there are several great hikes here: 1. Up and down the tram…read moreroad - great if you want to walk on pavement 2. Phoneline - ride the tram to the top and hike down. Tough on the knees. 3. Blackett's Ridge: scenic shorter & steeper - good option if you ware limited on time. 4. Seven Falls: best waterfall in Southern AZ when there's water. Check before you hike as it's not a great hike if there's no falls. 5. Take the tram to the end and hike up and over to Hutch's Pool. Take the tram down. For the adventurous types. The tram is worth doing if you aren't going to hike up. You'll learn a lot from the headphone lecture. This is a must-see if you are visiting Tucson.

Back again, my Wife is going to do Phone Line Trail at the top of Sabino with 3 friends…read more Tough trail. i ll be back at 2 to pick her up. Starts at 0830. all good.

First part of the trail (about 1 mile) is relatively flat but also next to a fence. After that you…read morestart to climb and about 0.5 to 0.75 of a mile after that it really starts to get steep as you switchback up the canyon walls to get to a first ridge. At that 0.75 mile point the trail is starting to get more poorly marked as well as we assume a lot of folks turn around near there and don't go all the way up. It's a decent spot to stop at, there is a small area with flat boulders you can sit on and catch a good view of the canyon to the south. There is no water, restrooms or rest area so come ready to hike and leave plenty of water in your car for your return.

One afternoon several friends and I wanted to go for a hike; we chose Ventana Canyon as a hiking…read moredestination chiefly because its supposed to be easy enough for beginners, but challenging enough for the more experienced among us. Long story short - there really isn't anything much here to challenge anyone who is any kind of intermediate or advanced hiker. It's also probably safe to say that calling it a Trail is overly generous; throughout most of the ground we covered what was allegedly a trail was just a rocky, narrow pseudo-path. Tip: If you happen to come here on one of Tucson's infrequent rainy days, the rocks can become quite slippery and maybe even a little dangerous. Bottom line: If you're a beginning hiker then this "trail" is quite doable and safe, as long as it's not raining. If you're an intermediate to advanced hiker and you want to get some sweat on, you should probably seek your challenges elsewhere.

Terrific, shorter trail (less than 6 miles round trip). Still a couple of very steep parts but…read moremostly intermediate level. Trailhead has a dedicated parking lot for a dozen cars but on weekends they are all taken, especially from 9a - 2p.

Came around 10AM on a weekend, plenty of parking, no shade for most of the hike although it ends in…read morethe shade which is nice. Goes upward most of the way, probably would've been a lot easier if it weren't so hot. Come early! Views were good, could see the city and the other mountains around as well.

Came here on a night walk early June. The park is well maintained and the guides were amazing. We…read moredid ice breakers to start and really enjoyed that each guide has their own expertise. We learned about the unique wildlife, rock formations, insects and constellations! I highly recommend.

I went here for a night walk in June and had an amazing time with friends! The Rangers were so…read moreknowledgeable and friendly. I thought it was pretty cool the way they reflected pictures onto the ground of the animals they discussed. They taught us not just about the animals of the desert, but also about the rock formations, and constellations as well . They did an introduction before we set out on the trail and an icebreaker, which I also thought was a cool little activity to help us all feel more comfortable. I would definitely do this again, and recommend it for anyone who's never done it. This would be a great activity to bring an out-of-town friend on. FYI- the hell when you first start, the trail is pretty steep.. I was huffing and puffing a bit lol. If you have any knee injuries or struggle with steep land, you might want to sit this one out. The rest of the trail is flat after however the hill is needed to start and end the trail (it probably took like 1-2 minutes to scale it). Also to find the area where the hike starts, you'll want to drive all the way through the park until you get to the parking lot on the left. For some reason, I thought it would be pretty close to when you enter the park, however, it is a little drive.

Great 17 mile loop trial in Sabino Canyon in Tucson. Bear Canyon is located in the Sabino Canyon…read moreRecreation Area of the Coronado National Forest. The trail starts at the recreation center where either you can walk to the trailhead or take a shuttle for a fee. There is another smaller parking area off of Bear Canyon Road that you can access the trailhead from that isn't in the recreation area. Once parked, you follow an easy rocky wash to the recreation area. Accessing the trail from this parking lot makes the hike a little shorter. But finding a spot to park can be difficult because the lot only holds about 15 cars. Attractions you can visit in Bear Canyon are Seven Falls and Thimble Peak. The rest of this review is for the Seven Falls Trail portion of the Bear Canyon Loop Trail. This hike reminded me of the West Fork Trail in Northern AZ but with less shade. There is a restroom at the Bear Canyon overlook picnic area. The Seven Falls trail is 8 miles out-and-back and has seven water crossings along the way. I was able to walk across the rocks, but plan on getting your feet wet (or bring water shoes). There are lots of Saguaro and Prickly Pear Cactus along this rocky path. After the crossings, there is an incline and then downhill portion until you get to the base of the falls. The waterfall cascades down a rock face and is gorgeous. This hike is really popular and gets crowded during the middle of the day and weekends. I really enjoyed hiking it. The best way to enjoy this hike and avoid lots of people is to start early. And as always when you hike in Arizona, bring water and sunscreen.

