Pomona Mine Huachuca Mountains, Arizona December 26, 2013

               Brown Canyon from on the Pomona Mine Trail

Over the Christmas Holiday I hiked up to the Pomona Mine in the Huachuca Mountains. Historic mines are numerous in southern Arizona. Oftentimes they offer historic structures and equipment making them great hiking destinations. The Pomona Mine was active intermittently from 1918 until 1963. While open the mine produced around 570 tons of tungsten ore. (Information from www.mindat.org)

The Hike: The hike to the Pomona Mine starts at the Brown Canyon Trailhead on Ramsey Canyon Road. It is over 8 miles round trip (mileage approximate depending on how much you explore) with approximately 2000 feet of elevation gain.  The first 1.1 miles the trail is non-existent. Hikers follow ATV roads until the outlet of Brown Canyon where the Brown Canyon Trail 115 begins. The next two 2.5 miles are along the bottom of the canyon. Be careful of mountain bikers coming downhill because they do not watch for hikers. Major vegetation is grass, oak and manzanita which gives visitors shade from the Arizona sun. The Pomona Mine Trail branches off after 2.5 miles. This trail is steep in places and gains elevation quickly. The first 1.5 is on an old road that goes to the base of an old tram used to transport ore from above. The next two miles to the top of the tram is along trail that is narrow, extremely steep and rocky. Watch your footing.  Views of the valley and surrounding mountains are extraordinary. The trail becomes faint and hard to follow so route finding is necessary if you want to hike to the top of the ridge. Once on top of the ridge I found a nice place to eat lunch on a cliff with views of Miller Peak and the valley below. The weather was definitely colder as I was about 8000 feet in elevation with pines and two inches of snow in the shade. On my map an unofficial trail is shown to Ramsey Peak and the Crest however, I saw no evidence of this trail and I do not know whether it exists.

                           At the entrance of the Pomona Mine with the Tram cable in front

                             Mining Equipment

                    View of the Huachuca Mountains from my lunch spot

                                  Cliffs in the upper part of the Huachuca Mountains

Carrillo and Wild Horse Loop Saguaro National Park East December 15, 2013

                   The three hiking trails involved in the loop denoted by three different colors.

If you right click on each image and select "View Image." The image will come up in a different screen where you can see the full image. 

Location: The Douglas Spring Trail head is located at the end of Speedway BLVD in eastern Tucson. The Douglas Spring Trail gives hikers and backpackers the opportunity to hike into Manning Camp and other destinations deep in the Rincon Mountains. There are also many trails in the Cactus Forest which originate near this location as well. Consult a park map to plan a hike.

The Hike: Today I am connecting two trails in the Cactus Forest- The Carrillo Trail and Wildhorse Trails. This loop is approximately six miles with over 1500 feet of elevation gain. The first part of the hike is on the Douglas Spring Trail.  (For more information on this trail please consult my November 10, 2013 post). After 1.4 miles the Carrillo Trail exits on the right. The first quarter mile the trail is at the bottom of a wash and then it becomes extremely steep as it summits a small hill topping out at an elevation of 3500 feet. The views toward the Catalina Mountains and Rincon Mountains are stupendous at the point.  From here it descends to a junction with the Three Tank Trail. Stay on the Carrillo Trail until the Wild Horse Trail junction. Along the Carrillo Trail are magnificent Saguaros many with three or more arms. I returned by way of the Wild Horse Trail (black on my map). This trail is two miles long, easy to follow and gives great views of the surrounding mountains. My favorite part was the Bajada Wash area where I saw beautiful riparian desert vegetation and two Jack rabbits.


                      Sonoran Desert vegetation with the Catalinas in the background.

                           View from the summit of the Carrillo Trail


                              Dead Saguaro. I think they are majestic in a morbid way.



                                       Bajada Wash on the Wild Horse Trail

                              Saguaro with many arms.



                                                     Desert jack rabbit

Yetman Trail Tucson Mountain Park December 14, 2013

                    Golden Gate Peak in the Tucson Mountains

After lunch, I drove into the Tucson Mountains over Gates Pass to hike the Yetman Trail. The Yetman Trail is one of the longer trails in the Tucson Mountain Park at over five miles starting on Gates Pass Road and ending near the International Wildlife Museum on Speedway BLVD. I hiked for about three hours with total miles around 5.5.  This last week I have been suffering from a head cold so I did not want to over exert myself.  The hike was beautiful with lots of views of Golden Gate Mountain near Gates Pass and  surrounding desert vegetation. On this hike I saw more young Saguaros under nurse trees such as Palo verde or Creosote bush. Most people think Saguaros are hardy cacti but they can easily die during periods of cold temperatures and low rainfall. Saguaros are also a keystone species providing habitat and food for many species of wildlife.

Special Note: Bikers and hikers have created lots of unincorporated trails in the Tucson Mountains. Be sure to carry a topographic map so you do not get turned around.

