tucson area

[trekkin_gecko]

a friend is visiting me the first week of october, and i am looking for some suggestions from the tucson regulars
i've never driven up mt. lemmon, so that's one idea
thought about hiking the aspen/marshall loop and maybe the mt. lemmon/lemmon rock loop
any other favorites we should check out?
what about camping? one of the lower campgrounds along the catalina highway?
the other idea is chiricahua national monument
i've been there, and have been wanting to get back
anything we shouldn't miss while in the area?
cochise stronghold?
any suggestions will be greatly appreciated
we will be car camping, and our hikes can be anywhere from three to ten miles
i've hiked wasson peak and seven falls, but anything else would be new
thanks in advance

[JimmyLyding]

I love the Aspen Draw trail up from the ski area to the top, and it connects with a number of trails. Great way to see the top of the Catalinas.

[Jeffshadows]

Consider camping at Prison Camp and hiking back in from there to Sycamore Reservoir. You could even keep going to Hutch's Pool, if you feel like grinding one out. That part of the mountain won't be too could at that time of year and they recently improved the camping spots there.

[ontime]

Not as hot in October, i would suggest doing some of the desert stuff, show your friend the saguaro cactus in Saquaro NP east or west . Pima Canyon is great if you go all the way up. Dont get me wrong mt Lemmon is great especially in summertime. But once in the tree line its the same as CO, NorCal and the rest of the North West. But the Senora desert is very unique and is worth the visit and gives that good desert feel to visitors. You could even check out Cochise stronghold lots of cool rock formations and a historic area. Regardless Tucson has some nice stuff when not 112 outside. Good luck and have fun.

[writelots]

Aspen Trail/Marshall Gulch is beautiful. Prison Camp (Gordon Hirbayashi) is one of my favorite campgrounds, though if it's still pretty hot General Hitchcock isn't bad either. If you're into a slightly more adventurous trip, try going around back to the Peppersauce Campground - it's in a very beautiful area and the drive is fun. There are a number of trails back there around Oracle State Park that can be wonderful in the fall.

That being said, the Chiricahuas are my absolute favorite part of Southern Arizona. Completely unique and amazing. Good camping there, too, both in the National Monument and outside it in the campgrounds off of Pinery Canyon Road in the Coronado National Forest. If you're willing to do the drive, it's a no-miss. Check out the pictures from my last trip! It's amazing! http://hikearizona.com/photoset.php?ID=8586&start=0

If you do Cochise Stronghold (which is fun as well, a nice easy hike with lots of fun rocks), don't forget to make reservations to see Kartchner Caverns while you're down there. Incredible!

[Jeffshadows]

Don't count the Santa Ritas out, either.

[trekkin_gecko]

thanks all for both the suggestions and the confirmations
wendy - i have been through peppersauce campground one the way to some caving adventure several years ago - very pretty
i will look into karchner caverns reservations
that's a good idea
sounds like it won't be too cold to camp at the lower campgrounds on mt. lemmon
jeff - mt. wrightson is on my list; i was there a few years ago, but the baldy and super trails were closed at the time
ended up hiking to bog springs instead
we have 3-4 days for this trip, then we're also going to go kayaking at blue ridge reservoir or on some of the rim lakes
depends on what campgrounds are still open by october
we could easily spend the entire week in southeastern AZ, but we do want to get out on the water