Optoutside Arizona | Flatiron Group Hike Summary – Arizona Hikers Guide

Today marked the first annual #OptOutside Black Friday event hosted by myself and some other great, like-minded individuals.  We had a great time, shared stories, took lots of photos, and conquered one of the most difficult hikes in Arizona! Here are some of the highlights of the event!

Meet the Group

The hike was co-hosted by us here at Arizona Hikers Guide as well as three AWESOME others.

  1. Darren: An avid hiker and lover of all things AZ.  He maintains the largest Arizona Hiking Instagram community and can be found and followed at @arizona_hiking on Instagram
  2. Lauren Nading: Super rad chick who loves hiking and meeting new friends on the trail.  Follow her on Instagram at @laurennading.
  3. Outdoor Bella: A great online outdoor women’s magazine.  What a great partner to have.  Find them at www.outdoorbella.com

Here is an awesome group shot of about 3/4 of the group at the Superstitions Wilderness Boundary. In total we had around 30-35 people and 2 dogs!

The Hike

We began our hike at 8 a.m. at the Siphon Draw TH in the Lost Dutchman State Park.  The hike itself was just a blast. It was a very difficult 6 mile hike to the top of what locals call “Flatiron” which is the massive rock formation that looks like an iron laying on its side.  I was so thrilled that about 90% of our group made it to the top which is so impressive because this is one of the most difficult hikes/climbs in the state!  Along the trail we shared stories, met new friends, took photos, and had a great time working off the Thanksgiving calories!

To see even more pictures of the hike check out this link!

After reaching the Flatiron, many in the group decided to climb the extra 1/8 of a mile or so to the actual summit of the hike. I had never attempted this before and was so happy I did because the 360 views were absolutely stunning at the top. To the west you could see the vast urban sprawl of the valley floor, to the north was Canyon Lake and Four Peaks, the eastern views showed the rugged and majestic Superstition range with Weaver’s Needle protruding, and to the south we saw the massive Flatiron from a different view.

This hike requires some serious fueling and we are so thankful for our sponsors for hooking us up with trail goodies to keep us trekking!  The group was thrilled about receiving a bag filled with trail snacks at the trailhead filled with their favorite outdoor brands!  Below is a shout out to these awesome companies who helped support this year’s #OptOutside campaign (in no particular order).

Honey Stinger

This company offers some of the most delicious waffle snacks on the planet!  The best part about this snack (other than how tasty they are) is how lightweight and packable they are.  Check them out here at www.honeystinger.com

These guys are the real deal.  They donated an awesome assortment of energy chews and trail bars for the hikers.  This company believes in all things outdoors and we couldn’t have been more pleased to partner with them! Find them here at www.theprobar.com

This company just launched a killer new line of fruit and oat squeezes for adults. These snacks are a perfect on-the-go healthy alternative. We loved how portable and different they were from a typical trail snack. You can find them here at www.pumpkintreesnacks.com

This rad Austin, TX based company donated beautifully designed and unique flavored snacks.  The coolest part about this company is that many of their products are raw, vegan, gluten & soy free!  Find the brothers making delicious snacks here at www.beardedbros.com

Justin’s peanut and almond butter pouches were a hit. They are great to spread them on fruit, crackers, or just squeeze them right into your mouth. My favorite was the Honey Peanut Butter… so good! Find them here at www.justins.com

This was a fan favorite!  This Boulder, CO based company makes some outstanding and filling trail bars.  My favorite part about the bars was how moist, tasty, and filling they were!  Whatever you are doing over there in Colorado it’s working so keep ’em coming! Find them here at www.bobosoatbars.com

The first annual #OptOutside Black Friday Group Hike was a huge success.  Thanks to everyone who came, all that helped organize, to the sponsors for the donations, and of course to REI for starting the movement.  We had so much fun and I can’t wait for next years!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Twitter to find out about the next group hike or volunteer opportunity! Also, check out hashtag #optoutsideflatiron or #arizonahikersguide for even more awesome photos of this years hike.