Saddletramp
GOLD Star
The plan has been solidified, we will be taking the back road to Mt. Ord on Saturday the 4th of January.
Gas up at Shell, Circle K on 17125 E. Shea blvd. in Fountain Hills at 0815 and we will depart at 0830.
The route is scenic and stocker friendly, we may need to spot stock vehicles in a place or two while others will want to test their flexibility. The roads are a bit narrow so if your copilot gets a bit nervous this may not be the trail for them. This is a family friendly run. Beautiful lunch spot with views of the fountain in FountainHills as well as views of most of the valley. In all a very pretty day, most should be home in time for dinner while some of us will stop for our favourite Mexican food.
Here is some added info about the location. Mount Ord is the second highest mountain in the Mazatzal Range of central Arizona. It is an interesting summit in that you can start in an upper sonoran landscape of creosote, saguaro, and paloverde, ascend through grasslands of manzanita, and end in a decidious forest of oak trees. If you're looking for wildlife or vistas, this is the place. The area has one of the densenst concentrations of deer, black bear, and mountain lion in all of Arizona plus a variety of birds. From the top, Roosevelt Lake, the Four Peaks, and the Mogollon Rim can all be clearly seen. A service road leads from the base of the mountain to the summit. Most people drive a 4WD vehicle up to .5 miles before the summit and then hike to the top. Few hike the 14 miles round trip and 4,720 ft. from the base to the summit. However, it's a gradual hike up a relatively wide jeep road to the top and is fairly easy. A few miles from the base, you will come to an obvious branch in the road. Continue hiking straight on the jeep road and do not take the right. Our starting point will be at the bottom of the hill rather than the widely used dirt road at the top of the hill. Round trip should be about 100 miles from east Phoenix.
Gas up at Shell, Circle K on 17125 E. Shea blvd. in Fountain Hills at 0815 and we will depart at 0830.
The route is scenic and stocker friendly, we may need to spot stock vehicles in a place or two while others will want to test their flexibility. The roads are a bit narrow so if your copilot gets a bit nervous this may not be the trail for them. This is a family friendly run. Beautiful lunch spot with views of the fountain in FountainHills as well as views of most of the valley. In all a very pretty day, most should be home in time for dinner while some of us will stop for our favourite Mexican food.
Here is some added info about the location. Mount Ord is the second highest mountain in the Mazatzal Range of central Arizona. It is an interesting summit in that you can start in an upper sonoran landscape of creosote, saguaro, and paloverde, ascend through grasslands of manzanita, and end in a decidious forest of oak trees. If you're looking for wildlife or vistas, this is the place. The area has one of the densenst concentrations of deer, black bear, and mountain lion in all of Arizona plus a variety of birds. From the top, Roosevelt Lake, the Four Peaks, and the Mogollon Rim can all be clearly seen. A service road leads from the base of the mountain to the summit. Most people drive a 4WD vehicle up to .5 miles before the summit and then hike to the top. Few hike the 14 miles round trip and 4,720 ft. from the base to the summit. However, it's a gradual hike up a relatively wide jeep road to the top and is fairly easy. A few miles from the base, you will come to an obvious branch in the road. Continue hiking straight on the jeep road and do not take the right. Our starting point will be at the bottom of the hill rather than the widely used dirt road at the top of the hill. Round trip should be about 100 miles from east Phoenix.
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