There is nothing like a spring-break getaway after experiencing a polar vortex in the city. With an upcoming business trip in Arizona, David and I decided to take a couple extra days to explore, relax and warm up! Our original plans included sightseeing and hiking the Grand Canyon and Sedona, but due to colder weather, rain and snow, we decided to remain south in Phoenix. We had three full days of hiking, sunshine and good food. I loved it because I was able to sport all my favorite Outdoor Voices pieces.
Day 1
We started our morning early, stopping at one of our favorite breakfast spots: Snooze. It’s quick and easy (also affordable), so we knew we would be able to be in and out instead of being pressed for time. After breakfast, we ran next door to Trader Joe’s and stocked up on water and snacks. Then we headed out towards Superstition Mountains. The drive from Scottsdale took about 30 minutes and was mostly on the highway. We were hiking Weaver’s Needle Loop. The trail was 13 miles total from the car and back. We started around 10:30 am and finished around 6:30 pm. It was a fairly challenging, but mostly due to length. The incline was steady but there were several areas that were shaded or near a running water source. There were thousands of cacti and beautiful wild flowers.
Although the hike took up most of our day, it was a great hike! When we finished, we were exhausted. But we made our way back to the hotel to freshen up and head out to dinner. We both wanted TexMex and found a trendy spot called Diego Pops. It had a plethora of taco, burrito and bowl options. We had the chips and guac, a California burrito and steak burrito bowl. It was delicious. After dinner, we were both in the mood for ice cream so we headed to Creamistry. It was a “make your own” ice cream spot that used hydrogen to chill the ingredients into your own creation.
OV Pieces:
Hudson Shorts
CloudKnit T-shirt
Day 2
We both woke up with sore muscles and blisters the next morning. We decided it would be best to have a “lighter” day and decided to hike Gateway Loop Trail. We fueled up at Matt’s Big Breakfast and then drove 25 minutes to the trail. It was a pretty cloudy day and looked like it was about to rain. Since the trail was only about 4.2 miles, we decided we could make it happen before a downpour. There were a lot of people on the trail, but traffic remained consistent and took us about an hour and 45 minutes to complete. As soon as we were walking back to the car, the rain came.
We decided this would be the perfect time for lunch. David found Kale and Clover. It had dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan options. We had the chips and guac – can you tell this is our favorite – a large caesar salad and turkey zoodle bolognese. It was the perfect pick-me-up. As we hobbled back to the car, we decided we had enough hiking for the day. We stumbled upon Hole in the Rock, which was crawling with tourists, so we only stayed for a couple minutes.
We then made our way into Old Town Scottsdale. We walked around looking at all the shops. It’s a super cute, western feel. After freshening up at the hotel, we went down the street to The Parlor for pizza. It was a very new-age, open kitchen feel. We loved it! We ordered the Brussels sprouts to start, the sweet potato and kale salad, caesar salad and our own personal pizza’s (of course). David created his own dish, while I sticked to the classic vine ripe margherita. If you are ever in the Scottsdale area, I highly recommend this spot for dinner!
After dinner, we drove to the Sanctuary Hotel for drinks at Jade Bar. There was live music and outdoor seating. We cozied up next to the outdoor fire pit and enjoyed a couple drinks before calling it a night. This is the perfect pre-dinner spot to catch the sunset, as the resort sits right on Camelback Mountain.
OV Pieces:
Day 3
Sunday morning, we woke up a little early and headed towards Camelback Mountain. There was parking on the road but it was already packed by 8 am! We luckily found a spot, but beware of hidden No Parking signs. We decided it would be best if only David wore a backpack today – I was really feeling the lactic acid in my muscles build up. We started the hike around 8:47 am at the base of the Cholla trail. It was a steady incline until about the middle of the trail, it became full on bouldering. We had to climb and scale large boulders up to the summit. It took us about an hour and 15 minutes. Luckily, we started the trail early enough that it was not completely packed but on the way down is when fellow tourists began to hit the trail.
I definitely recommend starting the trail earlier than we did, 7 am would have been ideal. I definitely recommend taking your time on the trail and enjoying it’s beautiful views. It took us about an hour to make it back to our car and then we headed to Chelsea’s Kitchen for brunch! We were both starving, so as you can guess we ordered the chips and guac and then burgers. This was a great spot to sit outside on the patio and take in the sunshine.
Afterwards, we wanted to take another hike so we headed out to Dixie Mountain Loop. Compared to Camelback, there was no one on this trail. We had 4.6 miles with absolutely no one. It was like walking through an open cacti field, the trail itself was very easy and was the perfect afternoon trail.
As we headed back into downtown Phoenix, we made dinner plans to go to The Arrogant Butcher. We checked into our hotel and since we didn’t have access to our room, we hung out by the hotel pool. It was a great way to end the weekend. Downtown Phoenix offers a lot of dinning and bar options next to the stadiums, so we were able to walk from our hotel to the restaurant. At dinner, we ordered prosciutto and olives, the crispy buffalo chicken thighs, the baked rigatoni and grilled salmon.
OV Pieces:
Day 4
Monday consisted of conferences for David, so I made my way to a coffee shop to get a couple things done for work. I stumbled on Fillmore Coffee Co. It was an Australian cafe, so naturally I ordered an Acaí bowl and tea. After a couple hours, I made my way back to the hotel to meet David for our Chick-Fil-a lunch by the pool. Then I finished up my to-do’s before meeting David back in the hotel room.
David had received tickets from a friend at the conference, so we were able to go to the Arizona Suns basketball game. What a way to spend a Monday Night!
Day 5
After putting in work on Tuesday, David and I went for a walk around Downtown Phoenix. We explored the historic district and made our way to a little park outside the city. Then we headed back to our hotel to get ready for dinner. My Uncle Eddie and his partner, Mark pulled up to the hotel in their 1960-something Cadillac. They have lived in Phoenix for the past 40 years, so they were taking us around town!
We made our first stop at a little taco shop called Taco Chelo. We ordered a couple margaritas – the house margarita was delicious – and a few specialty tacos for Taco Tuesday. Then we drove around town and made our way to a local spot, Barrio Cafe. The building was covered in graffiti, inside the walls were painted white – with local art pieces hanging on the walls. We made our way straight to the bar as we waited for a table – I ordered a jalapeño margarita, absolutely delicious.
When we got to the table, we ordered the chips and table-side guac. Then David and I had the Carne Asada tacos and the Cochinita Pibil. For desert, we had the churros and Tres Leches. If you find yourself in Phoenix, you have to check this place out. It was amazing and a great way to end the trip!
