Oct 29 – Nov 12

The read

The normal high in Phoenix slides from 84° today to 78° by Nov 12, and the sun sets before 5:30 by then. Maricopa County's 100 Miles in 100 Days challenge starts Nov 1: hike or run 100 miles (or ride 200) on county park trails by Feb 8. The new moon on Nov 9 brings the darkest skies of the window. Live conditions for every hike are on Today.

Heads up

• Brown's Ranch Trailhead (Scottsdale) reopens Friday, Oct 30 after its summer upgrades. The work added a new trail dispersal area with five rerouted trails, so the first stretch from the lot may look different. City of Scottsdale
• Lake Pleasant's Pipeline Trailhead closes Nov 10 through March 10, along with parts of the Pipeline Trail near North Park Road. The Cottonwood and Wild Burro day use areas stay open as ways in. County alert
• Canyon Lake drawdown: the marina lot where Boulder Canyon hikers usually park is closed through February. The trail itself is outside the closure. Tonto NF
• Thunderbird Conservation Park (Glendale): the 55th Ave. and 59th Ave. lots are still closed for construction. All trails stay open from the other trailheads. City of Glendale

Get out with a group

• Sun 11/1, 9am 100 Miles in 100 Days kickoff hike, Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area (registration, limit 25)
• Thu 11/5, 8am Guided bird hike, Estrella Mountain Regional Park (registration, limit 10)
• Thu 11/5, 6pm Stargazing, McDowell Mountain Regional Park (registration, limit 20)
• Sat 11/7, 8:30am Plant hike, San Tan Mountain Regional Park (registration, limit 20)
• Sat 11/7, 4:45pm All Abilities Sunset Stroll, Usery Mountain Regional Park (barrier-free; registration, limit 25)
• Thu 11/12, 6pm Saguaros at Sunset, White Tank Mountain Regional Park (registration, limit 25)

Club spotlight: Hiking Hikers Hiking Group ("3H"). The oldest outdoor meetup group in the Valley, running since 2006, with members from their twenties to their eighties. The calendar is full most weeks, from evening fitness hikes to geocaching outings. Find them

Good right now

• Start your 100 miles here: San Tan Mountain (Malpais Loop). A long, mostly level loop through sandy washes on San Tan's quiet south side, and it counts toward the county challenge. From the field notes: away from the park's usual traffic, with saguaros the whole way.
• Easy miles in the north preserve: Granite Mountain Loop. A mostly flat walk all the way around Granite Mountain, in the northern McDowell Sonoran Preserve. The trailhead has restrooms but no drinking water.
• White Tank's big day: Mesquite Canyon and Goat Camp Loop. Climbs Mesquite Canyon, crosses the range on the Goat Camp Trail and drops down Willow Canyon. Rugged, with no water along the way, so it's a cool-weather hike. County miles, too.

New on the site

• 6 new hike pages: Dixie Mountain Loop, Granite Mountain Loop, Lost Dog Wash and Ringtail Loop, Mesquite Canyon and Goat Camp Loop, Piestewa Peak Freedom Trail and Sunrise Peak.
• New field notes: Fremont Saddle, Picketpost Mountain, San Tan Mountain (Malpais Loop) and Wave Cave.

Desert note: The winter sparrows are back

Small brown birds working the ground in flocks under the brush? Look for bold black-and-white stripes on the head: White-crowned Sparrows. They summer in the mountains and the north, winter in Southwest lowlands like the Valley, and mostly migrate at night. This year's young have tan and brown stripes instead. Sources: Audubon and Copper Courier.