Arizona State Parks offered free admission today for the Martin Luther King holiday. There are three state parks within an hour's drive of me. I wanted to use this opportunity to explore Lake Patagonia and the Sonoita Creek. The Sonoita Creek flows into the man-made lake. I had never explored the creek from the lake side and the only time I was at Lake Patagonia was 25 years ago with Eric.
It's a 90-minute drive along the scenic AZ Highway 82 to get to Lake Patogonia. It's been a few years since I've driven the route and I've forgotten how beautiful the rocky cliffs and hills are south of Patagonia. I probably should have left the house sooner as we didn't get to the lake until 1:30pm. The park ranger checked my driver's license to make sure I was an Arizona resident and eligible for a free pass.
I had researched the trails yesterday and knew I had to get to the most eastern part of the campground to get started at the Birding trail. Quite a few people and other dogs were there and I was afraid I had made a poor choice of a hike. Gretel does not like other dogs and she will lunge at other dogs. My only choice now was to get as far into the wilderness as possible. Most people in campgrounds don't stray far from the trailhead.
I wasn't dressed in my best hiking clothes. I wore thick jeans and my red mesh sneakers. It was 73F and ideal for a shaded winter hike. But a mile into the hike I met another man about my age who was coming back from the creek and warning me that I will not be able to ford the creek because it's flooded from recent rains and there are no footbridges.
No foot bridges in a creek preserve? I didn't let the man's negativity get to me as I like exploring creek beds. And sure enough, there was an easy and dry crossing near a log jam that got us across the creek and down the old Patagonia-Sonoita railroad track. We hiked the old railroad bed going east until a gate with a "No Trespassing" sign forced us to turn around. This wide open path along the creek was very pretty, and I was sad to see it end too soon. On the other side of the gate was the Nature Preserve's Sonoita section. Dogs are not allowed here.
On our way back I got sidetracked by an abandoned trail. It let to a rocky drainage section that got away from the shaded creek and up the rocky, dry hill sides and away from the park. During heavy rains this part I'm sure gushes with water.
Gretel was loving the water. She's a great hiking companion as long as we are alone as she stays by my side. I feel safe with her nearby. I was noticing plants I didn't know grew in Arizona: wild nicotiana (tobacco plant) with its long, white tubular flowers in bloom. The leaves are huge! Thick vines creeped up along many of the creek bed trees.
My goal was to explore all the trails on the eastern part of the Lake. It was already 3pm and I only had two more hours of good daylight. The rocky hillsides looked tempting, but I didn't want to risj getting lost or injured in a remote area with no cellphone service. I'd love to come back with someone else to explore this area.
We finished off our hike by completing both short trails on the lake side: two short loops. I never met another person once I got here. The mesquite bosques are quite enchanting, but so are the marshes near the eastern lake section. It reminded me of the marshes in the Indiana Dunes State Park.
In the end we managed 5.71 miles and were back at the Honda by 4:20pm. A half mile was just walking right along the shore by the campground. The campground looks inviting, with shaded lots and a shower area for users. Had I had more day light, I would have explored the lake more. I'm curious to know if there are trails on the western portion of the lake? I can't find any information on the internet.
Gretel was glad to be back in the car to rest. She travels very well. I was hungry and wanted to take this opportunity to drive to the border town of Nogales for a Mexican meal. It's been so long since I walked the streets of Nogales!
Google recommended a dive restaurant called El Zarape. It looked like something straight out of Mexico. I gave it three stars on Yelp! The meal was ok but it was also just $13 and very filling. Gretel rested in the shade while I was inside.
The drive back home was at sunset/ We got back home by 7pm. I felt rested. What a fun way to end a three-day weekend.
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