If you caught the last post you now have all the details on the best way to see the Grand Canyon in a few short hours.
After stopping in Flagstaff we headed back to Scottsdale to check into our hotel – Hotel Adeline.
We checked into our hotel around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday and were so tired. The lady at the front desk mentioned something about a whiskey bar but I was too delirious to pay attention (it ended up being a Friday and Saturday night speakeasy! Still kicking myself!)
We crashed and set our alarms to wake up at 6:30 for an early 7 am hike at Tom’s Thumb. We had read a few top recommended hikes for Scottsdale and Tom’s Thumb and Cholla Trail (Camelback) were always the top two. Since Tom’s Thumb is a bit of a drive (35 minutes) we decided to do that one while we still had our rental car.
We got there pretty early and beat a lot of the crowds. I had read another blog that summed up the 4.4 mile round trip hike perfectly. The first 1/3 is a breeze, the second 1/3 will make you wonder what you were thinking, and the last 1/3 will make the second 1/3 totally worth it. The second third is a pretty steep constant incline but the trail is pretty solid and there is hardly any rocky areas.
It was the end of March when we hiked it and we lucked out. There were so many flowers in bloom and the views were stunning.
This trail is part of the McDowell Sonoran Conservatory and is on the northern edge of Scottsdale. It is a tougher hike but as long as you aren’t in a rush, have plenty of water, and are willing to work for the views, it is well worth it.
We finished up the trail in just over 2 hours and headed back to clean up quick before catching an 11 am church service. After church we hustled to return the car and headed back to the hotel for a well deserved brunch.
I could gab on and on about this hotel. If you are ever wondering what my personal style is then this hotel is it. J.R. kept saying “this is definitely a Kylie hotel!”
We sat on the outdoor patio area and split the pork shoulder omelet (unbelievably good) and the French toast.
We then headed to the pool for some sun, margs, and a quick dip! The pool was surprisingly busy but we luckily snagged two chairs. It was the perfect mix of gal pal trips, spring breakers, couples and families to make it a lively bunch but not too rowdy.
After the pool we headed back to the room to get ready for dinner. The hotel actually had a code for the Lime Bikes so we took a quick 10 minute ride to Old Town Scottsdale. We made it just before the sunset and I was able to snag a picture of the Old Adobe Mission church (I’ve heard the tours are great!) Then we headed next door to put our name in for a table at The Mission – we weren’t surprised when they said they had an hour wait.
We strolled around Old Town while we waiting for our table and grabbed some beers at The Rusty Spur. We caught the tail end of a live music set and witnessed a couple having a little too much fun!! 😛
We headed back to The Mission and were glad to see our table was ready. My friend Allison recommended this restaurant and said I HAD to try the guacamole. Man, was it worth it! We also ordered the pork tacos and they were soooo good. I would definitely stop here again next time I’m in town.
We headed back to the hotel and crashed pretty early, waiting to see how early we would be up if we were going to hike Camelback.
We ended up waking up on Monday around 6:30 and decided to give it a go. We took an Uber to the Cholla trailhead (highly recommend over driving!) and started the ascent.
Camelback is just over 2.2 miles round trip and is way different than Tom’s Thumb. You have a much quicker elevation gain and the trail is really rocky. Getting there early paid off and trail wasn’t too crowded.
It took us about an hour to get to the top and it was a struggle. I was way less fatigued on this trail but the rock scramble toward the summit is some serious stuff. It’s not for the faint of heart!
We finally reached the summit and hung out for about 20 or so minutes. The views of the city were phenomenal!! I was pretty proud of myself.
We headed back down and slowly scrambled our way down the rocky path. All in all we finished the 2.2 mile loop in around 2 hours. Doing all three hikes three days in a row was quite the workout but we had so much fun and enjoyed the change of scenery.
We headed back for pizza and quesadillas by the pool, then squeezed in a quick nap before we headed to the conference event (Topgolf at Talking Stick!)
The next day I attended the conference all morning and then JR joined me for a fun casino event. Then we headed to Old Town Scottsdale to get JR an ice cream cone (his top request always!!) before he had to head to the airport.
We had such a fun time and loved staying at such a great hotel. A trip back will definitely be in the works!! Check out more video highlights on my Instagram and feel free to message me if you are planning an AZ trip yourself!!
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