The Sun Lakes Hiking Club is open to individuals who either 1) reside, rent or lease in Sun Lakes or Sunbird or 2) are former residents who maintain their annual membership in The Club.

The Sun Lakes Hiking Club began in 1985 with a few hikers who wanted to enjoy the company of others and desired a more structured, organized approach to the activity.  By 1987 the group was official with by-laws, prescheduled weekly hikes, designated hike leaders, and rules designed to make group hiking fun, challenging, and safe.

Sun Lakes Hiking Club currently has many active members who participate in the scheduled Monday and Wednesday hikes from November through April.  All hikes meetup at Cottonwood Country Club parking lot.  From the beginning of November through the end of February, hikers meet at 7:45 a.m. and leave at 8:00 a.m.  In March and April, hikers assemble at 6:45 a.m. and leave at 7:00 a.m.  May to November hikers can meetup on Monday mornings at 6:15 a.m., choose a destination, and depart for the hike at 6:30 a.m.  Members carpool to the hikes and share expenses based on driving distance to the trailhead.

Equipment recommended for hiking includes 1) good hiking boots and socks, 2) a sunhat, sunscreen and sunglasses, 3) a backpack or fanny pack capable of carrying adequate water for the hike, 4) a snack or lunch, and 5) basic first aid supplies. Other useful items include one or two hiking sticks, a comb or tweezers for removing cacti stickers, and a jacket. See the Ten Essentials listed on the website for more information about equipment.

Hike Rating Codes used by the Sun Lakes Hiking Club are:

B HIKES = elevation change of 1200 to 2999 feet and/or distance of 8 - 13 miles.

C HIKES = elevation change of less than 1200 feet and/or a distance of less than 8 miles.

(+) or (-) are sometimes used after the B and C in the hike description.

If you have questions or need information about the club please email the president. If you have comments about or corrections to the information about current hikes on this site or in the Splash please email the communications director. If you have questions or comments about this Web site please email the web coordinator.

President: Al Metz alvirginia.metz@att.net

Vice President:  Brian Hill

Secretary: Ole Brekke

Treasurer: Mike Foerster jmikefoerster@wbhsi.net

Hike Coordinators: Dennis and Marilyn Harkins popkorn1@juno.com

Media Coordinator: Karin Hansen karinhanse@aol.com

Web Coordinator: Christine Desjarlais cmdesjarlais@yahoo.com