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This is a little-used trail that offers access to the more remote southeastern slopes and foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains. It climbs out of cool, green Walker Basin to a junction with the Gardner Trail about a quarter of the distance between that trail's inception and its intersection with the Super Trail high on the slopes of Mt. Wrightson. Along the way, the Walker Basin Trail offers views off to the east down Big Casa Blanca Canyon and west to the summits of Mt. Josephine and Mt. Wrightson. Part of the Trail in this area follows an old ditch, so the walkway is about as level as you will find. Hikers and people on horseback use the Walker Basin Trail to provide alternate access into Gardner Canyon. It is also used as part of a couple of long and interesting trail loops. One of those loops starts out on the Walker Basin Trail, then follows portions of the Gardner Trail and the Super Trail to get to Josephine Saddle. It then follows the Temporal Gulch Trail and the road between the Temporal Gulch and Walker Basin Trailheads back to the starting point. For an extremely long day hike, or even a two or three day backpack, you might consider a route up and out of Madera Canyon via the Old Baldy Trail and the loop described above. Another interesting loop that tours several old water developments used when this area was heavily mined incorporates the Walker Basin Trail, Forest Road 785, the Chinaman Trail, and part of Big Casa Blanca Canyon. 1.6 miles of this trail are within the Mt. Wrightson Wilderness. Mechanized vehicles, including mountain bikes, are not permitted in Wilderness areas. Check out the Official Route and Triplogs. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community.
One-Way Notice This hike is listed as One-Way. When hiking several trails on a single "hike", log it with a generic name that describes the hike. Then link the trails traveled, check out the example. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.
Most recent Triplog Reviews
Walker Basin Trail #136
Wrightson via Temporal to Walker Basin
Prison Stories, Goat Stories, Dead Cows, Poop, Wild Flowers, Surprise Guests, White Men in White Face.... this hike had it all.
Belinda posted a Wrightson loop, climbing from the east. I'd never done it from the east. Chums and
Joe Joe were a go, so we met up with the Chummobile at 4am for the drive to meet up w/ the Tucson crew at 6am.
Into Patagonia and then the drive on AZT #4 to our TH. Other than the stinky dead cow we had to drive OVER, the drive was uneventful.
Temporal Gulch Trail #595 Was a bit thin in spots and is a steady climb to Josephine Saddle. The views just kept getting better. We made a stop at McBeth Spring to sample the agua.
At the Old Baldy Trail #372 we saw the first of the masses coming up and down from the Summit. Ran into and SkyIslandHiker on his way down from his 300th? summit.
We enjoyed a break and lunch at the top with our surprise guest Randy. The first time I did Wrightson, it was in a group w/ Randy the speed demon. Great seeing him again.
It's all downhill from here Gardner Canyon #143, to Walker Basin #136. The views are easier to enjoy going downhill not staring at you feet. We all took an extended break while Joel read the newspaper.
The hill dropping into Upper Walker Tank was brutally rocky/steep.. we should have taken the AZT reroute instead of "The Road"
Thanks for settin' this one up Belinda! Good to finally meet you, Joel, Mark and Mike...
Hard to believe that the Cow smelled worse on the way out..
Belinda posted a Wrightson loop, climbing from the east. I'd never done it from the east. Chums and
Joe Joe were a go, so we met up with the Chummobile at 4am for the drive to meet up w/ the Tucson crew at 6am.
Into Patagonia and then the drive on AZT #4 to our TH. Other than the stinky dead cow we had to drive OVER, the drive was uneventful.
Temporal Gulch Trail #595 Was a bit thin in spots and is a steady climb to Josephine Saddle. The views just kept getting better. We made a stop at McBeth Spring to sample the agua.
At the Old Baldy Trail #372 we saw the first of the masses coming up and down from the Summit. Ran into and SkyIslandHiker on his way down from his 300th? summit.
We enjoyed a break and lunch at the top with our surprise guest Randy. The first time I did Wrightson, it was in a group w/ Randy the speed demon. Great seeing him again.
It's all downhill from here Gardner Canyon #143, to Walker Basin #136. The views are easier to enjoy going downhill not staring at you feet. We all took an extended break while Joel read the newspaper.
The hill dropping into Upper Walker Tank was brutally rocky/steep.. we should have taken the AZT reroute instead of "The Road"
Thanks for settin' this one up Belinda! Good to finally meet you, Joel, Mark and Mike...
Hard to believe that the Cow smelled worse on the way out..
2015-09-12 The_Eagle
Walker Basin Trail #136
Wrightson via Temporal to Walker Basin
Our first obstacle was getting around a half decomposed cow on FR72 that would make a skunk blush. Most of the stank washed off the trucks passing through a few running ravines. Just enough lingered at the trailhead to get us hungry for the trail.
We lost the trail a few times in the lower creek shared segment of #595. Nothing of concern, follow the creek when in doubt. The upper part is nice. Friendly brush is nearby most of the way. Weather was nice throughout the day. From Josephine Saddle to the summit we had a steady flow of company on trail.
My favorite part of the hike was from Baldy Saddle heading down Gardner Canyon #143. Views, perfectly scattered pines and clouds cranked out a nice symphony.
