Among all the high places surrounding Tucson, Rincon Peak, at the southern end of the Rincon Mountains, is on my “top three” list of the area’s most beautiful peaks (the other two are Cathedral Peak and Mt Wrightson).

Rincon Peak seen from a view point near Manning Camp

It is tall, massive, pleasingly shaped, and capped with a distinctive granite dome. Standing alone, separated from the rest of the Rincon range by Happy Valley Saddle, it rises high above the Vail area east of Tucson. Rincon Peak is nice to look at!

According to a Park Service history of Saguaro National Park, some of the earliest American visitors to Rincon Peak were probably loggers harvesting timber for use in the valleys far below. An Army officer surveyed Rincon Peak in 1890 looking for a heliograph site and “encountered a logging trail which led to the top of the peak”.

Taking a break near Happy Valley Saddle

It takes hard work to reach Rincon Peak’s summit. The Miller Creek approach described here is far and away the most popular route, but demanding, with a 4,300 foot elevation gain and a round trip distance of about 16 miles. Adding to an already long day is the drive to the somewhat remote trailhead on the east side of the mountain range. Some parties break the climb up by camping half way at Happy Valley Saddle, but this strategy is complicated by the fact that water sources at the Saddle are somewhat unreliable. So, day trips to Rincon Peak are the norm, but an early start and headlamps are recommended.

The summit monument

Park your car at the Miller Creek Trailhead just off Mescal Road (32.15188 N, 110.48173 W, WGS84), about 15.5 miles north of Exit 297 on I-10. This is a dirt road, but medium clearance passenger vehicles should have no problems other than having to drive slowly through some sections. Walking west from the parking area you soon reach a fence with two gates – the Miller Creek Trail passes through the left one. After a mile or so in the bottom of Miller Canyon, the trail strikes uphill towards Happy Valley Saddle on steep hillsides strewn with boulders, Manzanita and oak trees. At the top of this first long climb you catch a great view of Rincon Peak’s rocky summit and come to a trail junction with the Heartbreak Ridge Trail. Bear left (south) here, and walk a half a mile through a lovely Ponderosa Pine forest to another trail junction where you turn left (south) towards the final push up Rincon Peak. The steepest and most strenuous section of trail is very near the top, but it eases up a bit as you pick your way up the final granite cap to the summit. Enjoy the magnificent views and take a well deserved rest, but don’t linger too long – it’s a long way back to the trailhead!

Late in the day above Miller Creek

Season: Fall and spring preferred. Winter snow and dangerously slippery ice can impede or halt progress altogether on the high north facing slopes near the top. During summer months this hike can be very hot especially in the lower elevations, so early starts and an ample supply of water are recommended.

Water: A water source near Happy Valley Saddle campground is seasonal and unreliable. Bring plenty of your own.

Difficulty: Very difficult. Sixteen miles round trip and 4,300 feet of elevation gain tells the story! Get an early start and bring a headlamp just in case.

Note: A $6 per night camping permit is required from the Park Service for camping at Happy Valley Saddle. An application form is available here.

Maps: Green Trails Saguaro National Park; or National Geographic Arizona digital map software.

Click Map for larger image

The Linda Vista Trail is really a network of three or four trails, all tucked under the north side of Pusch Peak in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. Very easy to access, trailhead parking is just a few hundred yards off Oracle Highway. This is a great place to enjoy a high quality yet short hike; especially for those living or staying in the Oro Valley area.

Rugged hillside above Linda Vista Trail

The trail traverses a rich Sonoran Desert landscape along the base of mighty Pusch Ridge. Linda Vista delights with quiet little desert nooks, grand views across the Oro Valley area, and just a taste of the rugged and steep hillsides that leap up towards the high reaches of Pusch Ridge. It is wonderful and surprising to find such enjoyable hiking so near civilization.

