We are nearly a dozen gals who have become hiking buddies, all who love the outdoors and are eager to take advantage of the wonderful hiking trails in our remarkable area of Arizona's Sonoran Desert. At our back door is Maricopa County's Lake Pleasant with its numerous trails, none that we have found too strenuous or beyond our capabilities. We've not done them all, but we're working on it, getting out there and doing at least one a week, often two. It's those days we leave the husbands and the chores behind, and take off for what we know will be yet another glorious adventure-filled day.

On this day, I think we found the Mother of All Hikes when we decided to take the Yavapai Trail. At the summit, breath-taking panoramic views awaited us, making the gradual but rather steady uphill climb well worth the effort. Considered one of the most scenic hikes in all of Arizona, the three-mile roundtrip trail is narrow and winding with a few rocky areas and a couple of switchbacks. It's rated easy to moderate.

Below us lay the calm and sprawling waters of Lake Pleasant and fingers of the lake we didn't know existed. Dotting the hillsides and lining the trail were the much-loved Saguaros, new-born Cholla and Ocotillo thatwere not quite ready to bloom. A special bonus on this particular day was a patch of multi-colored sailboats on the lake below us, readying for the weekend regatta.

The Yavapai Trail starts at Lake Pleasant's north side. It begins as the Cottonwood and the Pipeline Canyon trails, even though the trailhead signs do not name it. After a short distance, all three trails separate. The Yavapai heads east up the side of the mountains.