Wild Mustang - Alamo Spring Loop, AZ

2013 Route Modification Access is now from the Ritz.

I've been waiting for years to go hiking in the Tortolita Mountains, just north of Tucson in Oro Valley. It's a range of low 4000 foot peaks, not totally unlike the Tucson Mountains. But it's different... much larger and deeper is this range and far less well known. There are some nice, new trails here, mostly focused along the Wild Burro Canyon on the west end of the range. They are worth checking out.


The Wild Burro Trail is the gateway into the mountains, and you take this for about 1.25 miles to the trailheads for most of the other trails that exist here. So no matter your destination, your origin will begin the Wild Burro.Take the Wild Burro Trail out of the gravel parking lot. It immediately drops down into the wide, sandy wash. This will take you into the mouth of the canyon. The trail itself snakes along the wash, crossing over and coming back. You can take the trail or go straight up the wash. The wash passes through a new high-end golf course and resort being built... we'll see how they preserve or reroute this passage. As you get closer to the mouth of the canyon, the vegetation perks up, and the canyon walls slowly close in. After about 1.25-1.3 miles, you reach several signed trailheads, and the fun begins.

Hang a left at the signs for the Upper Javalina and Lower Javalina trails, with the Upper Javalina being the goal for now. Soon the Lower Javalina breaks off to the right, stay left on the Upper Javalina as it climbs up and swings out west. This trail crosses over a steep descending gulley, then switchbacks up the other sidewall to gain access up the north wall of Wild Burro Canyon. This trail is beautiful with a great assortment of cacti and flora, mainly when there has been ample rainfall.

After about 1 mile or so on the Upper Javalina, there is an intersection with the Wild Mustang Trail, which breaks off right. This is the primary route out to Alamo Springs. This winding trail dances along ridgelines and the upper bank of the north wall of Wild Burro Canyon for a total of roughly 4 miles. The views along this trail are occasionally phenomenal out over Tucson and up at the northern peaks of the Tortolitas. There are also sweeping views out over the southern wall of Wild Burro Canyon. The Wild Mustang crosses over some side washes but is always easy to follow in such circumstances. The one point of note near the beginning of the Wild Mustang leg is one unsigned trail intersection. Take the right leg, which clearly climbs, not the left, which clearly descends. Otherwise, everything is well marked and easy to follow. Near the end of the Wild Mustang, you pass through an old rickety gate and start to descend to the wash bottom. The trail dead-ends at another gate just beyond which lies Alamo Spring. This is an old settlement with strewn remnants of an old corral and a building foundation. The Spring lies at the head of a spot where the canyon briefly narrows down and is quite pretty. A lot of greenery around the spring too.

Across the floor of the wash lies the signs for the return routes. Take a left onto the Alamo Spring trail. This climbs back up the south face of the Canyon and takes you back. This also offers excellent views way out into the Tortolita interior. Very nice out there. The Alamo spring trail winds it's way back along the ridgeline with multiple areas of up and down. There is one intersection near the beginning where the Alamo Spring continues to climb up and left, and a trail marked only Spur breaks right and down. Otherwise, there is no issue. There are lovely saguaro and rock formations along this route. After about 3.75 miles, the Alamo Spring trail starts to rapidly descend back to the Wild Burro Wash/Canyon floor to place you back after about 4 miles total along its way. There is a sign for a right onto the Lower Javalina trail near the bottom. Ignore this and continue onto the wash bottom. Follow the Wild Burro back to your car to complete this excellent, roughly 11.75-mile loop.

2008-02-17 fricknaley