Monday, February 6, 2012

Pima Canyon

Santa Catalina Mountains,
Near Tucson
Pima County,
Arizona


Trails:
Pima Canyon Trail

Total Time:
1:25 hrs
Estimated Distance: 2.4 miles
Level of Difficulty: Very Easy
Level of Recommendation: Highly recommended
Points Of Interest: Beautiful desert and canyon views

I was in Tucson, Arizona, on a business trip, and took off about an hour and a half to take a relatively short but scenic hike through the beautiful mountains north of Tucson. Pima Canyon is in the Coronado National Forest, in the same mountain range as Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It is very similar in nature to the nearby and famous Sabino Canyon, but is much more quiet and tranquil. The scenery is breathtaking, with continuous beautiful views, while surrounded by towering saguaros
 and a lush desert vegetation. This desert is unique in that it is dense with strange plants and cacti and is surprisingly lush for a desert. The Trailhead for Pima Canyon is on E. Magee Road in North Tucson. I took the trail for about 1.2 miles before turning back on the same route.


Map of the Route.
 
Near the beginning of the hike, facing Pima Canyon.

Lush desert vegetation.

Dense Saguaro Grove

Entering into the canyon
 
Floor of the canyon. It was dried out.

Heading back. Downtown Tucson is in the distance.

Interesting Saguaro Shot

Another view of the dense cactus grove

Tunnel underneath the road at the beginning of the hike.

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