Sidewinder Trail

Difficulty: Moderate/More Difficult (IMBA Trail Difficulty Rating System). Sidewinder can be reached from two trails: Barrel Roll and Precipice. As its name implies it gently winds up a narrow little mesa through a series of switchbacks. At the top of the mesa the trail forms a small loop to take advantage of the terrain and spectacular views. Although the plant community is a typical black brush desert, there are some interesting eroded rock features and views of Santa Clara River and surrounding mesas that are hard to beat.While it may be tempting to ride or hike off trail, particularly straight up or straight down, don’t. This mesa, like the other mesas nearby, has substantial areas of cryptobiotic soils. Many of the desert’s smallest wildflowers also find a home on the mesa’s slopes, but can’t be seen until bloom time in Spring.