My dad is laid up, and several times has mentioned to me his disappointment at not being to get out to see the Super Bloom. 🏥
From previous hikes on Palo Verde Trail #512 at Bartlett Lake, in Tonto National Forest, just northeast of Phoenix, I knew that there would be decent #flowerporn. But I had no idea how good.
On the drive down Bartlett Lake Road, from Carefree to Rattlesnake Cove, it was obvious that at the very least there would be epic amounts of lupine. (On the drive back about 1:00 p.m. even more epic amounts of late blooming Mexican Gold Poppy.)
Besides the Coulter’s Lupine and Mexican Gold Poppy, I spotted owl clover, brittlebush, chuparosa, scorpionweed, desert globemallow, cream cup, chia — not the pets! — blue dick, desert chicory, fairy duster, wooly daisy, Esteve’s Pincushion, paleface delphinium, dandelion, fiddleneck, flat top buckwheat, fairy duster … and even mutant white poppies! I probably forgot a few. 😁
Rather than repeat the trail description (see link above), let’s just enjoy the Super Bloom, shall we? 🤗
Bartlett Lake Super Bloom from Preston McMurry on Vimeo.
Directions: To get from Loop 101 & Pima Rd. to the trailhead at Rattlesnake Cove, head north on Pima Rd. for 12 miles. Go east on Cave Creek Rd. for a little over four miles. Then head east on Bartlett Dam Rd. for a little over 13 miles. Just before the marina, turn north on FR 459 for just under a mile, turning east onto Lower Rattlesnake Rd. to Rattlesnake Cove. You need a Tonto Day Pass, currently $8. Passes are available at the marina (which opens at 9 a.m.), the ranger station at the corner of Cave Creek Rd. & Bartlett Dam Rd., or from lots of gas stations in the Valley.
GPS File: Palo_Verde_Trail_512
Distance: 7.88 mi.
AEG: 1,054 ft.
Time: 3h 28m
