At one point in time, Tucson used to be an ocean and if one digs around enough in the dirt, fossils of marine life can be found. All one has to do to visualize this great body of water, is hike one of the four mountain ranges and then look down...to this flat valley of sorts, and the body of water suddenly comes to life in one's imagination.
Tucson is surrounded by four mountain ranges, all of which provide spectacular hiking experiences! And the time is now to hike! The 80 degree days are in hibernation as are the snakes which appear when the thermometer hits the octo numbers.
To the west is Saguaro National Monument West, home to the Tucson Mountains. These mountains are not as high as the Catalinas or Rincons, and are more pointed, therefore younger. But the trails here are numerous and include Wasson Peak, the highest peak in the Tucson Mountains. We hiked that when the wildflowers were in bloom.
We hiked the Sweetwater Trail a year ago and got off the beaten path to find our own enchantments. Admidst an abundance of saguaros, the rock formations provided a great area to spread out and let the sun kiss our bodies. We could look out and all of Tucson lay before us. It was fun to spot the familiar U of A red brick buildings, and the tall buildings of downtown from this perch. Dressing for hiking requires layering since as the morning wears on, the temperature goes up and off comes one layer.
The David Yetman Trail is a fun hike and provides a real surprise with the stone house in the middle of nowhere. It winds up and down and is so beautifully quiet. One would never know the city is within a few miles. The blue skies provide a placid background for the birds which wing overhead. This hike, to me, is more leisurely.
I haven't hiked much of the Santa Catalinas except for Sabino Canyon trails which seemed to have a lot of switchbacks. Of course, I've wandered on trails up to Mount Lemmon, but actual hiking, no. But the Catalinas have lots of good trails and I've provided a resource below. There are mountain lions in the Catalinas as well as bear, so be prepared!
To the east are the Rincon Mountains, a part of which belong to the Coronado National Forest and the Saguaro National Monument East. I've been to the Loma Alta trailhead and intended to hike that, but never have. I think I'm just a west side girl! But the Rincons offer great hiking too!
My vast experience with the Santa Ritas is hiking Madera Canyon and after becoming leg weary, nearly slipped into a ravine. But Mount Wrightstown is there and well deserving of mention since many hikers make that climb.
For good information about all the wonderful hiking opportunities in the Tucson Area, see Betty Leavengood's book, "Tucson Hiking Guide" published by Pruett Publishing Company.
Resources:
West Side Map: http://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/Trails%20in%20the%20Tucson%20Mountain%20District.pdf
Wasson Peak: http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/Wasson_King_Canyon_8520.asp
http://www.protrails.com/trail.php?trailID=200
Sweetwater Trail: http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/SweetwaterTrail_8520.asp
David Yetman Trail: http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/YetmanTrail_8520.asp
Santa Catalina Mountains: http://www.cherba.com/atmb/santa_catalina_mtns.htm
Rincon Mountains and Saguaro National Monument West: http://www.nps.gov/sagu/
Santa Rita Mountains: http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=1380
Madera Canyon: http://www.friendsofmaderacanyon.org/TheSkyIslandsandMaderaCanyon.htm
I posted this to my website blog this morning at http://www.terrybishop.com
Comments(0)