HikeArizona.COM

arizona has so much to offer, yet despite being a native to arizona there is alot of it i havent seen. i live in tucson, and i know tucson has loads of trails and canyons and such to go out and play in. ive been to sabino canyon a few times, and mt lemmon is just a short drive away. i dont do much hiking, aside from running around the forrest when i go on the occasional camping trip. but i think its something i want to get into, maybe even make it a hobby or something.

so how bout helping me out with a few suggestions? id like to find a place with some killer views, maybe some water to splash around in. the less populated the better. im not the most skilled hiker, but at the same time i know i can hold my own if the trail gets a bit difficult.

also, if any of you are in tucson and would like to hike around with a noob, just let me know. im down.

Tucson is awesome for hiking, no lie! For water/swimming hole hikes close to town you might want to check out the Romero Trail out of Catalina State Park. It goes to Romero Pools, about 2 and a half miles or so. Along the way there is a short side hike to Montrose Pools. I'm not sure if Montrose has much water in it right now, though, and it's not deep enough to swim, but Romero is.

Another good one, but longer is Hutch's Pool, way up in Sabino, about 3.6 miles past the end of the paved tram road.

Also, and you may know about this, is Seven Falls, also reached from Sabino, but you take the Bear Canyon Tram road and hike 2.2 miles past the end of that road. They have maps for that at Sabino. Past Seven Falls, following the Bear Canyon Trail (not climbing up the actual Falls!) there are also some more deep pools. You can follow this trail and loop around back to Sabino. That's a pretty long hike, around 15 miles if you don't use the trams. You'll need a map, too.

Actually I don't think Bear Canyon Tram is running since the flood, but maybe they do have it back up again. The road got washed out pretty bad, just like the Sabino Road did. Did you see that? I went there soon after it, wow, what a re-arrangement!

In addition to the Catalinas, the Santa Ritas by Green Valley offer some nice summer-time hiking in the pines.

You might want to consider joining the Southern Az. Hiking Club, http://www.sahcinfo.org although there wouldn't be many in your age group. Also, there is a yahoo group, tucsonhikers that posts hikes they are going to do, or if you want to do a hike you post there and see if anyone else wants to go.

Anyway, I'd suggest trying different trails, keep asking other people if they hike, etc. Go to Summit Hut, get a guidebook for Tucson area. Go to the Visitor's Center at Sabino, they may have a Forest Service trail guide book, also. Also, if you are unfamiliar, read up on the best dayhiking gear, how much water to carry, electrolyte replacement, sun protection, etc. Summit Hut would have this info, or you can ask us here on the website!

I started out my "Arizona Phase" of hiking when I lived in Tucson, and I didn't know anyone at the time who hiked, so I helped with my son's Scout troop, went hiking and backpacking with them, and finally joined the hiking club. This was over 10 years ago. I no longer live in Tucson, though, but I do return periodically to go hiking there!

Good luck, and welcome to the site!

thanx for the suggestions. i was born and raised in catalina, used to go to romero pools all the time as a kid. well, i guess im still a kid... but whatever.



seven falls is fun, but every time i go there, there is a grip of people out there... i enjoy a little solitude when out for a hike. i have never been to nor heard of hutches pools. i think i will have to check that one out.

thank you again... and make sure that the next time you are in tucson for a hike you hit me up.

Hutch's Pool is a pretty popular area too. For solitude and a swim, look into La Milagrosa Canyon, Agua Caliente Canyon, Box Springs trail, Seven Cataracts, and Lemmon Creek. There's descriptions for a lot of these on the site.