I was in the area to hike Seven Falls which is a trail you can get off off Bear Canyon Trail. It…read moreis in in the Sabino Canyon Recreational Center and parking was $5 bucks. For Seven Falls you can start off right from the parking and work your way up to the fails or you can get tickets and a ride the tram up for 4 miles, if you take the tram, you are still hiking 8 miles so don't feel like you're not getting your distance in if that's your thing. I recommend doing the Seven Falls hike either in the early spring if the creeks aren't flowing to high or the fall, most of the hike is not shaded, but you do like 7 creek crossings and do get wet , so plan on wearing waterproof shoes. This was an Arizona bucket list hike for me so I really enjoyed it. The Seven Falls are worth it! Come early to get a parking spot . Distance (with tram ride) 8.2 Miles, but I am sure the .2 depends on where you park, elevation gain about 900ft, difficulty moderate, you don't have to scale rocks or scramble, you can easily climb. Amenities are at the center, and it's real flushing toilets. No, you can't bring your dog on this.

We accessed this area at the end of Broadway. From that point there were several trails you could…read moretake. We started out on Shantz Trail, over to the road to Mica View picnic area. The Mica View Trail was closed for construction, so we got back to our vehicle by taking Cactus Forest Trail. Such a beautiful hike. Our desert is so green right now! Walking amongst the majestic saguaros was delightful. The views are fantastic of the Rincon and Catalina mountains especially. There were many pops of yellow with some flowers (or flowering weeds!) with sunny yellow color.

Great location for photos, you'll usually run into a handful of photographers here during the peak…read morelight hours. Also a great spot to get Saguaro Park East vibes without having to pay the park fees. Not a ton of parking, but we've always managed to find somewhere to squeeze in.

Mount Lemmon and the Catalina Highway, AZ. Early Dec, 2025. Mount Lemmon, the highest peak…read more(9,175') in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, is managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service as part of the Coronado National Forest. (Fun Fact: Mt. Lemmon is named after Sara Plummer Lemmon, an amateur botanist and the first white woman to climb to the summit in 1881. It is one of the few peaks in the U.S. named after a woman). Our objective was to drive the Catalina Highway Scenic Drive (27 miles) to the Mount Lemmon summit. This is the only paved road that leads to the upper reaches of the Santa Catalina Range, and is one of the most scenic highways in the southwest. Because the road starts in the lower Sonoran vegetative life zone and climbs to high forests, it offers the biological equivalent of driving from the deserts of Mexico to the forests of Canada in only 27 miles. Before proceeding on the drive, we downloaded a free app entitled "Mt. Lemmon Science Tour" by the University of Arizona, which provided excellent commentary on the Sky islands, rocks, life zones, water, forest, and fire, that was well-synced with our drive up the mountain as it evolved. This is a windy, slow drive with the posted speed limit of 35 MPH or less on most sections. Plus, you're sharing the road with bicyclists riding in both directions. The road is paved, and is well-designed with frequent pull-offs and stops that allow for vista views or just to take a rest. A few of our favorite and recommended stops include: *Babad Do'ag for its excellent vistas of the desert environment and saguaros. *Gordon Hirabayashi Campground (and Historical Recreation Area). I've reviewed this separately on Yelp. *The Palisades Visitor Center, with family-friendly exhibits, brochures and general information, and a small gift shop. *Windy Point Vista, for sweeping views. *High-elevation picnic areas at Box Elder, Alder, Loma Linda, or Inspiration Rock. *Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley, where there is a restaurant and ski lift rides ($). We were disappointed that the entrance road to Rose Canyon Lake was closed on the day that we visited. This is a Forest Service fee area. A day-use pass is $8 per vehicle, and can be purchased on-line or at the Palisades Visitors Center on-route. We didn't have time to hike on the day that we visited but there are miles and miles of trails of varying length and difficulty. While there are restrooms with pit toilets at multiple sites, but there is no potable water nor service stations. I've posted a handout about the area that I picked up at the Visitors Center. Only Spanish-language brochures were available.

This place has always been my go to place. I love the absolutely scenery and the view when you get…read moreto the top. This place has also some parking spots where they have a nice view and you can also walk as well to the rock place.. been coming over 4 yrs now and love when it's sunset it's a beautiful view of it. All the way to the top it's a resort when winter comes you can ski, also camping place or walking trail and picnic area as well. Pets is allowed as well. It's a must go...

Not one that I do real often, as I am not a big fan of the first mile or two "approach". Very…read morerocky and uneven. Once you start climbing the canyon it's fabulous. The canyon is half of the best challenging loop hike in Tucson: up Pima Canyon, down Finger Rock (or vice versa). You better be in shape for this one. Pima Canyon boasts some of the best (free) access of the Catalina trailheads. You can get there by going east on Magee from Oracle Rd, or north from Sunrise/Ina. This makes it easier to get to for us Oro Valley dwellers. This trail is *very* popular. Despite the generous parking lot it can get filled by 9AM forcing you to park on the road, so get there early.

Hubby and I were exploring the cool city of Tucson and we were checking out some of the beautiful…read morehomes in the foothills when we came across this trail. We decided to check it out and see if we could catch a sunset. There are multiples trails that veer off this trail and it is recommended to have a compass with you as the sometimes the trails are not well marked. As you ascend, the Saguaros dot the landscape along with the wildflowers. Lots of solid and loose rock on the trail so be sure to have on good trail shoes or hiking boots. Although, we were not able to hike as far as we would have liked due to the sun setting, we still were able to catch a nice view of Tucson. I appreciate that this trail begins within a beautiful neighborhood. How lucky are these people?! It's like step out of your backyard into mother nature!