Walker Basin Trail #136 was the get us back leg. Two sacred pools above the dam were neat. FR72 to complete the loop.
A pleasure to hike with this fine group. Mike was a little shy but opened up after five seconds. Met Bill Bens out playing in his backyard! Randy hit the big peak in the sky again and joined us for lunch too.
carried 4 qts, consumed 2.8
Foliage
None really. A little precursor to Autumn near McBeth. Large swaths of ferns all browned up now. The ravine is a tucked in pocket.
Wildflowers
Several large blankets of yellow covering slopes. A few nice individual varieties.
We lost the trail a few times in the lower creek shared segment of #595. Nothing of concern, follow the creek when in doubt. The upper part is nice. Friendly brush is nearby most of the way. Weather was nice throughout the day. From Josephine Saddle to the summit we had a steady flow of company on trail.
My favorite part of the hike was from Baldy Saddle heading down Gardner Canyon #143. Views, perfectly scattered pines and clouds cranked out a nice symphony.
Walker Basin Trail #136 was the get us back leg. Two sacred pools above the dam were neat. FR72 to complete the loop.
A pleasure to hike with this fine group. Mike was a little shy but opened up after five seconds. Met Bill Bens out playing in his backyard! Randy hit the big peak in the sky again and joined us for lunch too.
carried 4 qts, consumed 2.8
Foliage
None really. A little precursor to Autumn near McBeth. Large swaths of ferns all browned up now. The ravine is a tucked in pocket.
Wildflowers
Several large blankets of yellow covering slopes. A few nice individual varieties.
2015-09-12 joebartels
Walker Basin Trail #136
Wrightson via Temporal to Walker Basin
Great to meet some of the Tucson HAZ crew! And a fantastic hike too! Thanks for putting it together Belinda! 
Temporal Gulch was great ... a very nice and consistent ascent though slightly overgrown which required steady attention to the route, especially closer to the beginning.
The summit was nice as always, and it was a nice surprise to see rwstorm had made the hike to meet us!
The cloudy skies on the way down made some of the exposed areas much less warm than they might have been had it been sunny, which ended up making the weather on this day about as perfect as it could be.
Entertaining conversation and amusement followed us all day long. Thanks all!
For some reason my garage smells like something died. Not sure why.
Temporal Gulch was great ... a very nice and consistent ascent though slightly overgrown which required steady attention to the route, especially closer to the beginning.
The summit was nice as always, and it was a nice surprise to see rwstorm had made the hike to meet us!
The cloudy skies on the way down made some of the exposed areas much less warm than they might have been had it been sunny, which ended up making the weather on this day about as perfect as it could be.
Entertaining conversation and amusement followed us all day long. Thanks all!
For some reason my garage smells like something died. Not sure why.
2015-09-12 chumley
Walker Basin Trail #136
Back on the AZT with The Funky Bunch and our Southern Corespondent, Ram. I was wishing Nick could make this one, maybe next time.
This hike started a whirlwind, little sleep weekend, with two trips to the southern hemisphere. I'm sure that's where Patagonia is.
Denny got us on track right off the bat on this one, and made sure we stayed on the sidewalk for the first 1/4 mile or so. The route finding got continually tougher on this one. Luckily we had all 5 GPS's loaded with a traced track and just barely made the first turn on 1st street. We no longer had a sidewalk here, so we bushwhacked on the side of the pavement. The Border Patrol passed us twice, I'm guessing to make sure we were not lost.
Two lanes, to Dirt, to Single track, and ultimately to a well worn trail....Yea!
All kidding aside, the views were top notch, the history plaques were interesting, and the weather was just about perfect throughout this hike. I love the Grasses and rolling hills out there.
Denny, Thanks for driving. Ram, Thanks for helping set up the shuttle (I'll tell Nick you made him proud), and Dave thanks for the interesting "Fast Food".
As always, Joe kept things light and airy and was generally committed to making this an a safe event. He whined very little today.
20 Passages now completed!!
The Green in the map below is completed, Red is yet to do.
http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=183815
This hike started a whirlwind, little sleep weekend, with two trips to the southern hemisphere. I'm sure that's where Patagonia is.
Denny got us on track right off the bat on this one, and made sure we stayed on the sidewalk for the first 1/4 mile or so. The route finding got continually tougher on this one. Luckily we had all 5 GPS's loaded with a traced track and just barely made the first turn on 1st street. We no longer had a sidewalk here, so we bushwhacked on the side of the pavement. The Border Patrol passed us twice, I'm guessing to make sure we were not lost.
Two lanes, to Dirt, to Single track, and ultimately to a well worn trail....Yea!
All kidding aside, the views were top notch, the history plaques were interesting, and the weather was just about perfect throughout this hike. I love the Grasses and rolling hills out there.
Denny, Thanks for driving. Ram, Thanks for helping set up the shuttle (I'll tell Nick you made him proud), and Dave thanks for the interesting "Fast Food".
As always, Joe kept things light and airy and was generally committed to making this an a safe event. He whined very little today.
20 Passages now completed!!
The Green in the map below is completed, Red is yet to do.
http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=183815
2011-03-12 The_Eagle
