Maricopa County Parks and Recreation: Ecosystem Hike

Join Ranger Shaun for an early Spring/late Winter walk-and-talk to discuss the changing seasons and what that means for the desert. We’ll walk the roughly 2-mile Moonlight-Stargazer-San Tan loop often used for Ranger hikes and talk about the changing temperatures, differing photo periods (day lengths), and seasonal weather patterns and how those things alter behavior for the plant, animal, and sometimes even human life here in the Sonoran Desert. We’re also creeping up on snake season, so we might even get lucky and see a rattlesnake. Please bring water bottles and closed toed shoes. Trails can be chilly this time of year, especially if it’s windy, so dressing in layers is recommended. Sections of the trail are rated moderate-difficult so hiking poles or sticks can prove useful. No pets please. MEETING LOCATION: Trailhead meeting area. Precise meeting location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/PHuxHCk3xjbhDtEs5 Limit 10 participants. To register, please call the Nature Center at (602) 506-2930 ext. 7 with your name, phone number and 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 03/08/26.