I was on my way back home, but I had time for one more summit before heading to the airport. This peak in the suburbs of Phoenix fit the bill. I drove to Skyline Regional Park and parked in the main lot at the end of the road. From here it was a pleasant few miles up to the summit.
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First view of the summit. |
I took the Quartz Mine trail to the Tortuga trail, then up the Javelina Summit trail. Quartz Mine was relatively flat, lots of small ups and downs. About half a mile from the main parking lot the trail passes another, smaller parking lot. If you were looking to minimize distance, that would be a better place to start.
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| Getting closer. |
After a short jaunt on the Tortuga trail I turned onto the Javelina Summit trail. This is where most of the climbing is. It was still early enough it wasn't super hot yet, and that made the climb a lot more pleasant. The trail was in good shape, like the others in the park. After a few days of peakbagging off trail, or with unmaintained trails, it was like being on a superhighway. Its amazing how much easier travel is on a trail.
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| Summit post. All the junctions were well marked with similar posts. |
There wasn't anyone else on the summit. After taking in the view of the western Phoenix suburbs, I set up the radio. As I expected there was good cell service on top, and I had no trouble spotting.
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| Just below the high point. |
To get back to the car I simply retraced my steps. It seemed like the park was more crowded when I got back. There were still parking spots available. I took advantage of the flush toilets at the trailhead, the headed out to the airport for my flight home.
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| One more saguero picture |
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