To allow for the warm weather in October, the first three hikes of the fall will be part way up the Catalina Highway. We will meet at the McDonald’s at Tanque Verde and Catalina Highway at 8:00 a.m. to caravan to the trail head. You may also go directly to the trailhead. The hikes will start at 8:45 a.m.
All hikes from October 28 through December are at 8:30, leaving from the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center unless otherwise indicated. All mileages are round trip numbers.
Please call Adora-Marie at 520-444-4838 with questions or for more information.
About the Friday hikes:
- All hikes are open to the public.
- Please bring plenty of water and a snack or lunch for longer hikes.
- Hiking boots or comfortable footwear and hiking poles are recommended. Many of our hikes could require crossing creek beds with water.
- No pets. No smoking.
- Children under 18 years must be accompanied by an adult.
- Bad weather may change or cancel the hike.
- Cell phones for emergency only.
- Higher elevation demands good physical condition! We try to accommodate all levels of hikers.
| Date | Destination | Meet | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7 | Sycamore Reservoir | Meet at the MacDonald's at Tanque Verde & Catalina Highway at 8:00 a.m. to caravan to the trailhead. You may also go directly to the trailhead, at the abandoned Federal Prison Camp site, 7.2 miles up the Mt. Lemmon Highway. Parking is to the left and right just inside the entrance. Hike will start no later than 8:45 a.m. | The hike will start at the abandoned Federal Prison Camp site and head toward Sycamore Reservoir. Length is about 5 miles. |
| Oct 14 | Bug Springs This is a two-car shuttle beginning at General Hitchcock and ending at the lower trailhead near Prison Camp. | Meet at the MacDonald's at Tanque Verde & Catalina Highway at 8:00 a.m. to caravan to the trailhead. You may also go directly to the trailhead at General Hitchcock, MP 12. Hike will start no later than 8:45 a.m. | 4.5-mile hike with a 600-foot elevation gain. We will organize car shuttles before we head up the mountain. Extreme ½-mile uphill climb in the beginning, then trail levels out into a down hill back to the lower trailhead, where we will shuttle back to upper trailhead. |
| Oct 21 | Guthrie Peak from General Hitchcock trailhead at MP 12 | Meet at the MacDonald's at Tanque Verde & Catalina Highway at 8:00 a.m. to caravan to the trailhead. You may also go directly to the trailhead at the General Hitchcock trailhead at MP 12. Hike will start no later than 8:45 a.m. | 5.6-mile hike starts at 6000 foot elevation and has an overall gain of 1300 feet. Trail is moderately difficult, with a good climb 20 minutes into it and a rock face scramble 10 minutes before reaching the peak. Good physical condition required. |
| Oct 28 | Seven Falls | Meet at Sabino Canyon Visitor Center at 8:30 a.m. | Bear 29 trail from Visitor Center to trail to Seven Falls in Bear Canyon. Medium difficulty with an elevation gain of 750 feet. Allow at least 4 to 4.5 hours. Some rock hopping if water is high. |
| Nov 4 | Esperero trail to the Ridge | Meet at Sabino Canyon Visitor Center at 8:30 a.m. | This is a 7-mile difficult hike with an elevation gain of 1200 feet. Allow at least 4 to 4.5 hours. |
| Nov 11 CANCELLED | Agua Caliente/ Milagrosa Loop | This hike has been cancelled. Meet at McDonald's at Catalina Highway and Tanque Verde at 8:30 a.m. to caravan to the trailhead (short drive and limited parking). | This is a loop, 6.6-mile hike with an elevation gain of 1000 feet. Allow at least 4 to 5 hours. |
| Nov 18 | Hutch's Pool | Will require purchasing a $15.00 shuttle ticket unless you want to walk the 7.4 miles on the shuttle road, in addition to the 8.2 miles from stop 9 (these are round trip numbers). Shuttle tickets can be purchased on-line ahead of time at at www.sabinocanyoncrawler.com (Recommended). This hike will leave on the 9 a.m. tram from the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center. | We will hike from the end of the shuttle road to Hutch’s Pool and return and ride the shuttle back to the Visitor Center. This medium difficulty hike has an elevation gain of 800 feet. Allow at least 6 hours and bring a lunch. |
| Nov 25 | Blackett's Ridge | Meet at Sabino Canyon Visitor Center at 8:30 a.m. | Phoneline trail to Blackett’s Ridge trail. A 6.2-mile difficult hike with an elevation gain of 1700 feet. Beautiful views. Allow at least 3.5 to 4 hours. |
| Dec 2 | Romero Pools, Catalina State Park | Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the east side of the Home Depot parking lot (10855 N Oracle Road, just south of the park entrance) to caravan into the park. Or meet at the trailhead at the east end of the main paved road into the park at 8:30 a.m. Entrance Fee $7 for 1-4 people per car required. | Strenuous hike of approximately 6 miles round trip to pools. Elevation gain of approximately 1,300 feet above the state park. Allow at least 3.5 to 4 hours. |
| Dec 9 | Pima Canyon trail to the Dam | Meet at the trailhead at the east end of Magee Road at 8:30 a.m. | This is a medium difficulty hike of 6 miles with an elevation gain of 1300 feet. Allow at least 3 to 3.5 hours. |
| Dec 16 - CANCELLED | HIKE CANCELLED Ventana Canyon trail to Maiden Pools | Meet at Ventana trailhead at Ventana Resort on Kolb Road at 8:30 a.m. | This is an approximately 5.6-mile, medium difficulty hike, with an elevation gain of 1400 feet. Allow at least 3.5 to 4 hours. |
| Dec 23 | Douglas Spring trail to Garwood Dam loop via new Carillo trail | Meet at Douglas Springs trailhead at the east end of Speedway at 8:30 a.m. | Douglas Springs east to new Carillo trail, southwest to the steel tank, continuing to Carillo to Garwood Dam; return via Garwood trail to the Douglas Spring trail, .2 miles from parking lot. A 7-mile hike with an elevation gain of about 1120 feet. Medium difficulty. With luck, there will be some water. |
| Dec 30 | Happy New Year! | We will take a break and start hiking again January 6, 2023. |