Circuit Hikes
of
Southern Arizona
The Wilderness of Rocks.
Robert
Zimmerman
Copyright @2014, Robert Zimmerman
All rights reserved. Except for the inclusion of brief excerpts for use in a review, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any other information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
Published by
Robert Zimmerman
Tucson, Arizona
Converted by http://www.eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-2354-8
The Author:
Mr. Zimmerman is an award-winning science journalist and historian who has written four books and numerous articles on science, engineering, and the history of space exploration and technology. His first book, Genesis:the Story of Apollo 8, tells the family and political story behind the first manned mission to another world. It is now available as an ebook.
The author is also a cave explorer and cave cartographer, and has participated in numerous projects exploring and mapping previously unknown caves throughout the United States.
For more information about Mr Zimmerman's other books, see his webpage: http://behindtheblack.com
Cover photo: Saguaro and cholla cacti as seen on the Yetman trail, Tucson Mountains.
Unless otherwise credited, all photos are by the author.
Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the endless willingness of my wife Diane to go with me to some obscure and sometimes not-so-enjoyable bushwhacks. I also must extend my thanks to Belinda Norby for her advice and help in locating some of the lesser known undocumented loops in this guide. Thanks also go to Randi Steiner and Diane for their willingness to test my directions so that future hikers will not be confused by them.
Bibliography
If you want to hike in southern Arizona, the following four books cover just about everything (except circuit hikes). Betty Leavenworth's Tucson Hiking Guide provides the best list of nearby Tucson hikes. Erik Molnar's Hiking Arizona's Cactus Country is more complete, but less detailed and includes many challenging routes that are off trail. Leonard Taylor's Trails of the Huachucas is the essential trail guide for exploring the Huachuca mountains, while The Santa Catalina Mountains, a guide to the trails and routes by Peter Cowgill and Eber Glendening (now sadly out of print) will tell you everything you need to know about the Santa Catalinas.
Introduction
Why this guide?
I am loopy. Both my wife Diane and I have found that the best hike is the circuit hike. Though we like hikes that go there and back, we find that a circuit hike challenges you in a much better way. Unlike a there-and-back-again hike, where you can choose to turn around at almost any time, a circuit hike requires you to complete it. The result is that you do, making you a stronger and better hiker. Healthy also!
When we moved to Tucson in 2011, however, we soon discovered a lack of documented circuit hikes. All the hiking books I could locate were wonderful resources (see bibliography above), but I was surprised by how few circuit hikes they described.
Thus, Diane and I began to search them out. And since I am a writer by profession I figured it wouldn't take much additional work to document our travels as we went. The result is this guide.
Overview of the region
The city of Tucson is ringed by five mountain ranges: Santa Ritas on the south, Tucson Mountains on the west, Tortolitas on the northwest, Santa Catalinas on the north, and the Rincon Mountains on the east. Furthermore, the city is embraced on the east and west by the two districts of Saguaro National Park.
This book, centered at the city of Tucson, takes you into all these mountains and parks. I have also included a number of additional hikes in mountains beyond this ring, all close enough that they can be completed in a single day.
With the Santa Catalinas, the Santa Ritas, and the Tucson Mountains, I have tried to provide a pretty complete description of all the circuit hikes available. With the Tucson Mountains in particular I have provided detailed information because the trails in this mountain range are very poorly documented. Several are not described in any hiking book that I can find, while one is not only not described anywhere, the junctions to it are hard to find. This book now makes these hikes available to the outdoor hiking community.
With the Rincons, I have provided fewer detailed descriptions because most of the circuit hikes in this mountain range are either very long or require an overnight backpack. I have still provided options for six circuit hikes, so the reader will not feel shortchanged.
As for the Tortolitas, the hikes there are only now being developed. If you go, be sure to pick up a trail map at the Wild Burro Canyon trailhead, as this will show you a number of additional options. It will also give you the most up-to-date information, which will likely include newer trails that were not yet available or completed when this book went to press.
In addition, this book includes a sampling of additional circuit hikes in the Whetstone, Dragoon, Huachuca, and Chiricahua Mountains, all east of Tucson.
When to hike where with what
As a general rule, the hikes in the Tucson and Tortolita Mountains as well as Saguaro National Park are all best hiked in the winter, while the high elevation hikes in the Santa Catalinas are best done in summer. The Santa Ritas can be done all year round.
In every case, however, check the weather before you head out so that you are aware of conditions at that time of year. In this matter the Boy Scouts are 100% right: Be prepared!
In that context I am required to give some very basic and essential advice about hiking in southern Arizona: Bring water. Wear a hat. Bring water. Use sunscreen. Bring water. Carry enough food. Bring water. Wear the proper hiking boots.
And did I mention you should bring water? The worst thing you can do in a hot desert environment is to not drink your water because you are afraid you will run out. Bring more than you need, preferably in a hydration bladder that allows you to drink as you hike, and drink it!
I have found that having about 3 liters for every 6 miles will generally be more than sufficient, though when it gets above 110ºF it is necessary to have more.
Even with this advice, you are on your own. No advice in any guidebook can replace personal responsibility and common sense. The desert is a harsh environment. Respect it, and use your brains so that you will be prepared for its hazards.
Using this guidebook
As an ebook you can take this guidebook with you using your ebook reader, your tablet, or your smart phone. If however bright sunlight makes your device hard to read, you can also print a hike beforehand, and carry that with you instead.
The directions to all hikes begin at the intersection of Grant Road and Interstate I-10 (Exit 256). This is a good central location, and provides an easy starting point for anyone in southern Arizona for finding the trailheads