trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

• 3 miles return
• 812 feet elevation gain

My old friend Francis Tally took me to one of his favourite hikes out of Usery Mountains Regional Park near his winter home in Mesa, AZ.

Huge Saguaro cactus are the highlight. And the brazen chipmunks. 🙂

Francis told me an awful story of a hiker who fell into one of the OTHER types of cactus. It took paramedics 3 hours to remove enough spines just to transport him by ambulance!

We arrived on a Sunday morning to learn that weekend mornings are a zoo on this popular trail. It was difficult to find parking .

The trail itself is not all that difficult. Many children hike it.

The Wind Cave isn’t really a “cave” but rather an indent to shelter from the wind.

Almost everyone stops here. Francis and I scrambled on to the top of the mountain.

Finding some pink ribbons we decided to follow that off-trail route.

Here we be. The sprawl of greater Phoenix at our feet.

This is a terrific area for day hikes.

Thanks Francis. … I assume the name tag on your hat is to help authorities return you to your retirement park if you get lost. 🙂

Exiting the Park Francis took me over to a nearby gun range just below the Phoenix sign. I’d never seen one before.

They are LOUD.

related – Roads Less Traveled trip report