A view of Oro Valley

Find the trailhead a few hundred yards east of Oracle Road on Linda Vista Blvd (3.1 miles north of Ina Road). The Linda Vista Trail network allows one to put together a variety of hikes, including short in-and-out walks, and longer loop hikes up to about 2.5 miles in length. (At the far end of the main loop, watch for a trail junction marked with a blank, metal sign. An old hiker’s route to the top of Pusch Peak leaves the Linda Vista Trail here and heads uphill into a steep and rocky canyon. This steep and difficult route has a completely different character than the mellow Linda Vista Trail loop.)

Young saguaro cacti sheltered by a palo verde “nurse tree”

Season: Fall, winter and spring. This low elevation hike can be very hot in the summer, take care.

Water: None. Bring your own

Easy to Moderate: The Linda Vista Trail network offers several loop opportunities up to 2.5 miles in length, with a maximum elevation gain of about 480 feet.

Note: Dogs are not permitted in this area.

Maps: Green Trails Santa Catalina Mountains.

Its census time again. Saguaro National Park is looking for volunteer help to conduct the third Saguaro Census since 1990. The Park conducts a saguaro cactus census every ten years, which curiously coincides with the U.S. national population census.

This past November, four Summit Hut staff volunteered for census work with the Park as part of our 100 Days of Service program, where Summit Hut donates staff time and labor to local environmental and outdoor causes.

We had a great time counting and measuring cactus, and contributing to the knowledge and understanding of the Park’s saguaro population. Plus we learned a whole lot about the health of our saguaro forests and the local ecology along the way.

The Park could use your help too. Its fun! Six census outings are planned for January, beginning January 8^th.

Read more about the Saguaro Census here.

To make a volunteer reservation and get more information, contact Don Swann or Kim Diamond at 520.733.5178, or email Don_Swann@nps.gov

There is little doubt that Sabino Canyon is the most visited recreation area in southern Arizona. Surrounded by the Pusch Ridge Wilderness, Sabino Canyon is wild and spectacular, yet very easy to access from the Tucson area. Most visitors ride a commercial tram or walk the road (closed to traffic) that runs four miles along the canyon bottom from the Visitor’s Center. An alternate way to reach the end of the road is to hike the Phoneline Trail, which traverses the steep and rugged canyon wall hundreds of feet above the creek bed.

Phoneline Trail was built in the early 1900's to facilitate the construction of a proposed dam about a mile beyond the end of the current roadway. Happily, the dam was never built. As you travel the trail, watch for a few remaining rusted poles that once supported the phone line for which the trail is named. A long section of the Phoneline Trail is surprisingly level, allowing you to fully enjoy the many commanding views of Sabino Canyon that the trail is well known for.

Thimble Peak rises above Sabino Canyon and the Phoneline Trail

There are many ways to enjoy the Phoneline Trail. My favorite is to make a loop by walking up the 5.2 mile Phoneline Trail and then return to the Visitor’s Center via the road in the canyon bottom. This loop is about 9 miles long and involves a 930 foot climb to reach the flattish sections of the trail.

Or, you might chose to purchase tickets at the Visitor’s Center, ride a tram to the end of the road and then walk the Phoneline Trail back to the parking lot. This 5.2 mile walk involves about a 330 foot elevation gain.

You can also create a shorter 3.6 mile loop by taking advantage of the Phoneline Link Trail, which leaves the Phoneline Trail about 1.75 miles from the Visitor’s Center and switchbacks down to the canyon bottom and the road below.

Long sections of the Phoneline Trail are nearly level

Park your car at the entrance of the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, a short drive from mid town Tucson. This is a fee area. To pick up the lower end of the Phoneline Trail leave the east end of the parking lot and follow a wide dirt path east until it joins a paved road. Continue east on the paved road as it swings into the bottom of Sabino Creek and a road junction where a sign will guide you right towards Bear Canyon. Just after crossing Sabino Creek, watch for the trailhead, marked by a sign “Phoneline Tr. #27”. A few steps from the pavement, turn left (north) onto the Phoneline Trail. From this point, it is about 4.5 miles to the end of the trail and the junction with the road’s end in Sabino Canyon.

McFall Crags seen from the Phoneline Trail

Season: Fall, winter and spring. This hike can be very hot, especially in the summer. (The hike does receive quite a bit of traffic in the summer months; an early start and plenty of water are recommended.)

