On the trail

[Jim]

Does anyone like to do certain hikes for what they hike through? Not the views on the trail, or the challenge of the trail, but the vegetation or the geology you see on it. I like being above treeline, in snow or with rock and alpine vegetation, and that's part of why I have done Humphrey so much. I like the gramma grass and mountain mahogany mixed with Pinyons and oaks on the imitation granite (dacite) you get on the upper parts of the Fat Man's Loop and lower part of the Elden Trail. I like being on granite, just about regardless of the vegetation. On the other hand, I don't much like rotted sedimentary rocks like mud stone, basalt, or dense forests, especially dense mixed conifers, which is why I hardly ever do trails in the Dry Lake Hills. I like dry limestone like the Guadalupe Mountains, but not wet stuff like back east. Anyone else have trails they prefer for the vegetation or geology?

[fotogirl53]

I like Horton Creek for the way the water has eroded down to the bedrock and created the waterfalls. I 've only been up the springs once--I stay on the creek and play in the water, look for wildflowers and just enjoy the scenery. I like Little Spring for the sceneray and atmosphere--it certainly isn't much of a hike! If I want a workout, I can do the boring road up to Lockett Meadow!

[Tough_Boots]

I got really addicted to doing Battleship this past spring. I love spending time on that giant weird chunk of rock. Inner Basin blew me away a couple weeks ago too-- the aspens are magic. I also love the geology along the Barnhardt Trail. You can see the folds and layers.

[RangerKelly]

I don't know what it is but I love seeing red below my feet and all around me. Thats why I love Sedona

[big_load]

Although I love big views, I quite often chose hikes for vegetation or geology. What kind of either I prefer varies by the moment. It's hard to call out individual hikes, since I pay close attention to both attributes on any hike. Still, one that sticks in my mind from a geological perspective (and is unlikely to be mentioned by anyone else) is the Safford-Morenci Trail. The first few miles from Morenci don't seem like much, but a surprising variety begins to show up after that. I took nearly a hundred rock pictures on that hike and spent considerable time poking through lithology resources afterward trying to sort it all out. I learned a lot from that hike.

[azbackpackr]

I like granite. When I lived in Hawaii I got tired of all the black rocks. I missed the crunch of granite gravel under my boots. I grew up in San Diego, and love the granite hills and mountains around there, which have a lot of exposed granite formations. I also like the Sierras and Catalinas because of the rounded rocks. In the Catalinas I guess it is gneiss. (I am really not too sure of the difference between gneiss and granite.)

[Jim]

I thought the majority of the Catalina are granite. There is some banding of minerals concentrations in a few areas, but a nice white, Sierra-esque granite is it.

[azbackpackr]

Hmm...I guess you're right. Here's something from the Sabino visitor center website:

"Geology
The Santa Catalina Mountains were formed 12 million years ago when the western North American continent was being stretched. As land around the Catalinas sank forming valleys, the mountain range was left standing. Subsequent erosion produced the thousands of feet of sediments Tucson now sits atop. The rocks of the Catalinas are primarily granite and hard, banded, metamorphic Catalina gneiss. Geologists say that this gneiss formed nearly 1.5 billion years ago."

Source: http://www.desertusa.com/azsabino/sabino.html

[Jim]

I guess those banded minerals I have seen are mica in the gneiss. I've mostly seen that at the lower elevation and on the Catalina Highway.

[azbackpackr]

So, okay, the rounded stuff, such as found in Wilderness of Rocks, is the granite, which is quite similar to my "home trails" granite in San Diego County. It forms all the really nifty, huge, rounded boulders. So, I guess the gneiss is where you see bands within the granite?

[Alston_Neal]

My wife and I like to hike some places because of the feeling. Without a doubt the alpine areas of the San Juans are awesome for their beauty and we'll never tire of them. At the other end, Perry Mesa on a steel gray January day is heaven to us. We can go all day across the mesa with just the whisper of wind and a prairie falcon for company. Our favorite though is the Eagle Tails, where I see my wife at peace as we just absorb the area.

[paulhubbard]

I like the trails that have both beauty throughout the hike as well as a fantastic destination. Barnhardt is a prime example of a perfect hike for to me. Tons of curious and fascinating geology, diverse plant life and wildlife to observe, great views, and a fabulous waterfall to boot!

Of course West Fork of Oak Creek is another. I don't care how crowded it is, I never tire of the red rock canyons.

[Cheerycow]

So, okay, the rounded stuff, such as found in Wilderness of Rocks, is the granite, which is quite similar to my "home trails" granite in San Diego County. It forms all the really nifty, huge, rounded boulders. So, I guess the gneiss is where you see bands within the granite?

As far as I remember from school at the U of A, yes, you are right. Sabino Canyon has so many examples of the banded gneiss. You can see evidence of the high pressure, high temperature conditions necessary to form the stuff. The "stretched" features ("boudins") are easy to see. The general "turtle back" shape of the Catalinas is a characteristic of the "metamorphic core complex" style of mountains. Very cool rocks.

But I agree, the granites towards the top and in the WIlderness of Rocks are beautiful.

[azbackpackr]

Hey, that's good to know. I was calling it "granite" until I heard "Catalina gneiss." So, it's good to know there are both.