HIKE OF THE MONTH

hike of the month Buzzards Circle Vulture Peak Trail but Beware the Blooming Cactuses

“Fell into some cacti,” recorded Melissa from Wisconsin. “It HURT BAD,” she wrote. Fourteen days later, Mike shared a similar experience in the Vulture Peak Trail registry. “Now recognize cholla cactus! Ouch!” The Vulture Peak Trail, 7 miles south of Wickenburg on Vulture Mine Road, attracts hikers from around the world eager to wander the Sonoran Desert in spring. The 4-mile round-trip trail, which ends at the saddle directly below Vulture Peak, provides a perfect opportunity for hikers to see the desert in bloom.

A sign at the primary trailhead, easily accessed by passenger cars, warns of the possible presence of poisonous reptiles such as rattlesnakes and Gila monsters and details the route, which climbs from a 2,480-foot elevation to 3,420 feet. A nearby picnic table provides a place for a lunch before or after the hike. A short distance from the trailhead, a flowering paloverde tree shades the primary trail's registry. The fallen yellow blossoms carpet the desert floor; a tempting tease of the blooms lines the path.

One legend says that Henry Wickenburg named the nearby Vulture Mine, one of the richest gold mines in Arizona, after noticing vultures circling the knobby peak. In turn, the mountain inherited the forbidding name associated with the black birds still found in the area, drifting on the thermals in search of an easy meal.

On the trail, the remains of a fallen saguaro reveal its bony underlying structure. Nearby saguaros reach for the sky, swollen from the spring rains and adorned with the creamy white flowers pollinated by bats, such as those haunting the abandoned shaft at Vulture Mine.

Rock pyramids mark the trail as it crosses dry washes and a four-wheel-drive back road. A few ironwood trees dot the dun hillsides in misty splashes of lilac. Their gray limbs hang over the well-maintained pathway at several places, providing a view of their tiny purple and white flowers. The red bottle-brush blooms of ocotillos contrast with the fuchsia, orange and yellow blossoms of other cactuses in the dense desert vegetation.

(LEFT) Ironwood trees teem with blooms among saguaro and cholla cactuses and paloverde trees on the slope of Vulture Peak south of Wickenburg. (RIGHT) Sunset warms the cholla cactuses near the trailhead as Vulture Peak looms in the distance.

Lizards scurry from their sunning spots and birds flit among the mesquite and tamarisk trees, their calls resounding through the still air. Desert tortoises and javelinas have been spotted in the area.

The path begins to ascend after a mile and steepens dramatically. After tackling the last half-mile of switchbacks, hikers reach the saddle. Views on all sides reveal sweeping valleys rimmed with distant mountain ranges and vistas reaching for miles. Experienced climbers can scramble up the steep, narrow chute to the summit of Vulture Peak at 3,660 feet. But beware. This route is unimproved and can prove dangerous to those unfamiliar with desert rock climbing. The beauty of the desert in bloom can be savored once again on the return trip.

Despite venomous reptiles, hovering buzzards and sharp thorns, the desert softens with the fragile beauty of spring's blooms. Even the cholla cactus takes on a soft countenance and shimmers with a silvery sheen in the morning sun - proving once and for all that appearances can be deceiving.

Travel Advisory: The area at the primary trailhead offers parking for up to 15 vehicles. Parking at the end of the four-wheel-drive trailhead, which takes hikers within a half-mile of the end of the maintained trail, can accommodate four vehicles. The primitive dirt road leading to the upper trailhead should be attempted only by four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Warning: Be sure to take your own water, at least a gallon per person. A shaded ramada is provided along with the picnic table, but there are no rest rooms.

Additional Information: Phoenix Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, (623) 580-5500.