Trails abound at Tucson Mountain Park

Bowen House via Camino de Oeste

Hiking trails abound at Tucson Mountain Park, which protects around 62,000 acres of Sonoran Desert near Arizona’s second largest metro area.

The park sits southwest of Tucson and south of Saguaro National Park’s west district. More than 40 trails or trail combinations can be hiked.

Here a few of the more popular hikes…

Gates Pass Trail
The 2.8-mile round trip hike runs close to a road, campground, and Old Tucson, a former movie production area turned theme park. Gates Pass Trail is a popular choice for outdoor enthusiasts looking to experience the area’s spectacular desert scenery. From W. Gates Pass Road, turn right to Gates Pass Trailhead parking area, where there are plenty of spaces.

Bittersweet, Camaro and Sunset Pass Loop Trail
Nice views of mountains and numerous saguaros await on this 3.9-mile loop. Desert wildflowers typically start to bloom in mid-March. The path is rocky in stretches. Trailhead is off of West Irvington Road west of South Cardinal Avenue.

Bobcat Ridge and Starr Pass Trail Loop
Great vistas await atop the ridge on this 4.1-mile hike. The first half of the trail is steep and rocky, but the second half is downhill then flat. Watch for cholla cacti hitchhiking on your socks or pants legs. Trailhead with paved parking lot is at the end of South Sarasota Boulevard, north of South Kinney Road.

Bowen House via Camino de Oeste
An easy trail ideal for children, the 2.6-miles round trip hike heads to the ruins of a ruins of a 1930s ranch house. Wildflowers, especially poppies early in the season, bloom late March through early May. Mule deer often can be spotted amid the cacti and mesquite trees. Trailhead is off of North Camino de Oeste south of West Gates Pass Road.

Bowen Trail
This 1.5-mile round trip hike is the main route to the Bowen ranch house ruins. It’s a fairly flat trail that’s great for kids. Wildflowers bloom here in late March through April. Trailhead is off of West Starr Pass Boulevard west of South Players Club Drive.

Brown Mountain Loop via Brown Mountain Picnic Area
This 4.2-mile loop heads across 3064-foot high Brown Mountain through several saguaro-lined stretches. The ridgeline is great for watching sunsets. The trail also connects to Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. If you walk it in the afternoon, the last portion of the trail will be shaded. Trailhead is on Kinney Road north of West Gates Pass Road.

Camaro Loop
This fairly flat, family-friendly hike through a saguaro forest with great desert views runs 2.1 miles round trip. Large staghorn cactus can be seen along the way. Wildflowers bloom in April. Trailhead is at end of West Irvington Place west of South Jamaica Way.

David Yetman Trail
This 12.1-mile round trip hike heads through the Tucson Mountain Range’s southern peaks. The ascent to the Golden Gate Mountain summit is steep, boasting 1,160 feet of vertical gain over 0.66 miles, but the view at the top is spectacular. The trail is named for David Yetman, host of PBS’s long-running show “The Desert Speaks.” West trailhead is off of West Gates Pass Road west of North Camino de Oeste. East trailhead is off of North Camino de Oeste south of West Gates Pass Road.

David Yetman and Rock Wren Trail
This 6.2-mile route heads past the Bowen house ruins and plenty of saguaro. Poppies usually bloom here in late March. You stand a good chance of seeing mule deer, rabbits and various birds. A cave is about 0.5 miles past the Bowen house on Yetman. Loose rock and thick sand covers portions of the route. Trailhead is off of North Camino de Oeste south of West Gates Pass Road.

Hidden Canyon Bowen Loop
Great desert views and plenty of saguaros await on this 2.2-mile hike. You have a good chance of spotting mule deer, and wildflowers usually are in bloom mid-April. It’s a wonderful trail at sunrise but will be unbearably hot in summer. No dogs are allowed, and sections of the trail are rocky. Trailhead is near end of West Starr Pass Boulevard near resort.

Rock Wren, 5th Avenue, Yetman and Starr Pass Trail Loop
This 4.8-mile lollipop trail offers a chance to see javelina and mule deer. Wildflowers usually bloom in April. Expect a rocky stem trail. Trailhead is at end of Clearwell Road west of West Starr Pass Boulevard.

Little Cat Mountain Trail
There’s no direct route to the 3310-foot butte off of Starr Pass Route. Tenacious hikers, however, can bushwhack up the steep, rocky southeast side for 2-mile round trip that starts on Starr Pass Trail. Great views await. This hike is not for children.

