Maricopa County Parks and Recreation: Scenic Ecosystem Hike

Let’s walk the lovely Scenic trail and have a look at the local ecosystem. We’ll examine and identify plants and animals we see (or try to, at least) and talk about how they interact to make our desert unique. This roughly 4-mile medium difficultly hike will take us down the aptly named Scenic trail which follows along a ridge and treats hikers to stunning vistas of the surrounding countryside. While enjoying these long ranging scenes we will also pause to draw down on some of the plants and animals along the edges of the trail to search for insects, small mammals, and birds in our immediate vicinity going about the business of pollinating late blooming wildflowers, storing, spreading, and making seeds for next year! (Truthfully, the next several years, but we’ll talk about that.) Meeting Location: Trailhead Staging Area Precise Meeting Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gGTGnx3gMQWApLCD9 Limit 10 participants. To register, please call the Nature Center at (602)506-2930 ext. 3 with your phone number and the number of people attending. If you find you cannot attend a program after you have registered, please call the Nature Center ASAP so we may contact those on the waiting list. Registration for this program will close on 10/27/2025. PLEASE NOTE: Outdoor summer programs may be canceled on short notice due to severe weather, including extreme heat events. The Maricopa County Parks website (www.maricopa.gov/parks) is the most accurate resource for verifying the program’s current status. Please check the program listing online or call the Nature Center before coming to the park.