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| View northwest from Sidewinder Trail |
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| Entering Blue Diamond Cactus Garden |
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| Flower Power Car |
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| View back from starting Landmine Loop |
There was a break in the wind that is bringing in cooler weather so Ralyn, Odie and I went for a 6.5 mile loop hike in the Blue Diamond area. We parked at the Wheeler Camp Springs Trailhead and started out through the hole in the fence south of the parking lot. They have removed the gates here. I can only assume that hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians have made the gates useless with their constant removal for easier access. I believe that the fence around this area of the Blue Diamond bird sanctuary was constructed there to protect the foliage from the burro herd that resides between Blue Diamond and the base of the Red Rock escarpment. Nearby are other springs that the burros know very well.
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| View forward starting Landmine Loop |
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| Climbing up to Sidewinder Trail |
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View southward through Cottonwood Valley
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| Starting Sidewinder Trail |
Heading straight up through the sandy use trails, we climbed up to the small plateau in front of us and connected with the Landmine Loop Trail with the use of 55 gallon rusted drums as landmarks. As we continued around at the base of the tertiary ridge in front of us, we encountered two sentinel burros. In the distance to the left were a nursing mother and baby and a "teenage" burro. The sentinels were clearly guarding the family. They didn't take too kindly to little Odie and we didn't hang around very long when one of the burros lowered his head and starting walking toward us. Around the corner and past one of the junk cars to our right, the back fence for Oliver Ranch paralleled the trail. Soon, we forked off to the left to climb the hill.
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| Sidewinder Trail |
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| Sidewinder turns up to Blue Diamond Cactus Garden |
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| View back from approach to Cactus Garden |
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| Ralyn and Odie entering Cactus Garden |
Another turn to the left put us on the Sidewinder Trail. This is a fun trail that traverses around the side of the hill and passes through a small saddle. From there, the trail climbs up to the Blue Diamond Cactus Garden, otherwise known as "The Crags." We took a small break on the other side of the garden then finished the trail down to the next saddle. The trail goes straight here to put hikers and bikers on the Hurl Backdoor Trail. This trail rides the ridge all the way over to the Hurl Trail and another left turn. Dropping down a little, we passed the sandstone boulders that seem out of place. Actually, the boulders ended there legitimately as part of the ancient landslides from the Keystone Thrust era. We also passed the "Rocky Peninsula" and curved around to hike out the next ridge. This bike trail, Flower Power Trail, zigs down at the end of the ridge and follows back on itself on the side of the hill. It affords a very nice view of the escarpment.
Stats: 6.7 miles; 1050' gain; 3.5 hours
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| A different car near the Flower Power Car |
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| Leaving on the Landmine Trail |
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| Fall color in the Blue Diamond Bird Sanctuary |
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