Arizona

Sara’s Crack :-)

by Ingrid
Wild Burros

hiking ArizonaWe really enjoy the hiking around Lake Havasu, Arizona.  The trailhead to some really great hiking trails is located in “Sara Park” at the very southern end of Lake Havasu City.  The website I found gave us information and directions to approximately seventeen different hiking trails in the area, many of which intersect.

I brief Al on a few of our options and wonder if he’ll choose my preference.  I usually do the planning, but today I want him to decide the days activity.  There’s one trail I was particularly looking forward to hiking; “Crack in the Mountain Trail” other wise referred to as “Sara’s Crack”.

After describing the various trail options with sights and mileage, can you guess which trail Al picked?  Yep !  You guessed it…….”Let’s go check out Sara’s Crack!”hiking Arizona

The trails are clearly marked and color coded.  We take the yellow trail which follows a soft, sandy wash.  Its pretty much flat the first mile and eventually leads into a canyon.  As we continue, the rock walls narrow turning into a slot canyon.  We have some super easy bouldering to traverse until we come to the dry waterfall.hiking Arizona

slot canyon
dry waterfall in the slot canyon – there’s even a rope to assist with the 7 foot fall

I’m ready to scramble slide down this 7 foot high slick rock until Al puts the kibosh on my fun by asking the time.  We’ve been hiking about forty-five minutes before arriving at the “crack in the mountain”.  Remember when I commented in my last post about our time in Lake Havasu not being long enough?  Well, case in point….we were not able to complete the whole 5 mile hike due to time constraints and commitments.  But hey, we did make it to the crack …. Sara’s Crack 😆

Arizona hiking
Al standing in ‘Sara’s crack’

Oh, how I wanted to continue this hike, but that meant we needed to allow ourselves 3 hours total to complete.  We knew that was not an option today as we had already scheduled other plans in the afternoon.  Thus, we returned the way we came, enjoying an hour and a half hike.  Although the hike was easy, the next day my calves and glutes were feeling the effects of walking in the soft soil.

Arizona hiking
‘Crack in the Mountain Trail’ follows a soft sandy wash. DO NOT plan to hike during or after a rainstorm. Flash flooding can occur!

We returned to camp at Cattail Cove State Park for a quick lunch and shower and then met our friends for some afternoon socializing.

We started with a little scenic drive heading south on Highway 95 then crossing over the Parker Dam into California.  It’s very pretty. There are sand dunes, RV Parks, day-use parks, golf courses, and wild Burros.  Since our friend Don was driving, I restrained myself from asking to stop for photo-ops.  Somehow, I think that was Al’s plan all along.  He knew if we drove, our usual frequent stopping may not only have Don and Nancy (hubby too) rolling their eyes but take twice as long to reach our destination.  And Happy Hour was waiting!

Ah, but we did stop so I could visit with the wild Burros on one of the golf courses.  I may have found these guys to be way too cute but somehow I don’t think the golf course maintenance crews find them very adorable.  Nope, picking up after these guys is probably never ending 😉

I know….toooo cute!
“ok, now look straight at me”
“now turn to the left”
wouldn’t want to be the maintenance crew cleaning up the course after these guys.

After the Burro stop (s) we continued south a short distance before turning east across a bridge into the town of Parker, Arizona.  We then headed back north on highway 95 where we find the perfect place for Happy Hour…….Parker Arizona

59 thoughts on “Sara’s Crack :-)”

    1. I’ll be sharing more on the perfect place for Happy Hour in my next post. Thank goodness we are back in Phoenix or I may have found myself parked at the Pirate’s Den daily 🙂

      Like

  3. We have been to Parker a couple times…We had a friend who lived there in his motorhome in the winters. I love that Colorado River, it it soooo blue and beautiful..there are NO blue rivers here in Illinois!! I believe there was a casino in Parker too..Very pretty country!

    Like

    1. Yes there is a casino in Parker and yes the water is blue and yes I’ve never seen blue water in Illinois….all the more reason to leave….run while you can 😆

      Like

  4. I’m gonna save my dirty comment about Sara’s Crack. 😀
    The burros are adorable. Makes me wanna squeeze those asses…. Oooops. 😆

    Like

  5. What fun. I went to Lake Havusue once. It was on our way back from Northern Cal and we only stopped for a couple of hours on our way home to OK. We saw the London Bridge.

    Like

    1. We spent more time around the London Bridge on our visit a couple of years ago. We really enjoy the Lake Havasu area and I think it’ll become a regular for us, indeed fun 🙂

      Like

      1. Don’t you just love noticing typos ‘after’ you hit send? Yep, Al is pretty used to the frequently stopping but I didn’t want to impose on our friends. I could’ve sat in the grass watching those burros for a long time, they were just too cute.
        For our visit to the San Antonio area, I think we’ll focus on State Parks and the COE campground at Canyon Lake. Thanks for all your input….perhaps we can meet for lunch 🙂

        Like

  7. Cool stuff once again and ending with Happy Hour, priceless. But you are so right, never enough time, I really don’t know how we used to find the time to work! But then it seems like work is all we did!!! Guess that was how. The burros reminded me of an animal I once saw at the St. Louis ZOO. The sign identified ‘him’ and a Wild Ass, indigenous to somewhere in south Africa I think, anyway I guess he was a REAL PARTY ANIMAL! Looked like the golfer burros.

    Like

    1. My dad would always say, ‘retirement is a full-time job’. When my folks RV’ed they were always busy and very social. Happy Hour? We found the best place….stay tuned for my next post. I can’t wait to go back 🙂

      Like

  8. Not surprised that this was Al’s choice of hiking trails! Walking in sandy soil is probably one of the best ways to strengthen legs and glutes I have found. Love your burro photos! 🙂

    Like

    1. Yes, it was definitely a good workout. Those burros were so darn cute I could have sat for hours watching them. Hope you’re enjoying a day off lounging around and resting 🙂 It’s actually overcast and cool in Phx today!

