Come experience the desert in a new light, darkness! Bring a flashlight (and UV light if you have one) and we’ll see the desert in a new way. Scorpions glow, mice and spiders scurry from plant to plant, unseen birds and bats shuffle and flutter above. The desert is a completely different world in the dark and can be so very exciting! Let’s have a look, shall we? This will be a roughly 2-mile out and back on an easy rated trail, scaled up slightly because of the dark. It is likely we will encounter scorpions and tarantula as well as see some other animals at a distance. Other examples may include rattlesnakes, javelina, bats, poorwill, nightjars, tortoise, centipede, mountain lion or bobcat, possibly even owls
MEETING LOCATION: Cottonwood Day Use Area.
Precise Meeting Location:https://maps.app.goo.gl/GTrZ22M5aBuuZSDP6
PLEASE NOTE: Outdoor summer programs may be canceled on short notice due to severe weather, including extreme heat events. The Maricopa County Parks website (www.maricopa.gov/parks) is the most accurate resource for verifying the program’s current status. Please check the program listing online or call the Nature Center before coming to the park.
Limit 10 participants. To register, please email Ranger Shaun at shaun.barnett@maricopa.gov with your name, phone number and number of people attending. If you find you cannot attend a program after you have registered, please email back ASAP so those on the waiting list may be contacted. Registration for this program will close on 09/02/2026.