Springtime Excursions
Arizona’s “Sonoran Desert Spring” author John Alcock perhaps describes it best — “Spring on the Sonoran Desert can be a four-month-long spectacle of life and color.” Thanks to this year’s winter showers, the Sonoran Desert is now carpeted with a spectacular wildflower display. With temperatures in the 80s, it’s an ideal time to explore and enjoy a vibrant spring day.
Here are a few of our favorite springtime excursions:
Tortolita Mountain trails
The Tortolita Mountain trails offer great places to wander among the flowers, desert pollinators and local wildlife. The main trailhead, Wild Burro, is conveniently located for Dove Mountain residents just beyond The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain Spa & Resort entrance.
Wild Burro trail serves as the gateway into the mountain range, featuring remarkable views of desert wildflowers, brush, trees and cacti. Also, depending on the time of day, hikers see desert birds, lizards, rabbits, coyotes, javelinas, bobcats and deer. Some hikers who have ventured further up the mountain have seen wild horses, descendants of ranch horses from the 1920s.
Catalina State Park
Another place to take in the spring splendor is Catalina State Park, roughly 15 minutes north of Dove Mountain. The park sits at the base of the majestic Santa Catalina Mountains and is a haven for desert plants, wildlife, and nearly 5,000 Saguaros. It features thousands of acres of foothills and canyons and is a popular place for bird watching, with over 150 species of birds calling the park home. Bring your camera and a sense of adventure.
Tohono Chul
Tohono Chul is another perfect spring destination. Just minutes from Dove Mountain, it’s a 49-acre natural preserve with trails meandering through botanical collections of native plants and those adapted to our region. It also has the largest public collection of night-blooming Cereus cacti in the U.S. Expect nothing but a breathtaking spring landscape, with birds feeding their young, butterflies flitting among the blooms, and colorful lizards darting for prey.
Sonora Desert Museum
The Sonora Desert Museum, located about 40 minutes west of Marana, is truly an outdoor adventure. Within its 97 acres are paths leading to spectacular botanical gardens and naturalistic wildlife habitats for coyotes, javelinas, mountain lions, bighorn sheep and deer. There are also two aviaries, with one dedicated to native hummingbirds. In spring, the “museum” is a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors. Imagine the sight and scents of more than 50,000 plants in various stages of bloom.
Saguaro National Park (West)
It’s truly an honor to have one of the most iconic national parks located minutes from home. Saguaro National Park (West) is home to forests of the nation’s largest cacti, a universal symbol of the American West. And from late April through June, the majestic Saguaros feature clusters of large white blooms that combine to look like fancy spring bonnets. The park is also home to various iconic desert wildlife like roadrunners, horned lizards, Gila monsters, desert tortoise, bobcats and bats.
About Dove Mountain
The Dove Mountain community features modern luxury homes tucked into gorgeous desert landscapes, including Tortolita foothills homes with sweeping canyon and mountain views. Perhaps our most popular offerings are golf course homes located on or footsteps from three stunning golf courses.
To learn more about all that the Dove Mountain community has to offer, including custom homes, homesites and current and upcoming listings, contact Dove Mountain Properties toll-free at 888-603-7600 or contact us.