Water: None. Bring plenty of your own.

Difficulty: Moderate; up to 9 miles with a 930 foot elevation gain.

Maps: USGS Sabino Canyon, AZ ; Green Trails Santa Catalina Mountains; or National Geographic Arizona digital map software.

 Click map for larger image

In October 2008, I had the good fortune to walk a cross country backpacking loop off the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We were a party of six, and when it came time to figure out how we would divvy up group gear, trip member Bob Wade kindly volunteered to “bring evening cocktails”. We wisely accepted Bob’s offer, and after the first evening’s happy hour realized we had made a very good decision indeed. The nightly cocktails were a huge hit, and after the trip I begged Bob for the recipe.

Working up a thirst in the Dragon Creek drainage

Apparently, a passage mentioning backcountry margaritas in the guidebook we referenced while planning the trip caught Bob’s eye. Thus inspired, one evening Bob recruited his wife Ruth to help concoct a suitable mixture. As Bob later reported, the two spent a pleasant night mixing, taste testing, remixing and taste testing again (and again) before settling upon a splendid and lightweight backcountry margarita mix. Bob admitted, “Ruth did the hard, creative work; I mostly taste tested.”

The evening’s test results

Ruth and Bob have graciously agreed to share their backpackable margarita recipe:

Rutharitas

(Makes sixteen - 8 oz. drinks)

1 package Kool-Aid w/ 1 cup sugar - lemonade flavor

1 tub Crystal Lite (enough to make 2 quarts) - orange flavor

(Combine Kool-Aid, Crystal Lite, and sugar to create powdered drink mix)

12 oz. Tequila

12 oz. EverClear

To make one cocktail:

1 rounded tablespoon of drink mix

¾ oz. (also ½ shot) Tequila

¾ oz. (also ½ shot) Ever Clear

(total of 1 shot or 1 ½ oz alcohol)

1 cup (8 oz) water

Ice (ha ha ha)

Bob and Ruth own and operate the Ute Mountaineer in Aspen, one of the very finest outdoor specialty stores in all of America. Stop by when you are in the area and say hi.

There is an intense and spiritual place at the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona where canyons, spires and mesas are carved into and out of the red sandstone layers.

Often associated with vortexes, crystals and new age psychics, there is no question that there is something special going on around Sedona. But it has nothing to do with vortexes.  I have experienced the same feelings deep in Matcatamiba Canyon and in the middle of the Pinacate - it is simply the land.

 
Canyons, Buttes, Mesas and Slickrock around Sedona

So, go ahead get it out of your system and look at the t-shirts, aromatherapy oils and past life regression astrology reports in the shops in Sedona.  Then head out of town and into the canyons and along the slickrock where the magic is real and the mysteries are free.

For hiking opportunities, this country is hard to beat. If you want a beautiful, intimate and easy hike to introduce yourself to the canyons, head west out Dry Creek Road to Fay Canyon, Boynton Canyon’s less visited sister.  Grab your camera and a set of trekking poles and enjoy the three mile round trip hike up the canyon that takes you by Fay Arch.  Continue on up the canyon beyond the arch for a private glimpse of this diverse ecosystem and remnants of an ancient dwelling. Throw in a few more ravens and it would be perfect.

Sycamore Canyon, western neighbor of the more famous Oak Creek Canyon and considered more scenic by many, is accessible by foot and an ideal place to go for some secluded backpacking or longer day hikes.  Trailhead access is west of Cottonwood as well as south of Williams up on the rim.  There are more difficult hiking and backpacking opportunities in the Red Rocks/Secret Mountain Wilderness Area.  Administered by the Coconino National Forest, find more information at www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/.

Oak Creek Canyon, with its more than 5 million visitors a year (more than the Grand Canyon), is full of swimming holes, hiking, campgrounds and fly fishing.  I’ve been assured that brown trout lurk in the upper sections of the creek, but brookies are the only ones that seem to like my flies.  This is an ideal place to go hiking with children because it has it all – easy trails, scenic beauty, natural and cultural history, and perhaps most importantly, the classic childhood boredom remedies of wading and looking under rocks.  In warmer weather, consider a hike into the West Fork in the canyon.  Water shoes or sandals are a must, as there are many creek crossings on this magnificent hike.  The parking area fills up early, especially on weekends, so try this one during the week.

