All Entries in the "Tucson Trails" Category
Tanque Verde Wash
One of the great things about Tucson is that there are some fantastic places to walk. During the summer, the washes (dried stream beds for those of you from wet places) are pretty unbearable but now that the weather has cooled they are a great place to put in some miles. They are easy walks [...]
Reddington Pass by the Numbers (Miles 5-7): Shooting Ranges
Heading east on Reddington Road, you hit a series of tight switchbacks just past the Upper Tanque Verde Falls trail head. There are no significant trails on this section of the road. To the south the terrain drops off steeply as you climb to the first pass, while to the north a gentle valley flows [...]
Tanque Verde Falls Water Level
We’ve had a couple of good, strong rains over the past week in northeast Tucson and I’ve seen an increase in search hits for water levels in Reddington, so I thought I’d give a quick update on conditions in the Tanque Verde valley.
Reddington Pass by the Numbers (Miles 0-5): Tanque Verde Falls
Reddington Pass is one of Tucson’s most accessible recreation areas and provides for a wide range of activities from hiking to shooting to four-wheeling. Most of the pass falls within Coronado National Forest’s jurisdiction but there is also a fair amount of private land. As always respect the rights of the private land owners, leave [...]
Mt Lemmon Fire Update #2
According to the Forest Service office, the Guthrie Fire is now 65% contained and has burned over 4,800 acres. They are still treating it as a prescribed burn and have an engine and two crews assigned to keep it under control. They are calling in a helicopter as needed.
I was told that none of the [...]
Mt Lemmon Fire Update #1
The Guthrie Fire has burned over 2500 acres so far. Fire fighters & Forest Service officials view it as a beneficial fire and are letting it burn excess undergrowth while keeping it within prescribed boundaries. The Arizona Trail in the vicinity was closed for safety.
There is not a lot of information about this fire on [...]
Mt Lemmon Fire
Lightening storms in northeast Tucson ignited a fire on the east side of Mt Lemmon between Guthrie Mountain and the Reddington Pass. According to earlier news reports the fire has burned over 2000 acres and is only 10% contained, as of Friday afternoon.
A Night on Mt. Lemmon; or, Is Davis Spring Trail Just a Myth?
The worst thing about hiking in the desert is that water weighs 8.3 pound per gallon. Somehow I managed to take a 60 pound pack on a one night trip. To make matters worse, Saja and I ended up going cross country in some rugged terrain when the Davis Spring Trail vanished. It was time for the old map and compass…
Molino Canyon Day Hike
Molino Canyon is one of my favorite Tucson escapes when time is limited. The trailhead is just past the fee station on Catalina Highway, about 5 miles up the mountain. You can’t miss the parking lot. Once you arrive, you have three trails to choose from. The first is off to the west and [...]
Espiritu Canyon Trail
I’ve been looking for a dog friendly, backpacking trail into the Rincons, which is a bit of a challenge since dogs aren’t permitted in Saguaro National Monument. Tanque Verde Valley has some good camping areas but it gets too much traffic. After checking out the Rincon Mountains map I picked up from the Visitor Center [...]
Reddington Trail Run
Most of my running is done on the 49er’s golf course and washes. These are peaceful runs with plenty of trees and soft grass (Saja’s Note: and plenty of cool things to smell!), but they aren’t especially challenging unless you are into sprinting. Every runner needs a change of pace once in a while, and [...]
Butterfly Trail
I must confess that I don’t hike Mt Lemmon very much, which is criminal when you get right down to it since I only live a couple miles away, but as the summer heat hits Tucson the cool forest heights are pretty darn appealing. So last Sunday, I threw Saja and the kids in the [...]
