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.

You can read  more about this in an Arizona Daily Sun article.  More information about the current reservation system is available on the Park’s Backcountry Permit web page.

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.

Ragged Top is widely regarded as the finest peak in the Silver Bell Mountains, which rise out of the desert plain west of Marana, Arizona. The Silver Bells are home to an estimated 35 – 50 desert bighorn sheep, likely the only remaining bighorns in the Tucson area. The area lies within Ironwood Forest National Monument, authorized by President Clinton in 2000.

Ragged Top

A visit to Ragged Top is rewarding not only for the great hiking and sweeping summit views, but also for the experience of visiting an amazingly pristine portion of the Sonora Desert. In addition to its namesake ironwood trees, this new monument shows off large, healthy stands of other classic Sonoran vegetation, including saguaro and cholla cactus, palo verde trees, and much more. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum provides an excellent online biological survey of the monument.

Though not long, this should be regarded as a difficult hike. A trip to Ragged Top’s summit involves 2.6 to 4.8 miles of walking (depending upon where you park your car) and about 1,600 feet of elevation gain. There are no established trails, so the venture involves cross country route finding and plenty of bushwhacking, though you are likely to appreciate the many faint game trails that criss-cross the peak’s flanks. To reach the summit, one must negotiate steep and brushy terrain, and near the top there are 2^nd and 3^rd class sections of rock scrambling to deal with. Hikers must also take care on slopes and gullies steep enough that dislodged rocks can roll and bound downhill for some distance.

Ragged Top – Wolcott Peak saddle

Ragged Top’s summit is guarded by a rampart of steep cliffs, and the key to reaching the top is to make your way to a high saddle or notch just west of the summit. The North Gully route is quite direct: it ascends a steep and brushy ravine on the north side of the peak which terminates at this saddle. There is a similar ravine on the south side of the mountain that ends at the same notch.

On our visit to Ragged Top we decided to do a loop route which went through the saddle between Ragged Top and Wolcott Peak, up the South Gully to the summit, and then down the North Gully.

2^nd and 3^rd class terrain near the top, with the South Gully below

Drive out Silver Bell Road to the north side of Ragged Top. There is a very handy online map provided by the BLM to help find the way. Turn south off Silver Bell Road onto a jeep road (32.46756 N, 111.47487 W, WGS84). The jeep road is not four wheel drive, but a high clearance vehicle is desirable. Park near the end of the jeep road, a mile after leaving Silver Bell Road.

To start the loop route, walk south to the broad saddle between Ragged Top and Wolcott Peak, and then turn west, first contouring under the summit of Ragged Top and later working up a steep slope towards the crest of a prominent ridge sweeping south from the summit ridge. As you near the crest of the aforementioned ridge, look for the prominent South Gully which cuts up directly towards the high saddle just west of the summit. From the high saddle, work east a little before climbing a steep ravine towards the summit. Near the top there is a section of 2^nd and 3^rd class rock scrambling. On the descent, back at the high saddle, complete the loop by dropping down the steep and brushy North Gully, finally using game trails to contour east around the base of Ragged Top back to the car.

Ironwood Forest National Monument

Season: Fall and winter. This low elevation area is very hot in the summer. Avoid ascents of Ragged Top from late February through April; this is lambing time for desert bighorn sheep.

Water: None. Bring plenty of your own

Difficulty: Advanced. The loop described here is 2.6 miles long with 1,600 feet of elevation gain. (Parking the car at Silver Bell Road instead of the end of the jeep road adds another 2.2 miles to the day.) Steep terrain, including 2^nd and 3^rd class rock scrambling is encountered. Moderately strenuous. There are no established trails, so route finding is required; map, compass and/or GPS can be useful. Brushy, so long pants are recommended.

Maps: USGS; or National Geographic Arizona digital map software.

Click Map for larger image

I love off-trail hiking. The mental and physical challenges of picking a way through unmarked wild country are very satisfying, in spite of the fact that off-trail travel is often slower and almost always leaves marks in the form of abraded skin and gear.

And I love the Sierra Nevada of California, especially the high alpine country in the southern portion of the range from Yosemite National Park down to Mt. Whitney. In summertime the Sierra high country dazzles with sparkling lakes, high peaks, and brilliant white snowfields. Summer weather is generally good; in fact one might almost characterize it as arid. However, for a desert rat like me water is seemingly everywhere, the result of melt from huge winter snow packs.

