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Rincon Spring Trail #331 - 2 members in 10 triplogs have rated this an average 2.5 ( 1 to 5 best )
10 triplogs
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Jul 19 2025
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 Triplogs 3

male
 Joined Feb 25 2024
 Tucson, AZ
Rincon Spring Trail #331Tucson, AZ
Rincon Spring Trail #331
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Jul 19 2025
TheTrailWeBlaze • Triplogs 3
Hiking5.00 Miles 609 AEG
Hiking5.00 Miles   3 Hrs      1.67 mph
609 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Drove to the corral in a Subaru and had no issues. Rocky road might make a sedan trip tricky unless you are pretty handy with back-road navigation. No water at Marijilda Creek and the crossing was fine, so I went all the way to the corral to park. Round trip was 5mi from the corral, although I did do some backtracking after losing the trail multiple times.

The hike was nice, with scenic views of the valley and mountains across the way. Scenery was high desert grasslands, with plenty of ocotillo, sotol, and mesquite sprinkled across the rocky landscape. It was cloudy and cooler due to a monsoon the day before. Wouldn't recommend this as a summer hike as it is all exposed!

The area is crisscrossed with cow and deer trails. I frequently found myself off-trail following a cow path. However it was always easy to find my way again given the many cairns set up along the "official" path. Pay attention for cairns and you won't have any trouble!

No real water at the end of the trail, just a couple puddles from the previous night's storm.

dry Rincon Spring Dry Dry
Couple small puddles from previous night's monsoon, but no running water.
 
Apr 08 2022
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 Guides 187
 Routes 990
 Photos 12,079
 Triplogs 865

72 male
 Joined Jun 27 2015
 Tucson, Arizona
Rincon Spring Trail, AZ 
Rincon Spring Trail, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Apr 08 2022
markthurman53 • Triplogs 865
Hiking4.70 Miles 839 AEG
Hiking4.70 Miles   4 Hrs   13 Mns   1.40 mph
839 ft AEG      52 Mns Break
 
Linked   linked  
Rincon Spring Trail #331
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mamakatt22
On our last day in the Pinaleno Mountains we went on the Rincon Spring Trail. I have never been on this trail so it will be all new for me. From the write up on this trail I was expecting to find a difficult trail to follow because it is not heavily used and is overgrown with grasses. It turns out the trail was fairly easy to find and rock cairns marked the way in the more vague areas, only got off trail once or twice. The last mile to the spring is the hardest part to stay on trail as it crosses multiple ravines, watch for the cairns and should be no issue staying on trail. Rincon Spring had a light trickle. The cottonwood tree at the spring was covered in new spring growth. Flowers were sparse but there was a lot of variety. I always thought Deadman Peak was the higher of the two major peaks on Deadman ridge but it appears it is the shorter peak to the east unless the map is wrong. Whichever one it is that shorter peak above Rincon spring is quite impressive; looks like at one time two large boulders broke away from the peak and are now in the debris pile below. There were great views to the east over the Safford Valley. The weather is getting a bit warm but the light breeze kept it pleasant.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Fairy Duster  Fleabane  Mariposa Lily  New Mexico Thistle  Ragwort
_____________________
 
Jan 15 2016
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 Triplogs 21

71 female
 Joined Jan 22 2013
 Safford, AZ
Rincon Spring Trail #331Tucson, AZ
Rincon Spring Trail #331
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Jan 15 2016
mcdobbs • Triplogs 21
Hiking4.00 Miles 609 AEG
Hiking4.00 Miles   6 Hrs      0.67 mph
609 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
in the 80s and early 90s, we hiked this trail often with our young children. It was an easy trail with very little elevation gain and one trail that was so visible we knew the children wouldn't get lost if they ran on ahead. That has changed in the last 10 years. The trail has really been obscured by grass and the mesquites have really encroached on the trail--oh wait, what trail?

