Phoenix, Arizona

I had the pleasure of spending 2 weeks in Phoenix, Arizona and I enjoyed myself.

I had visited Phoenix once before, a handful of years ago, but it was for a business trip and I didn’t have a lot of time to explore.

This time, I had the time.

I had the chance to check out a few trails and see some of the beauty of the area, but I also stayed in a very nice Airbnb, so let’s take a peak at that first.

I will begin by saying that the entire area is not necessarily inexpensive as far as the price of the Airbnb properties. I was there in January, so that may have been part of the reason, but I spent more than I normally would have for the place that I stayed.

The property was a 3 bedroom house, in nice quiet neighborhood and it was close to many stores, restaurants and other activities.

Quite honestly, the was more house than I would have ever needed for myself, but I had a friend of mine that was coming into town to hang out with me for a few days, and I needed the extra bedroom to work. Regardless, it was nice.

The one thing that I really enjoyed, was all of the natural light. Every room in the house had plenty of light and it was great.

The kitchen was a decent size, functional and it had plenty of dishes, pans, etc. I mention that, because not every Airbnb has “everything” that you may need. I travel with my own small coffee pot, for instance and I always have a can opener with me.

I mentioned the 3 bedrooms, and those consisted of 2 downstairs (one large and one smaller) and then a very cute loft bedroom upstairs. The only issue with the upstairs bedroom, is that there is not a door at the bottom of the stairs, so that may be an issue for some people.

The outside was nice also! There was a side area with a grill, which was right off of the kitchen.

And also a back deck, with another grill, some chairs and a fenced in back yard.

Peaceful and private.

I should mention also that the host was great. I had a few questions while I was there and she was quick to respond and very kind.

The first weekend that I was there, I ventured over to a kind of a local landmark that has a few trails.

“Camelback Mountain gets its name from the unique silhouette it casts on the Valley skyline. It is considered one of the nation's top hiking destinations and attracts visitors from around the world.”

There are a few trails here, but 2 of them are considered “difficult,” and I opted for the easier trail, Bobbi’s Rock. If you look up Camelback Mountain, you will see the other trails and all of the details. All Trails has them listed.

This trail is an out and back and is only about 1 mile, but it was beautiful. The weather was about 60° and the sun was out, so it was cool behind the mountain, but nice in the sun.

The whole area was busy and it took a minute to find a parking spot, but it seemed as though most people were on the other trails, so I kind of had this trail to myself.

It’s a little weird also, that you are literally surrounded by the city, but it feels like you are out in the middle of nowhere.

It was a beautiful day and I truly enjoyed myself.

The nest weekend, a friend of mine and I took a ride out to the Superstition Mountains and specifically the Hieroglyphic Trail. “This is an easy trail that winds through a typical Sonoran Desert landscape of saguaros, teddy bear chollas and barrel cactuses. And if the conditions are right, there will be wildflowers, too. All of which is set against the backdrop of the rugged Superstition Mountains.” (link to the trail on AllTrails)

It was nice out the day we were there, but it was not scorching hot. It was January and it was pleasant, but I can only imagine how hot it would be in the middle of summer.

If you have ever been to a desert area, it can look sort of bland at first, but then you see some unexplainable beauty. There were wild flowers, cacti and the mountains along the way.

Plenty of cacti, some large, some small and some that had odd looks and shapes to them.

When you reach the end of the trail (it’s about 1.5 out and then of course the same back), there is a river bed (it was dry that day) and then you see the petroglyphs. “What you’ll see at the end of the trail are actually petroglyphs, a word that translates to “rock carvings.” There are no hieroglyphics on the Hieroglyphic Trail.”

I was adventurous and climbed down into the river bed and up the other side to get closer to the carvings.

Side note - you need to be careful climbing down and up the other side. The rocks are smooth and can be slippery.

I did not check this part out, but there is a cave at the far side of area.

While I was standing down there, I realized that I was literally right in the middle of the river bed and you could imagine how cool this ,must be after a good rain.

All in all, it was an easy trail and in my opinion, something that was worth it to see. I would suggest watching the weather and trying to go on a a “mild” day, because I really do think it could be challenging in the heat.

The final adventure of my time in Phoenix was the Desert Botanical Garden with my daughter, son in law and my grandson. They were in town also for a few days (we had planned the time together) and my daughter suggested it.

The admission was $35.00 for adults and my grandson may have been free? Don’t quote me on that. I don’t consider that top be terribly expensive, but just to give you a heads up, that it’s not without a cost.

There are different areas, such as the cactus area, wildflowers, etc. It looks small when you first walk in, but the grounds are expansive.

This is another place where you are literally in the middle of the city, but you don’t really notice it as you walk through.

Then there was the Contemplation Garden.

With a nice inspirational sign.

Just a couple more pictures to wrap up the day.

This one made me laugh a little.

Phoenix is a beautiful city and the surrounding areas are no different. If you have never been, I highly recommend it, but you need to be mindful of the time of year.

The weather was perfect while I was there in January, but the Airbnb was more expensive than what I am used to. Possibly because of the time of year and maybe more people are visiting?

However, if you are there during the really warm months, the heat can be brutal. The last time I was in Phoenix, it was the beginning of September, which is the tail end of the warm season, and it was 114° during the day and “cooled off” to about 85° at night.

Regardless, I enjoyed my time and I will visit again.