Evening light in Lake Basin

It was with great interest in the mid 1980’s that I first read about the Sierra High Route, a mostly off-trail route that runs along the spine of the Sierra Nevada for 195 miles, most of its length spent above 10,000 feet, near or above timberline. Conceived by climber and historian Steve Roper, the route is detailed in his book, Sierra High Route: Traversing Timberline Country.

Over 20 years slipped by before I was able to get my act together to hike the Sierra High Route late this summer. I partnered up with my sister Brenda Baker (San Diego) for the trip. Unable to carve out enough time to walk the entire 195 miles, we decided to spend 8 or 9 days spanning late August and early September walking the southernmost portion of Roper’s cross country tour. This proved to be a great time to be out in the Sierra -- mosquitoes were absent, having politely retired for the season; and the high passes we crossed were mostly snow free, greatly simplifying travel through them.

Climbing above the Palisade Lakes

Brenda planned our eight and half day itinerary and applied for our wilderness permit. Rather than walk as far along the route in 8 days as we could, she created a more leisurely plan for a 54 mile trek from Kings Canyon, north to the South Lake trailhead outside the town of Bishop. This gave us time to make several side trips along the way, including ascents of two high peaks.

Using TOPO! software, and referring to Roper’s book, I marked our maps up with 40+ waypoints designating various lakes, passes, and other key landmarks along the route and printed them out for the trip. We decided not to carry the guide book with us, and though the maps provided enough information for relatively efficient navigation, we were left with plenty of enjoyable route finding puzzles to figure out on our own.

It’s hard not to gush about the Sierra High Route. The 50+ miles we walked are absolutely superb, yielding a feast of challenging hiking in awe inspiring wilderness landscapes. Roper’s route is exceptionally elegant; climbing, traversing, dipping and weaving through a stunning array of peaks, lakes, ridges, cirques and passes. I can hardly wait to return to walk the next 150 miles.

The Palisade crest from the top of Mt Agassiz (13,893’)

Additional notes:

Our entry point was the Copper Creek trailhead in Kings Canyon National Park, so we used the Wilderness Permits & Reservations page for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on the NPS website to get permitting instructions.

The Sierra High Route passes through bear country. Learn more at sierrawildbear.gov. Find specific bear resistant food container requirements for various National Forests and Parks along the route here.

If you pass through Bishop, take time to visit the good folks at Wilson’s Eastside Sports, one the country’s nicest outdoor specialty stores.

Owners of Garmin GPS units will be interested to know about two web sites offering free map and trail software created by “community mappers”.

GPS File Depot is a rich resource worth checking out. Dozens of free topo maps and some street maps are available for download; with maps for Arizona, California, New Mexico, to name just a very few. I downloaded the Arizona Topo Map onto my PC and used Garmin MapSource® software to install the map onto the micro-SD card in my eTrex Vista® HCx. The 24k topo map software came up and displayed as expected. It will be interesting to put it to use in the field.

In addition to the map downloads at GPS File Depot, you will also find several interesting tutorials, including a series describing how to create your own Garmin compatible maps.

MapSource® screen shot of Arizona Topo Map

Also worth a visit is the web page for Southwest Trails, a fascinating project devoted to creating transparent trail overlays for Garmin GPS units. Quoting from the web site: “In short, Southwest Trails is a transparent map overlay that you can put on your map-enabled Garmin GPS receiver. This allows you to see, and follow, trails using whatever maps you normally would on your GPS...be it topo maps, City Navigator, or any other sort of map that you have on your GPS.”

Both sites hint at a tantalizing future in which users and enthusiasts not only create GPS-ready topo maps, but also fill them in with up-to-date trail detail that is otherwise very difficult to come by. Looks like this future has already arrived!

