Sunrise or sunset: Phoenix hiking tours shine

”We have been to the Phoenix area several times and drove by the desert, but never actually spent time (there) and wanted to be able to appreciate it. ... The Wild Bunch had just what we were looking for ... Laurel did a great job setting us up and picking just the right guide ... The reviews were right on. Our guide, Jay, customized our hike to just what we were looking for. Jay was great. He answered all of our questions and gave us a good perspective of the Sonoran Desert environment. He was congenial, knowledgeable, and fun. We learned a lot and even tasted edible cactus. Our tour was at sunset, and we got some great pictures to document our experience. We highly recommend!” – Ron H, New Jersey, Tripadvisor, Nov. 3, 2021

Florida owns the nickname “Sunshine State.”

However, Arizona annually wins the battle with more sunny days – 300 on average -- than any other state in the country.
No wonder the greater Phoenix metropolitan area is known as “The Valley of the Sun.”

The non-stop sunshine combined with the out-of-this-world scenery of the Sonoran Desert makes Arizona the ultimate playground for outdoor activities such as Phoenix hiking tours and Phoenix mountain bike tours.

Seeking that sort of fun in the eternal sun is why I moved to Arizona more than a decade ago from my hometown in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.

Loving my new surroundings – and seeing the need for guides to provide these Phoenix adventure tours to visitors – is also why I started my own small mom-and-pop specialty shop in 2016.

So, as both a resident adventurer – and the owner and operator of Wild Bunch Desert Guides -- I can tell you one of the coolest, must-do things in Phoenix is to experience an Arizona sunrise or sunset during a guided Phoenix hiking trip or guided Scottsdale mountain biking tour.

1. Paying attention to the weather forecast so you can dress for the conditions – and we have a checklist of suggestions for you here;
2. Making sure your cellphone is charged – not for any emergencies, necessarily, but instead to ensure you have enough juice for all the pictures you will be taking and all the phone calls you will be making to friends or family missing out on all the fantastic scenes you are adding to your vacation photo album;
3. Watching the clock to make sure you are on time to meet your guide, so you get as much time as possible – and following our turn-by-turn instructions for reaching the trailhead from your resort, hotel, or Airbnb.

 

Walking on sunshine: Phoenix hiking tours
When choosing between a dawn or dusk adventure, most guests prefer the latter – and who can blame them? Most people love sleeping in when they can, especially when they are on vacation.

A sunset experience does tend to offer cooler temperatures – and you do get to bring home the adventure with the big prize of the sunset right in front of you.

Of the two, there also is no better view than the end-of-day big finish.

The Phoenix hiking tours or Phoenix mountain bike tours at sunset also are a great start to a night out in Old Town Scottsdale, for instance.

Sundown tours also are perfect for couples – especially those marking an anniversary, birthday, or special milestone -- with a delightfully romantic sunset awaiting as our gift to you.

A 90-minute to 2-hour sunset adventure also is a great way to try and squeeze in everything you want to do when arriving in Phoenix early in the day – especially if you have a short stay or weekend getaway.

Please beware, though – those same-day arrival bookings are non-refundable if your flight is late or cancelled – which unfortunately happens too often these supply chain-challenged days.

Like any good business in the travel industry, the Wild Bunch has a 48-hour cancellation policy as discussed in this Blog (read).

Same as a hotel, if you call to cancel 48 hours before your adventure? You are completely refunded.

But inside that 48-hour window? You are charged in full even if you are unable to make your booked date because your guide and time slot already has been reserved – which has caused us to pass on other potential guests.

The best we can do is attempt to take you out on another day -- but understand that is never a failsafe because of our advance scheduling and your limited window of opportunity.

Another key fact to be aware of -- Arizona does not follow daylight savings time, so there is no time change each November.

So, while the meeting time does fluctuate depending on the time of our sunset, that time never gets earlier than 5:20 p.m. in the year’s shortest days each December.

So, when booking a sundown adventure, guests need to be ready to meet their guide at the trailhead sometime between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. for the next couple of months.

A warning for the uninitiated: Traffic later in the day in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area does pose a challenge in getting to places on time. In other words, make sure to give yourself an extra half-hour either coming or going.

By comparison, traffic before sunrise is much more manageable -- and thus much easier on arrival times.

For either a sunrise or sunset, guests need to be aware we do not ride or hike in the dark for safety reasons -- so our sundown option ends in the twilight.

The City of Scottsdale also observes that a large chunk of wildlife is crepuscular – meaning their activity is primarily in the twilight of dawn and dusk.

Rabbits, deer, and some songbirds are examples of animals operating mainly in those dimly lit hours to help avoid predators. By contrast, bats are an example of naturally nocturnal animals (which are most active at night) while humans are defined as diurnal animals (who are naturally active during the daylight).

To help protect the natural environment of the crepuscular critters that call the desert home, Scottsdale does not want anybody in their parks after sunset -- and they actually close the gates at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve for this reason.

In the City of Phoenix, Camelback Mountain closes at sunset for another good reason -- because it is much too dangerous to hike that demon in the dark. One bad step could lead to a fatal fall.

However, Phoenix will allow you to hike or bike at night in many of the city’s other parks – which also happen to be much flatter.

As a company, though, Wild Bunch Desert Guides does not offer night rides or hikes because our insurance company does not allow that for obvious liability reasons. 

Even if you use lamps to illuminate your way, Phoenix adventure tours still are safest during the daylight.

Anything after dark also misses the highlight of every day here – the one-of-a-kind wonder of the vibrant Arizona sun colorfully crashing down on a picturesque horizon.