A drive up the 13 mile historic Schnebley Hill Road dirt road affords sweeping panoramas of the region.  The road is a bit bumpy but suitable for passenger cars. You can’t go wrong stopping anywhere along the road and taking a short walk along the canyon floor.  After a climb of over 2.000 feet to the overlook, turn around and head back into Sedona or continue on to I-70 through the ponderosa forests if you are going on to Flagstaff or Phoenix.

Canyon hike west of Sedona, Dry Creek/Vultee Arch Road

Prehistoric rock art and ruins dot the region.  Palatki and Honanki ruins west of Sedona, and Montezuma Castle, Tuzigoot and the V Bar V Heritage Site in the Verde Valley are just a few worth visiting.  Try the drive out Dry Creek Road west of Sedona, past Doe Mountain and Palatki Ruins and Red Canyon to Loy Butte and park along the road where there are no other vehicles.  Wander along the southern face of the butte, perhaps the most sacred place (in my mind, at least) in the area.  Strange feelings surround this spot.  Stop at one of the ancient dwellings at the base of the cliffs, sit quietly and experience it without conversation and your drive back out will be much different than your trip in.

Winter is no excuse to stay home.  If you are lucky enough to be there after the intense quiet of a fresh snowfall, white covering the vibrant reds and greens and the cobalt sky covering it all is not something you will forget.  Wander down to Oak Creek where the lazy summer pools, riffles and waterfalls are all of a sudden sparkling crystalline sculptures and sit and listen to them awhile.
You may even start to wonder if there really is more to it than simply the land.

Sandstone towers along Schnebley Hill road

Looking for an alternative to expensive or chain dining?   If so, the Page Springs Café, about 12 miles south of Sedona off of highway 89A on the Page Springs Road is the place.  Overlooking Oak Creek, the café’s rustic setting, good food, reasonable prices and charm is the signature of this local favorite that’s been there forever. 
Red Rock Passes are required to park along the roadside in the area and can be purchased at many locations around Sedona.  The full range of lodging is available in the area.  Some Forest Service campgrounds in Oak Creek Canyon are closed in winter, so check before you go.  Primitive car camping is permitted on adjacent Forest Service land.

A soft spoken man with a wonderfully understated sense of humor stopped by the Summit Hut in 1999, asking if there were any positions open.

Dan Davis had just retired from a distinguished career with the National Park Service, where he had spent time in such magnificent locations as Rocky Mountain and Grand Canyon National Parks. After relocating in Tucson, Dan was looking for “maybe six months or so” of work and we were delighted to have him join our staff, and even more delighted when the “six months” stretched to a full ten years with the Summit Hut!

Dan Davis, on location

Dan has retired again (maybe), this time with plans to wander and travel the beautiful landscapes of the American Southwest and pursue his passion for photography (check out his photo site here).

Happily, Dan has accepted our invitation to author blog stories and show off  some of his photos here on Trail Talk – thanks Dan!

Stay tuned.

Grand Canyon National Park is proposing a change to the procedure for reserving backcountry permits for overnight wilderness camping in the Canyon.

Under the current system users who are able to show up in person at the Backcountry Information Center on the South Rim when permits first become available get first shot at reservations, ahead of those who mail or fax their requests to the office. Reservations are made available on the first day of the month, four months before a user’s proposed trip start month.

For example, October is one of the two most popular months for wilderness outings in the Canyon, and permit reservations first become available four months earlier on June 1st. A couple of years ago I drove to the South Rim on a June 1st to get an October trip reservation, and was very surprised to find myself in line with well over a hundred people jockeying for the opportunity to get the permit they desired. There were plenty of locals in line but I talked to others who had come from as far away as Seattle! Permits requests that were arriving in the office on that June 1st via fax and mail were ignored by the reservation staff until all of the people present in person had an opportunity to place their requests.