An hour’s drive or so out of Tucson near the top of Mt Lemmon, the Butterfly Trail has long been a popular hike. Is the Butterfly Trail nice? Well, here are quotes from the National Forest web page about the trail:

“This is a delightful trail that passes through an area of such diverse biology that part of it has been designated a Research Natural Area. … You’ll be hard pressed to find a more enjoyable outdoor classroom than this. … Along the trailside, a variety of trees are mixed and matched in diverse communities that include ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir and southwestern white pine in the high, cool areas; Arizona madrone, box elder and bigtooth maple in the more moderate areas; and alligator juniper, various species of oak and yuccas in drier, more exposed areas. Moist ravines are decorated with columbine and butterfly weed, while south facing slopes provide an appropriate habitat for prickly pear and hedgehog cactus. … Views along this trail are as diverse as the biology …”

“Diverse biology” along the Butterfly Trail

Yep, the Butterfly Trail is surely nice. I love how quiet it is along the Butterfly, and since the trail is on higher, north facing slopes, this trip is a good choice during the warm months of the year.

An unusual attraction along the trail is the wreckage of an F-86 fighter jet that crashed in 1957, in the canyon bottom upstream from Novio Falls. The Butterfly Trail enters this canyon from the west just above Novio falls, and leaves the canyon bottom a quarter of mile upstream as it begins to climb towards Mt Bigelow. Just as the Butterfly leaves the canyon bottom towards Bigelow, a beat-in hiker’s path leaves the trail, heading up-canyon another tenth of a mile to the crash site. (This junction is at approximately 32.42549 N, 110.71816 W, WGS84.)

F-86 Wreckage

There are many ways to construct an enjoyable hike along the Butterfly, depending upon how ambitious and fit you are feeling. Two trailheads just off the Mt Lemmon Highway serve the trail: one across the road from the Palisade Ranger Station and the second near Soldier Camp.

One of the easiest ways to enjoy the area is to walk the Butterfly for about a mile and a quarter from the Soldier Camp trailhead and then return the way you came.

Or, arrange to have two cars, one parked at each trailhead, and you can hike the trail 5.7 miles end to end. Hiking from Soldier Camp to Palisade is the hardest direction to go, with 1,920 feet of elevation gain, compared to about 1,280 feet of gain when you travel in the opposite direction.

An in-and-out hike from one trailhead to the other and then back again, is about 11.5 miles. I have also created a nine mile loop by walking dirt Forest Service roads that snake from Mt Bigelow down towards Soldier Camp (this requires walking a half mile beside the Mt Lemmon Highway to close the loop).

Hikers climb towards Mt Bigelow

From Tucson, drive the Mt Lemmon Highway towards the little town of Summerhaven. The first of the two trailheads for the Butterfly Trail is at the Palisade Ranger Station (32.41105 N, 110.71525 W, WGS84), and the second is further up the Mt Lemmon Highway at a trailhead parking lot in the Soldiers Camp area (32.42736 N, 110.7408 W, WGS84).

Season: Spring, summer and fall. Snow obscures many sections of the trail during winter cold spells. This hike can be warm in the lower elevation portion.

Water: As always, bring plenty of your own. Water is usually present near Novio Falls, though the flow can slow or cease in the driest months of the year. If you do collect water, purification is recommended before using.

Difficulty: From easy, to moderate, to hard; depending on how you plan the hike. Popular choices include an easy in-and-out trip from the Soldiers Camp trailhead, for a 2.5 mile round trip with a 500 foot elevation gain; a 5.7 mile end-to-end trip; or an 11+ mile back and forth trip with a 3,200 foot elevation gain.

Notes: This is a Forest Service fee area.

Maps: Rainbow Expeditions Santa Catalina Mountains, Green Trails Maps Santa Catalina Mountains, or National Geographic Arizona digital map software.

Click Map for larger image

One of the quiet success stories in the history of the Arizona Trail is the way that three distinct groups of outdoor enthusiasts came together and pooled their efforts to make the Trail the wonderful reality it is today. Those three main groups are hikers and backpackers, trail bikers and equestrians. Dave Hicks, Executive Director of the Arizona Trail Association, has told me that without this energetic collaboration, the Arizona Trail may never have come into existence.

During my walk of the Trail I came into contact with trail users from all these groups, and enjoyed hearing their perspectives on what the Trail meant to them. I ran into a man attempting an equestrian thru-trip and was very impressed when I learned how challenging it is to handle the problem of re-supply on long horse trips. Apparently, horses require a lot of water, food, and surprising to me, rest. I was told that a fit human thru-hiker generally requires far fewer rest days to complete the trip than horses do. Figuring out how to accommodate these needs, especially at remote and hard to reach trailheads can be a logistical nightmare. Another significant challenge for horses is navigating those sections of the Trail where deadfall from large forest fires can be stacked like giant pick-up-sticks, greatly impeding progress.

