November 1, 2002: Arizona Trip Day 7
	October 30, 2002: Arizona Trip Day 5
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Today we are going to make a hike right in the middle of Phoenix up Squaw Peak. Then we'll head north to visit Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. We'll probably end up staying up in that area somewhere.

Camping in White Tank Regional Park

When we arrived here in White Tank Mountain Regional Park last night, it was already dark, and so we didn't take any pictures yesterday. But today, we'll have a chance to before we leave.

We got a really good campsite on the east side of the campground, which meant we had an unobstructed (except for the cacti) view towards the east out over Phoenix.

The light from the rising sun waked us early, which was good because it was a beautiful sunrise.

As you can see, it was indeed a beautiful sunrise (although you might be fooled into thinking it was a sunset). Click on the thumbnails below to see two more pictures we took of the sunrise in progress:

With the sun up only slightly, we walked a hundred feet east of our actual campsite to look back at the White Tank Mountains. And when the sun had risen a bit more, and everything was a little brighter, we walked closer to the car so we could get a better look at our campsite.

After we'd struck the tent and got most of our stuff loaded, we walked around the area because Fred found quite a few interesting cacti to have a look at, including the fine example of a cholla. And of course there were a number of sagauro cacti around, and if you'll click on the thumbnails at left you can have a look at some of them.

We headed out of the White Tank Regional Park off to our first hike that would be right in the middle of Phoenix.

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Climbing Squaw Peak in Phoenix

Getting to Squaw Peak

Squaw Peak was almost due east of White Tank, but it was over on the other side of Phoenix, so it took us a while to get there.

It took us about an hour to get across the city in the morning rush hour, but we eventually reached the parking area off Lincoln Drive.

We drove up east Squaw Peak Drive to the parking area by the trailhead.

Now, looking at the aerial view taken from Google in 2012, you may wonder about why I am calling it Squaw Peak, rather than Piestewa Peak. Well, that is something of a story.

Squaw Peak or Piestewa Peak?

Since at least 1910, the name Squaw Peak had been used in reference to the mountain. Other historic names included Squaw Tit Mountain, Phoenix Mountain and Vainom Do'ag, the Pima name for the mountain. As the term "squaw" is considered derogatory by some, numerous efforts to change the name of the mountain were made through the years. State Representative Jack Jackson, himself a Navajo, annually submitted a bill to change the name beginning in 1992, which generated repeated and often raw debates in Arizona. In 1997, the local youth group of the American Indian Movement, filed a petition with the State Board on Geographic and Historic Names in 1997 to change the name to Iron Mountain, the English translation of the mountain's native Pima name. The board researched the issue for nearly a year before ruling in July 1998 that too much doubt existed as to whether the name Vainom Do'ag actually referred to the mountain in question or another nearby peak and the petition was rejected, although the board left the door open to alternative possible name-changes.

Fred Atop Squaw Peak (or Piestewa Peak)..Whatever

The policy of the US Board on Geographic Names is to consider changes to features using the word "squaw" when approved by local authorities, but petitioners are strongly urged to choose new names that relate to Native American woman and/or culture. In 2003, newly elected Governor Janet Napolitano petitioned the state board to rename the mountain for Lori Piestewa (py-ess-tuh-wah), a local girl who had been killed a week earlier in Operation Iraqi Freedom (the second Iraq War). The Governor's lobbying proved to be controversial because it violated a required 5-year waiting period before a geographic feature could be renamed. Tim Norton, a Phoenix police officer who was serving as the board's director at the time, refused to place the request on the board's agenda, citing the five year requirement. Mario Diaz, an aide to Napolitano, contacted Norton's supervisor in an attempt to pressure Norton into changing his mind, but the supervisor refused, stating it was not a police department issue and was outside of his authority. Diaz' actions were picked up on by the press and resulted in strong criticism from both the public sector as well as fellow politicians, with some politicians considering a formal inquiry. Napolitano herself publicly admonished Diaz, but the controversy dogged Napolitano during her reelection campaign and throughout her tenure as governor.

The state board, absent its director, approved the name change to Piestewa Peak on April 17, 2003, less than a month after Piestewa's death. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, however, refused to accept a similar petition at the time, citing their own five year waiting rule. Five years later the board agreed to review the request as the waiting period had passed. The board also considered other potential alternatives, including Swilling Peak for area pioneer Jack Swilling. During the discussions, board members indicated that there was considerable opposition to the name change but also indicated that the state's pre-emptive decision had complicated the process. Ultimately, the national board voted to approve the name change to Piestewa Peak, while indicating that the original name of Squaw Peak might still be used in publications as a secondary reference.

So now you know.

