Lake Overlook Trail

Fountain Hills has a little secret.

The Lake Overlook Trail is one of those hikes that you vaguely know about but often forget. But it offers instant gratification if you want a quick jaunt with plenty of scenery.

You can park on the east side of Fountain Park, walk across the street and hit the trail. At the trailhead, the posted sign indicates the walk is 1.17 miles long. That distance is measured from the trailhead on Panorama to the other entrance on Saguaro Boulevard and Panorama.    The hike is in no way difficult. There are a couple of inclines, but the trail is so improved that you can make good time comfortably. The nice thing about it is the views are wonderful. If you look to the south you have a great look at Red Rock and the Goldfield Mountains. To the east is Four Peaks. Look north and you have the expanse of the Mazatzals, Mount Ord and the mountains beyond. The McDowells are to the west.

In the near distance in every direction are roofs of houses, offices, buildings in Fountain Hills. You could call it the roof tour if you were so inclined. There are some interesting roofs around town, too.

We walked the trail on a morning in early March. The temperature when we started was about 60 and really pleasant. By the time we were finished (about 90 minutes later), it was about 80. I was starting to get jumpy thinking about rattlesnakes. We saw only three lizards but nary a snake.

There are several things about the Lake Overlook Trail that are worth the stroll. When you first start up the trail off of Panorama, there are about a million birds singing. The people who live on either side of the wash there get a terrific concert each morning.

The trail is so well-groomed you almost feel guilty walking on it. It is completely lined by river rocks and except for a couple of places the trail has pea-sized granite to walk on.

In addition to accessing the trail from Fountain Park, you can also hook up El Pueblo Boulevard and on La Montana as you drive up the hill to the Diamante development. One entry is on the right side just past the homes, and the other is on the right side of the entrance to the Diamante entry gate.

The trail was surprisingly uncrowded the morning we hiked. There were dozens of walkers around the park, and we expected to have a good number of people walking on the Overlook Trail. We passed four people running, one couple and a mom, her kid and a puppy. That’s it. Even more surprising was the fact that the “crowds” came after it started warming up.

It may be me. I can’t stand starting a hike when it’s hot. I don’t mind the day heating up as I go, but starting out like that just wears me out.

The trail is open from dawn to dusk, so hikers have a chance to get out there in cooler parts of the day.

There are a couple of places that have cairns. That bugs me; you are never out of sight of humanity. You would have to be pretty directionally challenged to need a trail marker to get you back to your starting point, even if you veered off the main trail on to one of the side ones and couldn’t figure out how to get back.

This “urban” hike is a nice way to spend a morning. The wildflowers were practically nil. There were two or three cowslips, a fair amount of brittlebush and some chuparosa, but not a lot of color otherwise. It’s hard to say if this is going to be a good or not-so-good wildflower season. My bet is on the less-than-spectacular end. Too bad. All that rain – just at different intervals – could have really brought a plethora of flowers. Oh, well, a desert hike is still something of wonder and fun.

The Lake Overlook Trail in Fountain Hills is all that and more.