I make “bucket lists” for every season, and this year’s winter bucket list included a long hike before temperatures get too high.

I’ve also been wanting to see some wildflowers, so I decided to hike the 8.7-mile Palo Verde Trail along Bartlett Lake, which is a little over an hour’s drive from downtown Phoenix.

Bartlett Lake from the Palo Verde Trail. (Jessica Swarner/The Copper Courier)

The trailhead is at the Rattlesnake Cove day-use area, which requires a Tonto Daily Pass. I bought mine in advance for $8 from one of the retail vendors. 

My group arrived at the area at 8:30 a.m. on a Sunday, and the lot was nearly empty. This was a huge breath of fresh air, especially after taking some recent hikes in Phoenix, where fighting for parking is a given.

The trail itself was gorgeous. We spotted lots of different flowers, birds, cacti, and some lizards. And what made it even better was that, once we returned to the lot covered in sweat, we could dunk ourselves in the lake for a quick refresh. 

I hope to return to this area over the summer when hiking may not be on the table, but swimming and paddleboarding will.

Are you feeling anxious about summer as temperatures rise?

President Donald Trump participates in a Ratepayer Protection Pledge roundtable on March 4, 2026, in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. (White House photo by Molly Riley)

By Alysa Horton

Prodded by President Donald Trump, top technology companies signed a “ratepayer protection pledge” this week, committing to ensure that the explosion of data centers won’t drive up consumer energy costs.

Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, xAI, Oracle and Amazon Web Services signed on. But the three largest data centers in Arizona are being developed by companies that didn’t sign the pledge, and consumer advocates and others are skeptical about the impact of Trump’s initiative.

“Arizona’s booming data center industry must work for the people of our state, not the other way around,” Gov. Katie Hobbs’ spokeswoman Liliana Soto said by email. “President Trump’s proposal is interesting in concept, but currently there are too many unknowns to make any type of assessment.”

Trump unveiled the pledge during his Feb. 24 State of the Union address.

Local news is essential for democracy.

Our reporting cuts through false narratives, documents what’s actually happening in our communities, and provides voters with the clear, factual information they need—especially when the stakes are high.

If you’re looking to celebrate Art Detour for the first time or the 38th time, here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 festival.

On Friday, March 13, many metro Phoenix tattoo shops will open their doors all day—and some even into the night—to tattoo as many people as possible.

Whether you’re seriously searching or just looking for fun, here are some Phoenix rentals that grabbed our attention this week.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Jessica Swarner with stories from Alysa Horton, Jessica Swarner, Martin Nieves Sanchez, and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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