Hiking up Squaw Peak

As you can see from the aerial view earlier, the parking area was right at the trailhead for the hike and so, moments after arriving, we were off on the trail. You can see the parking area, trailhead, and some of Phoenix spread out below Squaw Peak in the picture we took from about a quarter of the way up the trail to the top. This hike was fairly steep, but not nearly as boring as a Stairmaster. It's a hike that some people do every morning before work, and it's right in the middle of Phoenix- surrounded by freeways, neighborhoods and resorts. It is one of the two most popular hikes within the city (the other being Camelback, which I have done but Fred hasn't).

View from the Squaw Peak Trail

There are two main attractions at Squaw Peak- the Summit Trail and the Circumference Trail. The Summit Trail that we are on is by far the more traveled, and it takes you up quickly from the parking area, through areas of saguaro cactus and then about 1.2 miles to the top. The trail itself is rocky, and has a stair effect. There are convenient stops along the way where we took pictures, many of which included breathtaking views of the city. Although rated just moderate, the Summit Trail provides a decent workout even for experienced hikers. The Circumference Trail at Squaw Peak is longer at about 3.75 miles and is a much more gradual ascent. It is supposedly less crowded than the Summit Trail, which can be very crowded sometimes. Today, on a weekday we saw maybe fifty or sixty hikers on our way up and down.

As a landform, Piestewa Peak is relatively young, formed roughly 14 million years ago. However, it is composed of much older rock, primarily schist. Flora in this area is typical of the lower Sonoran Desert and includes almost all varieties of Arizona cactus such as saguaro, barrel, hedgehog, pincushion, jumping cholla and prickly pear. Trees and colorful shrubbery include palo verde, mesquite, ironwood trees, creosote (dominate), ocotillo, brittle bush, desert lavender and giant sage shrubs.

Wildflowers are abundant in the early spring and include Mexican gold poppies (deep yellow), brittlebush (yellow), lupine (purples), desert globemallow (orange) and scorpionweed (purple). Fiddleneck and bladderpod also are blooming in some areas. These are in addition to the many varieties of flowering cacti. Reptiles and wildlife that thrive in the preserve are gila monster, horned lizard and chuckwalla. Hikers also can encounter rattlesnakes. The mammal population includes coyote, jackrabbit, cottontail rabbit, ground squirrel and kit fox. There are more than 54 species of birds from the turkey vulture to mockingbirds, cactus wrens, gamble’s quail and several species of owls and hawks.

We learned later that quite a few hikers do not actually reach the top due to the fact that this trail is more difficult than it looks, especially in the summer when temperatures are well over 100 °F. No water is available on the trail and dehydration is a common and serious problem with hikers who come unprepared. Views from the summit include, in clear weather, Pinnacle Peak, the McDowell Mountains, Four Peaks, the Superstition Mountains, Tabletop Mountain, the Sierra Estrella, Woolsey Peak, the White Tank Mountains, the Harquahala Mountains, the Papago Mountains and the Bradshaw Mountains. Although the hike can be done in a half-hour each way in cool weather, we took our time and spent an hour going up and about 45 minutes coming down.

The hike was very enjoyable, and we took lots of pictures. Click on the thumbnails below to have a look at some of them:

We were pretty parched and hungry when we got back from the hike, so we made some lunch there at the trailhead before consulting our maps as to the best route north to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.

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Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

After lunch at Squaw Mountain, we headed off north to Tonto Natural Bridge.

From Squaw Peak, we got back on Lincoln Road and headed further east to pick up Highway 101 north. Twenty miles from Squaw Peak we turned onto Highway 87 north to Payson, Arizona. Another sixty miles later, we passed through Payson, and then continued another twelve miles or so to the turn off for Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.

The turnoff is located about halfway between Payson and the town of Pine, Arizona, another five miles north.

From the aerial view at left, you can see that we were traveling on high but fairly level ground until we got to the State Park; Tonto Natural Bridge is in the prominent geological feature of the area- the small canyon formed by Pine Creek.

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is tucked away in a tiny valley surrounded by a forest of pine trees, and the features of the canyon and the natural bridge have been in the making for thousands of years.

Tonto Natural Bridge

The discovery of the small and beautiful valley between Pine and Payson was documented in 1877 by David Gowan, a prospector who stumbled across the bridge as he was chased by Apaches. Gowan hid for two nights and three days in one of several caves that dot the inside of the bridge. On the third day, he left the cave to explore the tunnel and green valley surrounding it. Gowan then claimed squatter's rights.

In 1898 he persuaded his nephew, David Gowan Goodfellow, to bring his family over from Scotland and settle the land permanently. After a week of difficult travel from Flagstaff, the Goodfellows arrived at the edge of the mountain and lowered their possessions down the 500 foot slopes into the valley by ropes and burros. David Goodfellow, with the help of his wife and sons, built a road, converted the rocky travertine-covered acres into fertile farm land, and built a comfortable home to accommodate the family and the few curious who were daring enough to venture into this rugged semi-wilderness to see this amazing natural wonder lying at their doorstep. The Goodfellows continued to enterprisingly improve the site, by constructing six small guest cabins, then building a 10-room lodge with running water and improving access to the caves beneath the Bridge.

