The Second Water Trail runs 3.6 miles from the First Water Trailhead to a wide, scenic opening in Boulder Canyon. The trail is a moderate out-and-back, but may be combined with the Boulder Canyon and Black Mesa trails for longer routes into the backcountry.

A fully hydrated saguaro can weigh over 3500 pounds

The Second Water Trail ends in Boulder Canyon

Through clonal propagation, a local population of teddy bear cholla may consist entirely of genetically identical individuals

The Sonoran Desert is home to at least 60 mammal, 100 reptile and 350 bird species

Saguaro cacti roots will radiate out as far as the plant is tall

Slanted rock formations along the Second Water Trail illustrate volcanic-induced upheaval

More than 2,000 species of plants have been identified in the Sonoran Desert

The Sonoran Desert averages 3–20" of precipitation per year, depending on location

A raptor hunts over Garden Valley just west of the Second Water Trail

Mesquite have among the deepest roots of all Sonoran desert plants

The Sonoran Desert is flanked by the Chihuahuan Desert (east) and Mohave Desert (west)

A hiker sets out from the First Water Trailhead on the western edge of the Superstition Wilderness

The Sonoran Desert covers approximately 100,300 square miles in the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico

The open flats of Garden Valley are an ideal place to look for jackrabbit, coyote and raptors

Descending from Black Mesa to the Second Water Trail in Garden Valley