Eight hearty Trailblazers gathered in 90 degree afternoon heat to explore the Rio Salado Conservation Area. Original plans were to meet at 7th Street, where the prettiest part of the path lies, but we had to pivot once we learned that the 7th Street Bridge and everything under it had been blocked for months after a gas explosion in February, 2021.

Plans adjusted, we met at North 7th Avenue Trailhead and started walking at 5:30 PM. We went east on the Northern Trail until the path was blocked off at Central. We took the high path there, had a detour to the waterfalls, and then came back on the lower path.

At 7th Avenue, too many bramble bushes under the bridge prevented us from using the lower path, so we crossed under the bridge on the higher path. We headed west, past lots of burrowing owl dens, to almost 16th Street, and with the sun beginning to set, headed back toward 7th Avenue. Exiting at the major street, we had a perilous crossing of many lanes without a crosswalk, but made it back to the parking lot intact.

It was a nice evening walk and at time, felt like we were not in the middle of town. We had great views of the riparian area and of the South Mountain preserve and the Sierra Estrella. I can’t wait to figure out how to stay on the lower path near the water as much as possible and to come back next fall to do the south part of the trail.