South Mountain

The first time I went there was Nov of 1987. I suspect I’ll hike back there some day.

I had finished some meetings in Phoenix and had a free afternoon. It was time to head back up to South Mountain. I thought that it might be interesting to visit during the daytime.

Looking to the north there were wonderful panoramic views of Phoenix to be had. It is amazing to see just how spread out the city is. To the south you could see Chandler and a little bit beyond that the desert took over.

We also visited the antenna farm on the ridge.

It’s kind of a long drive to get up to the top, but the view is grand. There are several lookout areas. The all offer something interesting to see.

While the drive up the steep, twisting, narrow road can be a bit nerve wracking (to the point of being a damn near religious experience when forced to share the road with some of those classic Phoenix drivers), there’s one curve that once you’ve reached it, its totally worth it. Looking out over Phoenix, the valley reaches as far as the eye can see, surrounded by mountains. It keeps getting better the further you go, be it straight up the mountain to the summit, or veering off along any of the various trails in the park, South Mountain is easily my favorite place in Phoenix.

Although, as the sun starts to set, the summit quickly becomes packed. Its a great spot to bring a date..and its no secret. Kinda pisses me off when the quiet I was enjoying turns to thumping bass and loud, obnoxious herds of horny hipsters, but with views like that, can’t say I blame ‘em. Hell, that’s precisely how I discovered South Mountain (sans the hipster part)..ahem..

Anyway, I digress…with killer views that can’t be beat, be it night or day, rain or shine, and great trails, picnic areas, lookouts, etc., South Mountain is a gem of Phoenix, offering an escape from city life for some outdoor recreation, and yet its barely 20 minutes from Downtown.

I went up there with a group of people when I was down in Phoenix for work a few years ago. We were tied up in meetings all day. After dinner that night one of the guys who used to live in Phoenix) suggested that we go see South Mountain.

We headed up there. We saw quite a few animals on the drive up the mountain. When we got to the top we got out and had a look around.

By then it was dark. We got out of the car in a parking area that had a commanding view of the city and its lights. As we admired the view we realized that we were not alone. South Mountain is also a very popular hangout for the dating crowd, if you catch my drift.

We, a bunch of loser engineers felt a wee bit out of place up there admiring the lights that night.

Another great place to hike. I used to hike here all the time.