While I definitely love going outdoors for a seriously intense trekking expedition, I also love what I refer to as a leisure hike. You know, the sort of activity that doubles as a social experience…the type of hike where you can carry a full-on conversation without experiencing any trouble breathing BUT you still feel good because the whole time you’re telling yourself you’re working out? Yeah, that’s a leisure hike. For my recent girls weekend getaway in Phoenix, we did just that.

We all threw on our hiking gear, (which for the record is slightly laughable thing to even say because these ladies looked like they’d all stepped out of a Lulu Lemon or Nike ad campaign shoot) and we headed to Cholla Trail. I learned a ton about Phoenix on this hike.

1. There really are a lot of cacti in Arizona. And if you touch them, they do hurt.

2. Fall is a great time to visit the desert town because the weather is perfect and the heat sat at about 80 degrees the whole weekend.

3. People in Arizona are obsessed with these things called camel packs. They are these mini-backpacks you fill with water that have a gigantic straw attacked. My friends and I were clearly not from AZ because we were the only losers with normal water bottles. I think that the whole camel pack thing is some sort of cool subculture of hydrated individuals. Also I’m probably the last person to hear about this functional accessory, but whatever!

If you do visit Phoenix though, make sure to take a few hours for the Cholla Trail hike because the views are gorgeous.