Park trail explores Sonoran Desert flora

Day hikers can explore classic Sonoran Desert flora on the Cactus Forest Trail.

The trail runs 5 miles with 150 feet elevation change in Saguaro National Park’s Rincon Mountain (East) district.

To reach the trailhead, from Interstate 10 in Tucson exit onto East Speedway Boulevard and head east. Turn right/south onto Freeman Road then left/south onto Old Spanish Road. Next, enter the park by turning left/east onto Cactus Forest Drive. Park in the pullouts at the southern Cactus Forest Trailhead.

Starting in a mesquite grove, the path ventures northeast with a mountain rising in the distance. The trail is moderately wide and made of hardpacked dirt, perfect for walking or hiking.

Mesquite is among the most resourceful trees in the desert. These trees have incredibly long roots that can reach deep into the ground to find precious water, which is often scarce in these arid environments. Mesquites also are considered one of the few sources of fixed nitrogen in the desert biome. Throughout the spring and summer seasons, these hardy trees bloom with beautiful flowers, which eventually transform into their signature fruits, the pods. Depending on where they grow and the climate in which they thrive, mesquite trees can reach up to 26 feet tall.

An excellent mix of desert fauna can be found on the trail. While saguaro dominate other trails, this route is more representative of what the Sonoran Desert really is like. Many of the plants have needles and spines to keep animals from eating them.

Beaver tail cacti lines much of the trail. With pink- to rose-colored flowers and hundreds of flattened pads covered in spines, it stands out amongst the rugged landscape. This plant is actually a different species than the Engelman’s prickly pear cactus, which also is common at the national park.

Agave forms large rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves that fan out in all directions. At its flowering stage, a tall stem can grow up to 40 feet high from the center of the rosette. The stem bears a large number of short, tubular flowers and sometimes even vegetatively produced bulbils. After pollination/fertilization and subsequent fruit development, the original rosette dies.

You’ll also see barrel cactus, Engelman’s prickly pear cactus, and cholla along the trail. Saguaro grows here as well.

Upon coming to the wash, go straight/east. Heading left up the wash puts you on the Javelina West Wash Trail. The trail here is little rocky and washed out as ascending.

The terrain begins to roll. Eventually you’ll descend through a rocky wash then briefly climb out of it to a narrow path on a ridge overlooking it. There is much more saguaro on this section of the trail.

Watch for the 0.6-mile round trip Lime Falls Trail spur to a seasonal waterfall. It heads right/east and is worth taking during winter and early spring.

As you set foot onto Lime Falls Trail, you’ll immediately notice a small hill in front of you. Limestone from this very hill was once used in nearby kilns. As you continue along the trail, the terrain turns rockier and the vegetation more plentiful. It’s a welcome change in scenery. The increased biodiversity is a result of there being more water in the area.

As you near the seasonal falls, take a moment to rest and investigate the steep rock outcroppings around the falls. You be rewarded with a rare shady spot.

Returning to the Cactus Forest Trail, go right/north.

You’ll soon dip into a wash and ascend from it on a very narrow path. A nice vista of the wash with its rocky sides and surrounded by saguaro awaits on the other side.

With about a mile left in the hike, you’ll pass the remains of two lime kilns used in the 1800s through the early 1900s. It’s also the site of an early ranger station.

The trail ends at a parking lot on the other side of Cactus Forest Drive amid another mesquite grove. You either can hike back or arrange to have someone meet you there.

Other than the rock overhang on the spur, there’s no shade, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat and to bring plenty of water.

TRAIL MAP

Sonoran hikes offer saguaros, lava badlands

Saguaro National Park, Sonoran Desert

A plethora of great day hiking trails crisscross the diverse Sonoran Desert, one of the United States’ four major deserts.

At 120,000-square miles in size, the Sonoran stretches from southern and central Arizona into California’s Coachella Valley (where Palm Springs is located) and into northern Mexico.

As with each of America’s deserts, the Sonoran offers varied terrain. It ranges from classic desert flatlands to rocky peaks and from sand dunes to lava badlands.

The desert’s eastern section is famous for the saguaro. Plants grow more sparsely in the western California section, known as the Colorado Desert, an ecological subunit that runs west of the Colorado Valley that receives far less rain than the eastern. Bighorn sheep make their home in the mountainous areas of the Colorado subunit.

Two easy to reach and interesting Sonoran Desert day hikes include:
g Freeman Homestead Trail (Arizona)
g Salton Sea volcanic area trails (California)

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks guidebook.