Maricopa County Parks and Recreation: Ecosystem Hike

Join Ranger Shaun for an early Summer/late Spring 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 season weather patterns and how those things alter life and behavior for the plant, animal, and sometimes even human life here in the Sonoran Desert. We’re well into snake season, so we might even get lucky and see a rattler. Please bring water bottles and closed toed shoes. The first section of the trail is 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/2Z8gikW1jQoNy4n37 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 06/19/25. 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 before coming to the park