Trail 200 / 200A

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Trail 200 / 200A

On Thursday, September 18, 2008 I wanted to get some better photographs of Squaw Peak eastern side.  I knew I was going to have to take the photographs from a distance and decent elevation so I thought I’d hike up trail 200 / 200A in order to position myself.  When I started up trail 200 from the Mojave Ramada, I realized that this trail is a real enjoyable trail.  The trail is in excellent condition considering its low usage.    There is quite a large amount of skree to hike through but its moderate grade allows good hiking without a lot of slippage.

Trail Head	Mojave Parking

The views improve the higher on the trail you get.  The view of the peak across the valley is wonderful and the views of Phoenix are superb.  About one half a mile up the trail you come across a clever bridge that was constructed from a piece of rock and an area where there has been constructed a clever fence.  Shortly after that you come upon the junction where trail 200A connects with trail 200.  Trail 200 goes around to the west and dead ends at a great viewpoint.

Leaving the Ramada	The lower trail
The gentle grade	It gets steeper
Rustic Fence	Near the top

At the junction I opted to turn off on trail 200A and go up the switchbacks to get to a higher location for my photographs.  The switchbacks make the ascent easier and the trail remained in good condition.  About 25 minutes after I started up the trail I reached the summit.  The trail, I knew continued on to the 32^nd st. trail head but I didn’t go any further than the summit.  The decent was very easy and enabled me to take pictures of the trail all the way back to the trailhead.

Just around the corner	We're Here

In my opinion trail 200 / 200A is an excellent trail to hike and relax.  Since it’s not crowded, the trail is easy to hike ant whatever pace you might want to go.  This is not a training trail but much more one on which to relax and enjoy yourself.

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Larry Wayt (gnhikn@cox.net)