The Park Service thinks this is unfair (I do too, even though I currently have the “local advantage”), and is proposing a change that will put all users on a more equal footing for getting the permit they desire. The Park wants to eliminate in-person requests during the first month of the four month early reservation period. So, in the first of the four months prior to a trip start, virtually all users would have to apply via fax or mail, and all such applications would be processed in the order received by the reservation office. In months two, three and four, walk-up users would again have an opportunity to be “first in line” on days they might show up in person at the office.

Commercial users and locals probably won’t like the proposed change, but I think its a good way to go. The Park is considering implementing this system or something like it as early as February, 2010.

Grand Canyon National Park describes these changes on this web page. Information about the current reservation system is available on the Park’s Backcountry Permit web page. You can also read  more about this in an Arizona Daily Sun article.  

You can’t miss Pusch Peak, which dominates the skyline above Oro Valley at the western end of the Santa Catalina Mountains, just north of Tucson. Pusch Peak, Bighorn Mountain, and Table Mountain form the Pusch Ridge, which in turn is part of the magnificently wild and rugged Pusch Ridge Wilderness.

All of these Pusch-es are namesakes of George Pusch, a German immigrant who showed up in Arizona in 1874, at 27 years of age and proceeded to establish the historic Steam Pump Ranch along the banks of the Canada del Oro beneath the north side of Pusch Peak.

Pusch Peak from the Linda Vista Trail

The best word to describe the hike to the top of Pusch Peak is “steep”. The route first follows the gentle Linda Vista Trail for a little over a half mile through a beautiful Sonora Desert bio-community, but then strikes up a hiker’s route towards the summit, which is relentlessly steep and very economic in its use of switchbacks.

This is a hike for those in good physical condition and you’ll have to work hard to get to the top, but it’s very nice up there. Not surprisingly, the views are great; my favorite is the view east along Pusch Ridge towards Table Mountain, Mount Kimball and the top of Mt. Lemmon.

Summit view: Pusch Ridge, Mt. Kimball and Mt Lemmon

Find the trailhead a few hundred yards east of Oracle Road on Linda Vista Blvd (3.1 miles north of Ina Road). The Linda Vista Trail consists of a network of loop trails. From the trailhead strike out southeast on the central, main trail segment for 0.57 miles where it connects with the outer loop trail. At the intersection turn left (east), and walk a short distance to a rusted, illegible metal sign which marks the intersection with a hiker’s route that climbs to the summit of Pusch Peak. Turn right (south) at the sign, onto the hiker’s route. The route is well beat in and continuously steep. The summit is reached about a mile and half past the metal sign.

Season: Fall, winter and spring. Summer heat on this hike can be dangerous.

Water: None. Bring plenty of your own

Difficulty: Difficult, a little over 4 miles round trip, with 2,700 feet of elevation gain. On the two mile segment from the trail head to the summit, the majority of this elevation gain occurs in the final 1.5 miles – steep hiking!

Note: Dogs are not permitted in this area.

Maps: Green Trails Santa Catalina Mountains; or National Geographic Arizona digital map software.

Click Map for larger image

Since 2003, public access to High Creek, one of the nicest trail heads in the Galiuro Mountains northeast of Tucson, has been blocked by private land owners. The Forest Service is seeking public comment on a proposed plan to restore public access to the High Creek area.

Public access to High Creek will provide a central gateway to key portions of Galiuro Wilderness including Holdout Spring, Basset Peak, Kennedy Peak, the headwaters of Rattlesnake Canyon, and the Powers Garden area. Beneficiaries include hikers, backpackers, naturalists, campers, equestrians and hunters. Furthermore, opening High Creek will reduce recreational pressure on two other trail heads on the east side of the Galiuros: Ash Creek and Deer Creek.

Your support for the public access plan to High Creek is needed! Please write or email your support for the proposal as soon as possible; the deadline for submitting comments is October 28.  Include name, full address, a subject name of “High Creek EA”, and your specific comments with supporting reasons you believe the Forest Service should consider in reaching a decision. Note that this information becomes a matter of public record. Find more information on your Opportunity to Comment, here.