At the beginning of the Hunter Trail there are good views of the lava ridges. The Hunter Trail climbs up to the saddle on the left side of this photo.
Picacho Peak as seen near the start of the Hunter Trail.
Golden patches of poppies dot the slopes of the ridges at Picacho Peak in the early spring.
A field of Mexican Gold Poppies mixed with purple Scorpionweed.
The poppy flowers are just beginning to open in the morning sun.
Scorpionweed (Phacelia crenulata).
A couple of Coulter's Lupine (Lupinus sparsiflorus) mingle among the Mexican Gold Poppies (Eschscholtzia mexicana).
A field of gold.
Coulter's Lupine (Lupinus sparsiflorus) and Mexican Gold Poppies (Eschscholtzia mexicana).
Desert-Chicory (Rafinesquia neomexicana).
Closeup of Desert-Chicory.
A trio of Desert-Chicory.
A field of poppies.
A view from the slopes of Picacho Peak across I-10 to the Picacho Mountains.
Colorful lichens clinging to volcanic rock.
A view of the cliffs and the desert floor below as the Hunter Trail climbs up the ridge.
As the Hunter Trail climbs the ridge long views of the desert come into view. (In this photo you can see the Hunter Trail starting at the green tanks at the lower left.)
A northerly view along the cliffs.
Dryopetalon (Dryopetalon runcinatum) growing in the shade of the cliffs.
Looking back along the Hunter Trail as it skirts the cliffs.
The Hunter Trail reaches the saddle and vistas of checker-board farmland come in to view.
View from the saddle.
A view looking northwest along the ridge at the saddle.
A view to the southeast from the saddle.
From the saddle the Hunter Trail descends steeply down the other side of the ridge. Steel cables assist hikers traveling along this portion of the trail.
The Sunset Vista Trail descends down the backside of the ridge. This is a view from the Sunset Trail look back at the ridge.
A Beetle looking for a bit of pollen in a Desert-Chicory.
White-Bracted Stick Leaf aka Sand Blazing Star (Mentzelia involucrata).
White-Bracted Stick Leaf.
Scorpionweed (Phacelia crenulata).
Emory's Rock Daisy (Perityle emoryii).
Starflower (Gilia sp.) (Possibly Broad-Leaved Gilia, Gilia latifolia.)
Master Blister Beetles (Lytta magister).
Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa).
Teddy Bear Cholla (Opuntia bigelovii) glistening in the sun.
A stand of Saguaro Cactus (Cereus giganteus) on a hillside.
Poppies and a lone desert chicory.
Hillside of poppies.
Picacho Peak.
Saguaros marching into the endless desert.
Coulter's Lupine (Lupinus sparsiflorus).
A field of orange and white (yes, white) poppies.
A slow exposure and a good wind create a smear of orange and white.
Closeup of a white poppy.
Hillside of poppies below Picacho Peak.