This fall there are plans afoot at Prescott College to traverse the Arizona Trail using horses and mules. Read about it here. This will be an interesting expedition to follow.

This weekend, August 15 - 16 is the final of three entry-fee-free weekends offered by the government in all national parks and monuments this summer. Though entrance fees will be waived, other fees such as campground fees remain in place. Hit the road and enjoy. Here is a sampling of a some parks and monuments to consider:

Chiricahua National Monument

nps.gov

Grand Canyon National Park

Montezuma Castle National Monument

nps.gov

Saguaro National Park

Sunset Crater National Monument

nps.gov

Walnut Canyon National Monument

Wupatki National Monument

Canyonlands National Park

nps.gov

Hovenweep National Monument

Natural Bridges National Monument

nps.gov

Zion National Park

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

nps.gov

Mt. Lemmon is understandably a very popular destination for outdoor recreationists of all stripes. It’s about a one hour drive from the Tucson valley to the little village of Summerhaven near the top of the mountain. Cool, accessible, beautiful!

One of the best payoffs for making the trip up Mount Lemmon is a relatively short and easy hike known as the Aspen Loop. About 4 miles long, the route circles non-descript Marshall Peak, a high point on a forested ridge which separates the Wilderness of Rocks from the headwaters of Sabino Creek. This short hike has plenty to offer: rich conifer forests, aspen groves, fern gardens, a lush and mossy riparian area, and some fine, sweeping views of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area.

On the Aspen Loop

The massive 2003 Aspen Fire started in this area, and though the devastation is very evident along many sections of the trail, I can’t help but be impressed and awed by the vigorous signs of rejuvenation obvious everywhere. This remains one of the most delightful hikes in southern Arizona.

For reasons unknown even to myself, I prefer to walk this loop in a clockwise direction, striking first up the Aspen Trail as it leaves the southern end of the parking lot diagonally up a steep hill. A mere quarter of a mile away from the road, one enters a lush stand of trees and ferns, dominated by what seems like hundreds of aspen trees. During most summer months, this area sparkles with green.

The trail soon climbs out of the aspen grove and begins to swing around the southern side of Marshall Peak. At about 1.5 miles from the trailhead, look for a trail spur heading more-or-less west from the main trial. This little spur is about a quarter of mile long and ends at a small rock outcrop known as Lunch Ledge, which sports a grand  view of Cathedral Peak in the heart of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness.

Conifer and ferns on the flanks of Marshall Peak

Next, the Aspen Trail continues on to Marshall Saddle where there is a five-way trail intersection. Here, the loop leaves the Aspen Trail and turns east down the Marshall Gulch Trail back towards the parking lot. Marshall Gulch is lovely. The creek bed almost always shows water and the luxuriant green growth is soothing for the heat-weary soul.

Reach the trailhead (32.42782 N, 110.75556 W, WGS84) by following the Catalina Highway from the Tucson to the small settlement of Summerhaven. Drive through Summerhaven and continue about half a mile to trailhead parking at the very end of the road. The Aspen Trail angles up a hillside near the far southern end of the parking area, while the Marshall Gulch Trail heads up the canyon behind a poorly located outhouse on the west side of the parking lot.

Cathedral Peak seen from Lunch Ledge

Season: Spring, summer and fall. The trailhead is closed to vehicular access for much of the winter, and snow often obscures many sections of the route. This hike can be warm on the exposed ridges during summer months.

Water: As always, bring plenty of your own. Water is usually present in Marshall Gulch, though the flow can slow or cease in the driest months of the year. If you do collect water, purification is recommended before using.

Difficulty: Moderate. The full loop is about 4 miles long with a 720 elevation gain. An even easier and shorter outing is the lovely walk part way up and down Marshall Gulch.

Notes: This is a Forest Service fee area.

Maps: Rainbow Expeditions Santa Catalina Mountains, Green Trails Maps Santa Catalina Mountains, or National Geographic Arizona digital map software.

Click Map for larger image