the tribe to go there. The poppies were mostly closed up because of the heavy rain that had passed through but were nevertheless quite impressive.

the poppies on peridot mesa

We stayed in nearby Globe that night.

We went back out to see the Mesa again in the early morning sunlight since it was cloudy when we were there the afternoon before. It was gorgeous.

After leaving Peridot Mesa we went back west on US 60 to the Superstition Mountains and hiked the beautiful Peralta Trail in the afternoon, the subject of a separate trip report.

3.1 miles, 600’ elevation gain

After staying in Gold Canyon we drove a few miles to the trailhead for the Hieroglyphic Trail and proceeded to hike it. This popular trail was replete with wildflowers and very scenic. We had perfect lighting conditions early this morning to enjoy the beauty.

a gorgeous morning view along the hieroglyphic trail

wildflowers everywhere!

on the trail

The trail culminates in a canyon in the Superstitions where there are pools of water in the rocks and some panels of hieroglyphics on the rocks created by the Hohokam Indians some 1500 years ago.

on our way into the canyon

numerous people are around the water pools as we approach

a hieroglyphic panel on a rock

a view on the hike back

After this we headed northeast on the scenic Bush Highway near Saguaro Lake, where we were treated to beautiful stands of golden poppies and other wildflowers.

a teddy bear cholla in the foreground

Lots of other people were here to see the wildflowers too, with dozens of cars parked along the shoulder of the highway.

a poppy party

We even saw a herd of wild horses a few minutes later along the Bush Highway.

a portion of a herd of 400 wild horses that lives in the area

After this it was time to leave the Sonoran Desert, regrettably, and head for home. The next morning we drove north through the Navajo Nation and stopped to visit Canyon de Chelly, a scenic place that has long been on our bucket list.

canyon de chelly

spider rock, the most famous landmark in canyon de chelly, towers about 800 feet tall