Three of us set out today to do some trail maintenance work on this trail. With the aid of GPS tracking, we were able to hike in clearing brush as we went. A large section of the trail has been rerouted around the north of a hill rather than through the rocks. We built several cairns and took others down to clarify where the trail truly is.

Any hiker should expect rough terrain because of the tall grass and know that you will be relying on cairns to get in and out. A walking stick will help you with footing as you can't see the ground and hidden rocks under the grass. BUT, the water was really running in the streams, and the snow on Deadman's ridge made the hike extra rewarding.

Next week the hiking club will be out on this trail for an quick hike. (6 hour day, but it only took us 1hr 20 min to hike out from the spring to the trailhead.)
_____________________
 
Feb 10 2015
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 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,609

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
Rincon Spring Trail #331Tucson, AZ
Rincon Spring Trail #331
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Feb 10 2015
SkyIslander18 • Triplogs 2,609
Hiking7.85 Miles 850 AEG
Hiking7.85 Miles
850 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners partners
AddSanz
My 5th trip into the Rincon, 1st time for Addie.
This trail is always a little challenging to follow in & out, but that's what makes it so much fun!
Full sunshine with blue skies & gentle breezes all day.
Snow capped mountains, upper & lower Deadman Peak and the Gila Valley below was the scenery.
Good snow melt flow down the Rincon and over the gneiss was a most awesome finale to the trail.
White-tail doe, a couple of hawks above & a very talented cardinal were the wildlife enjoyed today.
After our hike (and a sworn oath), I took Addie down the road to an undisclosed location :-$ and gave her a tour of the Marijilda Pueblo ruins.
There is still so much more coolness to see in this area, I shall return ..... I always do!
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Isolated

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water less than max Marijilda Canyon Medium flow Medium flow

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water 4 out of 5 Rincon Spring Gallon + per minute Gallon + per minute
Snow melt running good down the canyon into and over the spring.
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  1 archive
Feb 19 2013
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 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,609

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
Rincon Spring Trail #331Tucson, AZ
Rincon Spring Trail #331
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Feb 19 2013
SkyIslander18 • Triplogs 2,609
Hiking7.60 Miles 659 AEG
Hiking7.60 Miles
659 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
My first attempt to bag Deadman Peak. Took the Rincon Spring trail to the base of Deadman only to realize that this little off-trail climb up to the top is going to take more time & effort then expected. With the day getting short and big wind gusts blowing in, I decided to turn around and come back another day. The Rincon trail as always was a challenge to follow, but that's what makes it so fun to hike!

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water less than max Marijilda Canyon Medium flow Medium flow

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water less than maxwater less than max Rincon Spring Quart per minute Quart per minute
_____________________
https://www.instagram.com/skyislander22/
 
Mar 14 2012
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 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,609

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
Rincon Spring Trail #331Tucson, AZ
Rincon Spring Trail #331
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Mar 14 2012
SkyIslander18 • Triplogs 2,609
Hiking6.10 Miles 750 AEG
Hiking6.10 Miles   3 Hrs   16 Mns   2.35 mph
750 ft AEG      40 Mns Break
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Scouting trip into the Rincon to check out the Deadman Peaks higher up. Parked at the corrals and traveled through the awesome boulder area (worth the hike alone) and over & through the washes before arriving at the slabs & spring. Made a final spotting scope assessment of the peaks before returning back. Upper Deadman - not doable, Lower Deadman - doable. Will return on a cooler day to bag lower deadman. I also thought today would be a good time to see the first rattlesnake or gila monster of the year, but encountered none. I did see a lot of butterflies, bees, wasps, frogs and a few good patches of poppies!
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Light

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water less than maxwater less than max Rincon Spring Quart per minute Quart per minute
Spring was full and flowing down the gneiss slabs creating some small pools. Lots of bees and a few wasps all around the spring and a few frogs down by the pools.
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  1 archive
Dec 03 2011
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 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,609

