As the trail gains elevation, views of Downtown Phoenix expand from sliver-glimpses to full-blown panoramas.

Waterfalls in the desert might sound incongruous, but the remote peaks and canyons of the Mazatzal Wilderness Area put on amazing waterworks.

This stretch of the 80-mile trail that run from Phoenix to Mayer cuts through foothills and grasslands fed by Big Bug and Antelope Creeks.

Mount Wrightson is a magnet for winter snow and summer rain and is the source of the perennial waters flowing through the Sonoita Creek State Natural Area.