Temporary Hiatus...

We apologize for the lack of activity the past few weeks! Between work trips (me), new jobs (Bill), and Monsoons (mother nature) our regular backpacking activities were interrupted. We're getting back into the swing of things though!

Mt. Lemmon/Meadow Trail Loop

Date Hiked: 6/30/07
Total Mileage: 3 miles
Elevation Change: 8,000' - 9,100'

This hike consisted of 2 different trails:
Mt. Lemmon Trail #5: 2 miles
Meadow Trail #5A: 1 mile

A good friend of mine from college, Steph, visited Tucson at the end of June. Since it's so hot in the valley during the summer months we figured a brisk hike in the mountains would be a much more pleasant activity. I'm happy to say we're still on speaking terms:)

We drove up the Catalina highway towards Ski Valley to get to the very summit of Mt. Lemmon. This is the first time I'd been up this ways and for awhile we wondered if we were still on the road (it's not maintained by the county). We made it OK and headed on down the Mt. Lemmon Trail.

This trail had some fantastic scenery on the way down...you can also still see a lot of the damage from the forest fires years ago. We followed Mt. Lemmon down to the intersection with the Sutherland Trail, where we briefly debated continuing on the Arizona Trail and walking to Utah, before heading back up...

And up...

and up...

You don't realize it quite as much on the way down but this is one really steep trail. We took frequent breaks to hydrate and bitch and moan. We eventually connected with the Meadow Trail and took that back to the summit. It was still a pretty steep climb but this trail was more shaded and had more switchbacks so it didn't feel quite as steep.

We finally finished and I have never been quite so glad to see a parking lot (and bathrooms!). This was a pretty challenging trail, even with just doing 3 miles so I'd recommend doing a few easier ones first...sorry Steph!

Aspen Trail Loop

Date Hiked: 7/7/07
Total Mileage: 6.9 miles
Elevation Change: 7,410' - 8,400'

This hike consisted of 3 different trails:
Sunset Trail #8: 1.6 miles
Aspen Trail #93: 2.5 miles
Marshall Gulch Trail #3: 1.2 miles

We parked at the Sunset Trailhead off the Catalina Highway and hiked Sunset to the Marshall Gulch picnic area. To get to the trail, follow the sign in the parking lot and walk about 1/2 mile, at this point the road splits you'll need to head right through some boulders (this is unmarked) and continue following the road past cabins until the trail really begins. Sunset is a fairly easy hike towards the Marshall Gulch Trailhead. The trail descends about 500 feet through forests and rocky outcroppings which can present a bit of a challenge to hikers. However these also provide a scenic vista from which we observed a family of hawks!


Once you get to the creek at the bottom it's a short walk to the Marshall Gulch picnic area where both Aspen and Marshal Gulch trail meet.

We headed up Aspen trail...and up and up and up. We climbed most of the 900 feet in elevation during the first two miles. This is a tough trail and will tire out inexperienced hikers. There was not anything noteworthy along this trail except that it brings you to an intersection of several trailheads:
Aspen (continuing), Wilderness of Rocks, Mint Springs, and Marshall Gulch Trail.

We left the intersection on the Marshall Gulch Trail headed back to the Marshall Gulch picnic area. Shortly after starting along the path you will come to several fallen trees which totally obscure the trail - it picks up on the other side so keep on going! This trail is moderate and mainly follows along a creek, criss-crossing it 7 times. It takes you back to the picnic area (and bathrooms!)

Once back at the Marshall Gulch picnic area it was time to head back down Sunset and to the car...Sunset is a bit tougher after a full day hiking!

All in all, this trail loop was a challenging and enjoyable hike that we'll return to. For an easier version you could stay on Marshall Gulch (and avoid Aspen Trail).

Welcome to Cactus Country!

Welcome to our new blog, Cactus Country Hikers!
We have decided to log our hiking and outdoor adventures online so that others can learn from our mistakes ;) It also seemed like a great way to share pictures and stories from Tucson's Cactus Country.

We'll be posting summaries of each hike, including elevations, length, and our overall impressions. During the course of this blog we may extend our hiking outside of cactus country - those will also be included. You can expect reviews of gear and equipment as well. We'll tag each hike with the forest, park, wherever it's located so you may sort hikes by location.

We hope that this will eventually be a resource for people looking for information on Tucson area hikes and a means of sharing our hobbies with friends and family.

Thanks for reading!