South Mountain

Connie and I decided to spend Christmas with our youngest daughter and her family in the Phoenix area. We also decided to drive there instead of flying. - We will cover that in another entry. - Having our car there gave me the ability to move around more freely, which I did. For one thing, I wanted to see what kind of hiking was available on South Mountain, which is just south of greater Phoenix.

South Mountain is actually a large park/preserve of the city of Phoenix and dates back to 1924 when prominent local citizens, with the help of Carl Hayden, bought 13,000 acres from the federal government for $17,000 - now that was a bargain. A master plan for the park, containing riding and hiking trails, picnic areas and overlooks, was developed in 1935. Many of the facilities in the park were then constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Since then the park has experienced a steady growth of visitors, growing from 3,000 a month in 1924 to over three million a year today. The park has also grown to over 16,000 acres with 51 miles of trails.

The park has a very nice road system, allowing visitors who want to ride to the lookouts instead of hiking. These roads are not open to motorized use every day. One Sunday of each month is called Silent Sunday. On that day bicyclists, tots in strollers, in-line skaters and wheelchair users get to call the Park's roadways their own.

Let us begin with a map of the area.

Compared to the mountains I used to hike around Tucson, Arizona, South Mountain is not much more than a very large hill, but it still provides some enjoyable hiking on a series of trails. One of those trails is the Holbert Trail and is the one I chose to investigate. Round trip it is five miles and is gentle enough that my three and five year old grandkids hiked it after I left for Texas.

The trail is not too steep. Down at Tucson, a day's hike could take you up in elevation over seven thousand feet. Some use the trail to jog on here on South Mountain.

There was one place where you had a small switchback. Enough to add some variety to your hike.

At one point the trail switches from one side of the valley to the other.

In a short time I was at the top, at Dobbins Lookout, enjoying a view of Phoenix below. You can see the trail I came along below.

Dobbins Lookout is a nice place. If you are the couch potato type you can drive up here and take a picture without even getting out of your car.

On my hike that morning I met a young lady and her dog - a beautiful German Sheppard. She and the dog were going up and I was coming down. We had some conversation in which I learned that she and the dog come to the mountain an average of three times a week to hike. She said that she has hiked all the trails, even the fifteen mile one across the top. She also explained that her husband was home on the couch drinking beer and watching television. I bet he was not as trim and physically fit as she and her dog. Why one would choose to drink beer and watch television when you could come and enjoy the fresh air on a trail like these is beyond my comprehension. The people I talked with on that hike added a special dimension to that day.