Chris Ryanczak's Blog: L.V. Yates Trail

Return to Phoenix Mountain Preserve

This past Saturday, May 4th, 2024, I went hiking again.Not only did I go hiking again, I also went back to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. This time, however, I did not make a return visit to Dreamy Draw. Instead, I went back to the beginning: the 40th Street Trailhead. Back on March 25th, I attended a nighttime hike at the 40th Street Trailhead given by REI. It was my first ever visit to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. The idea of the hike was to complete a short hike in the dark after sunset with a small group of people. As a result, the hike aroused an interest making a return visit to the Phoenix Mountain Trail. Since that first visit, I have returned to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve for three additional visits. Since the Phoenix Mountain Preserve is criss-crossed by trails, I will probably keep going back for the foreseeable future.

L.V. Yates Trail (#8)

After hiking two nearly identical trails at the Dreamy Draw Trailhead, the Perl A. Charles Trail and the Voaz MTB Loop Trail, I decided to hike the L.V. Yates Trail (#8). As you can see from the topographic map from the All Trails website, the L.V. Yates Trail (#8) is a roughly 5 mile "out-and-back" hiking trail.

L.V. Yates Trail (#8), (Source: All Trails)

My initial goal for the hike was to simply follow the L.V. Yates Trail out to the end and then come back.

L.V. Yates Trail Marker

The L.V. Yates Trail consisted of a gradual rise in slope to two saddle points that are neatly placed 1.2 miles between each other. The first saddle point has an elevation of roughly 1,822 feet. The second saddle point is at a lower elevation at 1,770 feet. The trail also goes through a dry stream bed that lies between both saddle points. The L.V. Yates Trail is also largely rocky. There were several instances on the trail where one foot slipped on a rock as I hiked. Like most of the trails at the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, the L.V. Yates Trail connects with several other hiking trails. Therefore, you can combine the L.V. Yates Trail with another trail for a longer hike. However, with the daytime temperatures starting to rise in the Phoenix metropolitan area, you are going to have to start hiking early in the morning if you want to hike six or seven miles.

My Hiking Route on the L.V. Yates Trail

#304/Ocotillo Trailhead

It just so happens that the L.V. Yates Trail meets up with the Piestewa Peak Nature Trail at the second saddle point. From where the two trails met, I followed the Piestewa Peak Nature Trail to the #304 Trailhead.

End of the L.V. Yates Trail

From the saddle point, the Piestewa Peak Nature Trail appeared to be a short hike to the Ocotillo Trailhead. The view was deceptive as I had to hike down from the saddle point to a narrow dried-out river bed and then back up an incline. The detour to the Ocotillo Trailhead added another half mile to my hike.

At the Ocotillo Trailhead

At the #304 Trailhead, also known as the Ocotillo Trailhead, there are bathrooms, drinking fountains, and a place to sit down underneath overhead cover, which is known locally as a ramada. Since the #304 Trailhead/Ocotillo Trailhead is located at the Piestewa Peak Park area, parking is also available. The facilities are rather similar to what you would find at the Dreamy Draw Trailhead. Just a note about parking during my hike. When I arrived at the 40th Street Trailhead at around 9:15 AM, I was lucky to park my car in one of the few remaining available parking spaces. When I arrived at the #304-Ocotillo Trailhead at around 11:30 AM, the parking lot for that part of Piestewa Peak Park was pretty much empty. The reason why the parking lot was empty was the RISING temperature.

Slow Going on the Return

Once at the Ocotillo Trailhead, I went to the bathroom, washed my hands, and then looked for a shady place to sit. After eating my peanut butter Clif bar and drinking some water from my Gregory hydration pack (no leaks on this day BTW), I started to notice just how hot it was. Relatively speaking. One thing that I did not notice was my feet being in extreme pain at my half-way point. My new size 11W Zamberlan hiking boots were doing their job. Once my watch indicated that it was 12:00 PM, I got back up and headed back to the Piestewa Peak Nature Trail. Since I was hiking uphill again, it was extremely slow going. My heart rate was going crazy. My breath was short and raspy. Still struggling with allergies, my lungs were struggling. Then there was the heat. It was starting to get quite noticeable. I had to hike step-by-step up the ridge to get back to the saddle point. It was slow going, but it was my only option. Once I got to the saddle point, I sat down on the bench made out of rocks and drank some water. With the terrain of the L.V. Yates Trail now declining, my pace quickened. After hiking through the dried-out riverbed, I reached another rest area. I sat down for a couple of minutes and drank some more water. I then began the ascent to the first saddle point on the L.V. Yates Trail. Again, my pace on the trail to the saddle point was extremely slow with the sun beating down on my head. Once at the saddle point, I sat down once again on the bench made out of rocks and drank more water. I then began my descent back to the parking lot at the L.V. Yates Trailhead. As the temperatures rose, my pace on the trail began to slow and almost become laborious. Everytime I reached a signpost on the trail, I stopped to drink a couple of sips of water. As far as I could tell, I was the only person in my immediate area of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Occasionally, I would see a mountain biker or a pair of trail runners off in the distance. The parking lot was starting to get closer and closer. I saw the trail map at the edge of the parking lot. I had finally made it back. Apart from my car and two or three other cars, the parking lot was empty. I found a bench at a ramada to sit at. I took a look at my hydration pack and noticed that I had A LOT more water to drink that I had thought.

Once I got back to my car and took off my hiking boots, I could already picture in my mind drinking a large, frosty mug of Scottsdale Blonde Koelsch by Huss Brewing waiting for me.