      Like

  9. We did Sara’s Crack hike about a week ago — three times in our week in Lake Havasu City. First time we turned around, as you did, at the slide. Some local men told us this was a replacement rope — someone had stolen the larger, sturdier one. Bob checked the trail on a trail map, marked some waypoints, and the next two times we went back, we hiked the full loop. Good thing he marked them, as the trail after winding past the lake has many branches, one marker wasn’t well placed, and we surely would have taken a wrong turn somewhere without the GPS.

    The slot portion of the hike gets even better past the slide, IMHO 🙂 Something for you to look forward to, Ingrid! It’s definitely a must-do. I had Lizard as our second hike, but we didn’t tire of the Crack, so never hiked to see the Lizard. We guessed there must be enough hikes up there to spend months and never do the same one twice — and that was just in the Sara park area.

    I kept looking for burros but never saw any! And now I know it was worth trying to spot them. How cute!! Safe travels to you and Al!

    Like

    1. The Burros are in abundance on the California side. We crossed via Parker Dam then headed south and crossed again in the town of Parker. We encountered two different groups.
      Good info on the Crack trail. I know we’ll go back and complete and probably take in Lizard’s Trail as well. Thanks for the info 🙂 Where are you off to next?

      Like

    1. Oh, yes so very different. My kids pretty much grew up in the west and whenever we go back to Illinois to visit family, they are in awe of the lush vegetation. Diversity is the spice of life 🙂

      Like

    1. Ah….no need to hold back…..bring it on, lol. You know Lake Havasu is just a little over an hour up the road from Quartzsite? A visit to the in-laws with a scenic side trip. Just saying!

      Like

    1. LOL…..They most definitely are very cute. I could’ve stayed there for a long time watching those little ones. The rest of the group was already getting impatient with me 😉

      Like

  16. Cute burro, love to hike slot trails. Now you’ll just have to go back and hike the whole trail and a few others there. We won’t get that far west this year but one day we will.

    Like

    1. This was my first slot canyon. Now I know why everyone is so fascinated by them. And I definitely plan to go back and complete that hike as well as some of the others. I see us hanging in the west for awhile.

      Like

  17. What ? you did not go all the way to the Lake? but glad you made it to the crack and that rope looks newer. Next visit your hike should include the Lizard Trail, and you will see Lake Havasu from the top.
    And no, I did not get my Burro pictures 😦 you got me on this cute Burros.

    Like

    1. I know bummer that we didn’t complete. It’s all Al’s fault. The Lizard Trail was my second choice.
      Let’s rendezvous in Havasu …..ah, let’s say 2015. We’ll go in search of Javelina’s and Burros. What do ya say?

      Like

  18. The rope must be fairly new as it wasn’t there a few years ago when we hiked that trail. It would be a big help. Be sure to go back and finish. The slot part is the most fun!

    Like

    1. I definitely plan to go back and complete that hike. The slot looked fun. The rope looked a little weak to me but could be a help coming back up. 🙂

      Like

  19. Your title on my Reader came up next to the burros. I wondered “what’s she up to now?” Looks like you had a full and interesting day. Not as much fun as shopping tho! lol

    Like

    1. The Lake Havasu area is loaded with fun things to do. If you plan on going in Jan. give yourselves plenty of time to explore the area and just enjoy. I know it’s a place we’ll return to.

      Like

  22. We’ve done that hike and loved it too! Now you have a good reason to return to finish it.

    Looks like a great place for a happy hour!

    Like

    1. There seem to be quite a few good hikes in the area that I’m sure we’ll return and tackle as many as possible. Happy hour AND a RV Park….fun times 🙂

      Like

    1. A little? I guess it might be an ok aid for climbing back up if you’re a ten year old. Fun hike; we should’ve done the whole thing, but that’s another story 🙂

      Like

    1. I first discovered wild burros when we lived in Las Vegas in the 90’s and ever since I’ve had a fascination with these animals. So cute! As for never having seen Sara’s Crack…..well, hubby would say, ‘It’s a must’…..lol.

      Like

  27. Oh, my, gosh, I can’t believe you stopped that hike! I may just have gone to Happy Hour dirty and late. This sounded like so much fun…love anything that slots. Thanks for sharing the website:) Those sandy washes are a real killer. We’ve been walking the dry, deeper sand at the beach to keep some of the great leg muscles we gained with all our months of hiking out west. It is pretty hard to stay in shape with so much flat land.

    Those burros were SO adorable! Would they let you pet them? That one lying down looks so furry. I want run my fingers through its fur.

    Nice place for Happy Hour:)

    Like

    1. Trust me I had no problem going to happy hour covered in desert dirt but not so for hubby. I even did my best ‘pretty please’ accompanied by batting eyelashes. I think after thirty years, he’s immune to my girly attempts at manipulation.

      We didn’t try to pet the Burros. They are considered wild. The mother seemed a little protective of her little one so I stay at a safe distance to not concern her. Wait until you see the RV Park in my next post 🙂

      Like

  28. Sounds like you and Al are really in tune these days…and I see another beautiful hike! What a surprise to come up on water…maybe a slide next time 🙂 I could just visualize that…wheeeeeee!

    Like

    1. I think we’re finally finding our groove so to speak. Yes, it was a beautiful hike but thank goodness there were no signs of water. Unlike Illinois, there’s no such thing as meandering creeks in the desert. It’s either dry or its scary rushing 😉

      Like

Comments are closed.