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
Rincon Spring Trail #331Tucson, AZ
Rincon Spring Trail #331
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Dec 03 2011
SkyIslander18 • Triplogs 2,609
Hiking6.52 Miles 609 AEG
Hiking6.52 Miles   5 Hrs   10 Mns   1.78 mph
609 ft AEG   1 Hour   30 Mns Break
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
My last visit to the Rincon was on a warm, cloudless & dry April day and with the upper mountains being socked in with snow & rain for the second straight day, I thought today would be a good time to revisit this area. I had no problem following this trail on my last visit, but today has me going in circles a few times looking for cairns. The trail itself is in pretty good shape and has well over 100 cairns leading to the spring, it is quite a challenge following them but a lot of fun (especially through the boulder section)! It took me awhile, but I made it down to the gneiss slabs & spring only to find them almost dry.....WTF? 2 days of snow & rain that have all the mountain creeks now roaring, but no water in the Rincon? Oh well, I made my way back out off-trailing to a few overlooks then stopping at the historic & prehistoric ruins along the road back and over Marijilda creek as late evening snow starting falling (4000 ft).

Fun hike and winter is definitely the time of the year to visit this area! The drive in & out on forest road 57 was also the 180 of this trip, the road in seemed a lot rockier then my last visit, but the Marijilda creek crossing has been redone and can now be crossed in a car. :o
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  6 archives
Apr 04 2011
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 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,609

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
Rincon Spring Trail #331Tucson, AZ
Rincon Spring Trail #331
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Apr 04 2011
SkyIslander18 • Triplogs 2,609
Hiking6.30 Miles 700 AEG
Hiking6.30 Miles   3 Hrs   8 Mns   2.98 mph
700 ft AEG   1 Hour   1 Min Break
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
After reading the discription on this hike for years, I have avoided it thinking it would be difficult to follow and boring. Decided today to finally check it out and what I found is that this trail was in pretty good shape. I'm guessing that some work may have been done to it since the 2008 discription as I had little trouble following it. The whole trail is one of the most cairned trails I have ever been on and I also found it very scenic! The boulder area alone was worth the trip. The only bummer of the hike was that there was hardly any water running down the slabs below the spring. Highlight of the trip was seeing a gila monster while crossing one of the dry washes!
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  New Mexico Thistle
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Gila Monster
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Fraley Pose
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Light

water 1 out of 5water less than maxwater less than maxwater less than max Rincon Spring Dripping Dripping
Very light flow and full of slimy green algae.
_____________________
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  1 archive
Feb 24 2008
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 Guides 170
 Routes 148
 Photos 5,914
 Triplogs 2,097

48 male
 Joined Apr 12 2004
 Tucson, AZ
Rincon Spring Trail #331Tucson, AZ
Rincon Spring Trail #331
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Feb 24 2008
PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097
Hiking1.60 Miles 609 AEG
Hiking1.60 Miles
609 ft AEG
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Returned to hunt for Marijilda Pueblo. No luck. Found 2 small, one room ruins, though.
_____________________
"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan
 
Feb 18 2008
avatar

 Guides 170
 Routes 148
 Photos 5,914
 Triplogs 2,097

48 male
 Joined Apr 12 2004
 Tucson, AZ
Rincon Spring Trail #331Tucson, AZ
Rincon Spring Trail #331
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Feb 18 2008
PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097
Hiking6.50 Miles 609 AEG
Hiking6.50 Miles   4 Hrs      1.63 mph
609 ft AEG
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
With all of southern AZ's sky islands caked in snow, I figured I should do a desert hike. This was a hike to check out the mystery trail to Rincon Spring, and to try and find the Marijilda Pueblo. Didn't find the pueblo, but I did make it to Rincon Spring and back. I lost the "trail" once on the way in, and again on the way out.
Thanks to whoever built all the cairns! I added some more, too. The trail traverses some pretty country, it's just time consuming.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Mexican Gold Poppy  Ocotillo  Prickly Pear
_____________________
"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan
 
average hiking speed 1.78 mph

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.

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