My work schedule has been crazy for about the last month, and it’s been amazing that I’ve found any time to check in on this blog.  Fortunately, there was one break in the action, Christmas, where most of my family members gathered in Phoenix.  Some of them wanted to go for a hike.  Their criteria was a trail that was easy to get to, not too demanding, and had something to offer in a short amount of time.  No problem, I have it covered!

Boulder Canyon Trail takes off from across the marina at Canyon Lake, east of Phoenix.  Our group consisted of people of various ages and hiking abilities, and it was really just an excuse to be out with family and get in a little exercise.  The trail doesn’t have any steep sections in its entire length, and we just went to the point where one can see into Boulder Canyon. This was probably less than a mile from the parking lot.

 

I had taken this trail further a number of years before.  After the overlook, the trail descends into Boulder Canyon, and continues in the bottom for a couple miles.  There are no steep grades or any boulder hopping, as the name might suggest.  It’s probably close to the four mile point where the canyon gets quite photogenic.  The Superstition Wilderness is full of spires and odd shaped rocks, but there is one of the most interesting peaks in this range just before the trail heads into the narrowest part of the canyon.  In this narrow part, the bottom of the canyon becomes mostly solid rock, and if you time it right – water.  The following photos are from my previous trip.