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| A Dragoon Canyon Exploration, AZ | |
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| | A Dragoon Canyon Exploration, AZ | | | |
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A Dragoon Canyon Exploration, AZ
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| Hiking | 5.00 Miles |
1,050 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.00 Miles | | | |
| 1,050 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no linked trail guides |
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| partners | | I organized a trip to the Dragoons to do a nontechnical canyon I had heard about through the a SAHC. With the day before a water levels I was extremely nervous however I did not want to cancel the adventure. Everyone was warned about the possibility of 1-4 inches of snow on the ground as well as the potential of water getting our belongings wet.
We headed up the trail to a ridge passing Half Moon Tank along the way which was full and iced over. From the ridge we started our decent. At first the canyon was a pretty, mild drainage amongst the iconic rocks in which the Stronghold is known. We worked our way around rocks coated in ice, pools, and banks of the creek covered in 4 inches of snow. It was pretty and I figured there was no way it could get any better. Large perfectly formed snowflakes started fluttering to the ground. Just like a kid, I caught one on my tongue.
Soon the creek started a more dramatic descent, cutting it's was through some areas of boulders of increasing size. The journey began to be more of a scramble. Working to stay dry was our game. In the middle of the canyon we discovered boulders the size of houses making up the landscape. They were piled on top of each other creating tunnels underneath for the water to flow. We crawled, climbed, slide, scooted, and navigated our way through the boulders. Several times we found ourselves in amazing little tunnels. Finally, we were stopped in our tracks, above was a spot where we saw the water escape into a tunnel and we had worked our way down to where it came out. The water was a flowing waterfall behind a couple chockstones down into a hallway hidden from the quick glance by boulders. Amazingly beautiful and peaceful! Definitely a welcome yet unexpected highlight of the day.
We finished up the canyon mostly dry and happy that yet another Southern Arizona adventure had played out a fine hand!
We started our journey back to Tucson by stopping at the Golden Rule Winery just off the Dragoon Road. The winery is named for one of the areas called the Golden Rule Mine. In fact all the wines are named with area mine names. We tried the flight of wines available for tasting. It was a great way to end an adventure! |
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