                 Golden Gate Peak and Bushmaster Peak (to the right) in the background with desert vegetation   in foreground

                         Saguaro using a Palo verde as a nurse plant

                  Afternoon light on the Tucson Mountains

                     Looking east toward Saguaro National Park

Tuscon Mountain Park- Yetman and Golden Gate Trails December 8, 2013

               Looking toward Starr Pass

This last weekend my cousin Franak and I went on a hike at Gates Pass in the Tucson Mountains west of Tucson. I had never hiked at Gates Pass or Tucson Mountain Park so I was really looking forward to this hike. We drove west on Speedway BLVD passed the International Wildlife Museum and over Gates Pass to the Yetman Trail. The Yetman Trail is over six miles long and ends at Starr Pass. The first one mile is on a well established yet rocky trail. After one mile we followed the Golden Gate Trail toward Gates Pass. This trail was a lot steeper and rockier. The tricky part of the hike was dodging the many Teddy bear cholla balls on the trail. Cholla cacti have some of the nastiest thorns in the Sonoran Desert and will attach themselves onto skin or clothing. They also seem to jump onto clothing or skin (hence their alternate name Jumping cholla). I spent long parts of the hike watching for these balls so my dog Nevada would not step on them. Disaster almost happened once when he stepped on one but managed to kick it off. I was certainly relieved. Besides the scenery and hike I enjoyed reconnecting with my cousin. Growing up we never lived in the same town so I rarely saw her. Hopefully with both of us living in Tucson this will change.

Special Consideration: This area has many illegal trails created by visitors. As a result it is easy to get off the main trails. Pay attention at trail junctions and carry a good topographic map.

                                On the Golden Gate Trail hiking toward Gates Pass

                           Scenery in the Tucson Mountains with the Catalina Mountains in the distance

Sweetwater Trail to Wasson Peak Saguaro National Park West December 7, 2013

                         Looking southeast near the summit

On November 12, 2013, I summited Wasson Peak by hiking the Sendero Esperanza an Hugh Norris Trail. On Saturday I drove out Ruthrath Drive to summit Wasson Peak from the northeast side using the Sweetwater Trail. Total mileage of todays hike was 9.2 with a total elevation gain of 1900 feet. The Sweetwater Trail takes visitors through a classic Sonoran Desert community with Saguaro cactus, Palo verde, Ocotillo and Prickly pear. Vegetation did not change during the hike. The first mile and half the trail is not steep as it runs perpendicular to Wasson Peak. The last mile and half on the Sweetwater trail is considerably more steep as it climbs up to a saddle. From the saddle it is another 1.2 miles to the summit with 800 feet of elevation to gain. The trail is rocky but the views start to open up near the top. As always this is a desert hike so bring water, hat and sunscreen. REI and Summit Hut in Tucson have good Topographic maps to plan and execute any hike.

                    Sweetwater Canyon with Catalina Mountains in the background

                  Almost on top

                       Me on the summit.

Phoneline Trail and Sabino Creek Loop December 6, 2013

                  Sabino Creek riparian area

Friday afternoon the weather was gorgeous so I drove to Sabino Canyon to hike a short 3.5 mile loop before dark. I love hiking in Sabino Canyon in the evening because the sunset and last light on the Catalina Mountains is beautiful. (It is important to note that mountain lions are very active at dusk so be careful around rock overhangs). After a mile walking on the Phone line Trail a connector trail departs on the left descending down to Sabino Creek. This trail is rocky with moderate elevation gain.  It is important to note that during periods of high water it is impossible to cross Sabino Creek without a bridge. Today the creek was high so I followed the Sabino Creek trail and then  worked my way along its bank until I reached the Bear Canyon Shuttle Road. Some of the cottonwoods and willows had orange and yellow leaves adding to the beauty of the area.

             White-tailed deer

                                    Sunlight glow in the Catalina Mountains

                                  Back lit shrub. I love using this technique in the afternoon.

                 Glow on canyon walls in Sabino Canyon.

San Pedro Riparian Area November 30, 2013

                            The San Pedro

After visiting the ghost town of Fairbank, Arizona, I hiked a four mile trail along the San Pedro River. The weather was cool with partly cloudy skies making for excellent hiking conditions. My dog and I hiked along the old road bed of the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad seeing the remains of the Grand Central Mill and the Fairbanks cemetery (more information on next post). After two miles the trail turned and followed the river back to Highway 82. Along the river I saw two Cooper's hawks and a number of small birds. This trail is easy to follow with minimal elevation gain. Dog owners need to watch out for snakes during the summer and thorns which will embed themselves into paws and fir causing irritation. To see more wildlife I need to hike early in the morning.

Ecology and History:  The San Pedro flows north from the Mexico border to the Gila River at Winkelman. Because it flows year-round the river provides critical habitat for both flora and fauna. Wildlife include White-tailed deer, Javelina, Bobcat and Ring-tailed cats. Throughout the year over 350 bird species use this corridor including the Vermillion flycatcher and Yellow-billed cuckoo making the San Pedro one of the best birding areas in the United States. Tree species include Cottonwood, Hackbury, Willow and Arizona walnut. In 1988 Congress created the San Pedro Riparian Conservation Area to insure that 40 miles of riparian habitat be protected for future generations. (Information from 100 hikes in Arizona by Scott Warren).

The San Pedro Valley also has a rich history. Along the river are the ruins for six mills which processed ore from the mines in nearby Tombstone, Arizona. The mills needed water from the river to operate the huge stamps used to crush the rock. Today these mills are long gone but an explorer could find their locations in the valley.

                                    San Pedro flowing north