We drove to Rattlesnake Bay at Bartlett Lake in Tonto National Forest to hike the Palo Verde Trail. WE hiked about 7.3 miles with 650 ft of overall gain. It was a chilly 36F when we started, but the views were wonderful and the day got warmer as we hikes. View by Rattlesnake Bay
The trail stays within lake view for the majority of the hike and goes up and down, across washes and over ridges, winding through lovely landscape.
In the far distance to the north, we saw some snowy peaks.
One of many lovely saguaro cacti
Instead of going all the way to the parking area at the end of the trail, we stopped a bit short and explored a small cove before returning. 
On our way back, we took the longer loop at the northern end of the trail and soon saw these two mule deer, before they leapt away.
More views as we kept hiking.
These small cacti were growing on a boulder.
Lovely boulders along the trail.
We saw many poppies in bloom along the way.
Back near Rattlesnake Bay, jojoba and chuparosa growing together. some of the wildflowers growing along the trail today:
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