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…
Category: Activities
Sycamore Groves in the Santa Rita Mountains
Mt Wrightson looms large on the drive up Madera Canyon Road in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson, and the hike to this towering summit from the end of the road is the signature outing in the area. So, it can be easy to miss some trailheads near the mouth of Madera Canyon that…
Stop the Rosemont Copper Project
Arizona congressional representatives Gabrielle Giffords and Raul Grijalva have turned up the heat on the Forest Service in an effort to stop the disastrous Rosemont Copper mining project south of Tucson in the Santa Rita Mountains. Read about their recent efforts in an article in The Green Valley News. View the approximate location of the…
Sutherland Thrash
A trip up the Sutherland Trail from Catalina State Park to the top of Mt. Lemmon is a challenging hike! For starters, the word “trail” may not be an appropriate descriptor for the route. The first five miles are pretty easy to follow; a beautifully maintained trail leaves the parking spot at Catalina State Park,…
Keeping Cool in the Wilderness of Rocks
When it’s time to cool off, the Wilderness of Rocks is a popular destination for Tucson area hikers. At an elevation of over 7,000 feet, the Wilderness of Rocks stretches across a broad, rocky bench perched beneath the high summit ridge of Mt. Lemmon. The headwaters of Lemmon Creek gather here, and the small stream…
A Mount Wrightson Loop Hike
Loop hikes are wonderful. It can be exhilarating to take in a big sweep of country without retracing steps. You usually see more and get to enjoy a feeling of fresh discovery the entire way. A few years ago I stumbled upon a great loop hike which starts in the bottom of Madera Canyon and…
You’ve Been Warned!
Check out this pair of warning signs, displayed back to back on a sturdy wood post near a popular southern Arizona trail head. Many thanks to “The Curmudgeon” for a hearty laugh, and thought provoking warnings. Leaving the road head, this sign with its dire warnings is prominently displayed as you head into the back…
Banff Film Festival and Pima Trails Association
This past Friday evening, March 27, the Summit Hut hosted the Banff Mountain Film Festival for the 11th consecutive year in Tucson. Nearly 1,000 people filled the historic Fox Theatre to watch 7 films which ranged in length from 3 to 55 minutes. My favorite film of the night was Patagonian Winter, the story of…
The Miracle
Milagrosa means “miraculous” in Spanish and indeed, it is a little miraculous to find such a pleasant loop hike tucked away in the far northeast corner of the Tucson valley. The hike dips in and out of both Agua Caliente Canyon and La Milagrosa and cruises ridge tops on both sides of the canyons as…
Pontatoc Trails
What’s not to like about the Finger Rock trailhead at the end of Alvernon Way? Quite literally at Tucson’s backdoor, this trailhead offers convenient access to one of the more spectacular portions of the “Front Range” of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Pontatoc Canyon left, Pontatoc Ridge right In addition to the popular Finger Rock Trail,…