The Goodfellows owned the Bridge until 1948 when Glen L. Randall purchased it from them. Mr. Randall’s grandfather first entered the area in 1879 and was one of the first residents to greet the Goodfellows when they moved over from Scotland. The Randalls were the owners and operators of the bridge when an effort began to make the area an Arizona State Park. Since its creation in 1957, the State Parks Board made acquisition of the Tonto Natural Bridge a priority project. In 1968, an Act of the Arizona Legislature authorized the Park and appropriated $250,000 for the acquisition of the Tonto Natural Bridge.

The Randalls were enthusiastic about the prospect of its acquisition as a State Park, either through legislative action, or through The Nature Conservancy. After numerous funding options had been explored, Mrs. Randal was offered $125,000, which she rejected. Another appraisal resulted in an offer of $225,000- also rejected. After a confused few years where the ownership of Tonto Natural Bridge became clouded, the courts determined that a family named Wolfswinkle was now the legal owner of the Tonto Natural Bridge. The Wolfswinkles renovated the lodge in 1987 to return it to its original condition, and then indicated to the State that they were still interested in having the site become a state park.

After much negotiating and legislative action, a purchase agreement between the State Parks Board and the Tonto Natural Bridge, Inc., was signed in 1990, for a price close to a half-million dollars. The entrance and interior roads and parking areas were realigned and paved; additional picnic facilities were constructed; an entrance station was installed; and landscape improvements were completed before the Park was opened to the public. The official Grand Opening Celebration was held on June 29, 1991, with a full day of activities.

The result was one of Arizona's premier State Parks, and we planned on doing two hikes here. I have marked them on the park map at right. First, of course, we'll follow the improved trails down to the base of the natural bridge and have a look around there. Then we'll come back up, cross the parking areas and take a shorter hike to the Pine Creek Waterfall.

We Hike to the Natural Bridge

We began the hike from the parking area, walking first along the top of the east side of the canyon to a couple of viewpoints from which we got our first views of the Natural Bridge. Viewpoint #3 looked across the canyon and it was hard to see much of the bridge, but when we got to viewpoint #4 we got excellent views looking down into the canyon and into the natural bridge. You can see a couple of these views here and here.

Then we followed the trail back across the top of the natural bridge and then down the west side of the canyon. Here the trail descended about two hundred feet to a boardwalk across the creek and back to the east side of the canyon. There, we found an observation deck with excellent views into and underneath the natural bridge. Tonto Natural Bridge is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. The bridge stands 183 feet high over a 400-foot long tunnel that measures 150 feet at its widest point.

From the observation deck there were impressive views of the entire Natural Bridge, but it was also possible to go beyond the deck and climb right into and underneath the bridge.

Looking Out from Tonto Natural Bridge

It was immensely interesting, exploring around underneath the Natural Bridge, and we took quite a few pictures. If you will click on the thumbnails below, you can see the best of them:

We spent a good deal of time down here underneath the Natural Bridge; it was really an amazing place. As you saw in some of the pictures, there were some old ladders and stuff up underneath the bridge on the rock ledges; I am not exactly sure how old they were or what they were for.

Fred made one of his rare movies while we were down here at the base of the natural bridge, and you can have a look at it with the player at right.

When we left the base of the bridge, we walked back across the wooden boardwalk and then up the trail to the top of the bridge and back to the parking area.

The Waterfall Trail

We walked across the parking lot to the trail that led down to Pine Creek and the waterfall there.

The Pine Creek Waterfall

The waterfalls that we saw down by Pine Creek were not those spectacular cascades that we often see, but small waterfalls over rocks covered with mosses. So the water didn't fall so much as drip down the sides of the canyon. It was a neat trail; once you got down from the level of the parking area, it was like you were in a tropical rainforest- cool and green.

Towards the southern end of the trail, we crossed a boardwalk footbridge that took us to a platform at the end of the trail. Here, you could stop, sit down, and enjoy your surroundings. Fred examined the ferns and I took some pictures of one of the waterfalls.

Fred made another of his rare movies while were were down here on the waterfall trail, and you can watch it with the player at right.

It was really neat down here on the trail, but after a while we began to lose our light.

Our next stop was going to be the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix, but we didn't want to drive down there and get there in the dark, so we drove on through Pine, Arizona and over to Interstate 17, went south a few exits, and got a room for the night.

You can return to today's index or use the links below to continue to another photo album page.

	November 1, 2002: Arizona Trip Day 7
	October 30, 2002: Arizona Trip Day 5
	Return to the Index for Our Arizona Trip