Saturday morning I hiked Squaw Peak in Phoenix with friends who told me it would be a perfect morning cardio blast to sweat out the toxins after an evening out with them and their perfect cosmopolitans. After the hike I wanted to post about how terrific this hike is and found the photos of Robert Body
Robert not only captured the experience of Squaw Peak beautifully he also is an incredibly creative and talented photographer.
Squaw Peak, as it has been known to locals, is actually now renamed Piestewa Peak, I guess more politically correct.
Flora in this area is typical of the lower Sonoran Desert and includes almost all varieties of Arizona cactus such as saguaro, barrel, hedgehog, pincushion, jumping cholla and prickly pear. Trees and colorful shrubbery include palo verde, mesquite, ironwood trees, creosote (dominate), ocotillo, brittle bush, desert lavender and giant sage shrubs.
Reptiles and wildlife that thrive in the preserve are gila monster, horned lizard and chuckwalla. Hikers also can encounter rattlesnakes. The mammal population includes coyote, jackrabbit, cottontail rabbit, ground squirrel and kit fox. There are more than 54 species of birds from the turkey vulture to mockingbirds, cactus wrens, gamble’s quail and several species of owls and hawks.
For me the hike took 35 minutes to ascend the to the summit and about the same to come down. As always, on a steep rocky trail coming down is tougher on the knees, not really a running trail. This trail is more like a stair master, in fact there are lots of stairs carved out in the stone.
This is a beautiful Sunrise hike as captured by Robert. I was not an early rise. The trail is not too challenging, just a continuous climb, you can choose your own pace and heart rate. Piestewa Peak is at elevation 2,608 with a vertical elevation gain of 1,190 feet.
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