Bellota Trail #15 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Feb 16 2025
		mt98dew • Triplogs 2,387

Hiking	22.39 Miles	4,107 AEG

Hiking	22.39 Miles	9 Hrs 47 Mns	2.35 mph
	4,107 ft AEG	15 Mns Break

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Belated post. Car camped at the Molina campground the previous night so I was able to get an early start on the trail. Got started around 6am. Little embarrassed to say that I had troubles getting out of the campground.

That did not bode well. Once I figured out that I briefly had to head north to go south, I was good to go.

Chris had warned me about an early red herring soon after crossing the Catalina Highway. With my “hiccup” in the campground, it was just getting light enough to see the AZ Trail sign across the wash, so I was able to avoid that other (false) trail. After the wash the trail does a steady climb up to the saddle. There was a gate at the top and some decent views to the south and east. I could see the next range of mountains between me and Mica Mountain and was wondering how the trail was going to negotiate that speed bump. Sunrise caught me descending from the saddle. It didn’t seem to bad going down, but it sure felt a lot steeper going back up. My camp wanderings skewed my mileage by about .5 miles (yeah, I know, that’s a lot of camp wanderings).

Around 3 miles I had finished my descent from the saddle (about 900 ft) and came upon water tank that had a mud puddle besides it. At 3.45 I passed through an opening and join a dual track. Shortly thereafter (3.59) I came to a split in the trail. There was trail heading south with a rustic sign called “La Mida Grosa”. The AZ Trail was signed and stayed on the dual track heading east. The AZ Trail kept east and remained relatively flat avoiding the mountain range to the south. At 4.92 the trail leaves the road and becomes a single track. This road departure is well signed, so it is not an issue. The trail continues to head southeast (more east than south) crossing a large wash. The trail remains surprisingly flat passing through some minorly interesting rockscapes. At 5.88 I passed through another gate. At 6.97 I came to another wash with a road just beyond it. There was a nice AZ trail sign/map as well as an individual trail sign stating that the last 6.4 miles of my hike had been courtesy of the Bellota Trail. (This seemed to confirm my extra miles from my camp wanderings).

The trail actually follows the road for a very brief time before becoming a single track (7.17). The signage is very clear for where the AZ Trail joins and leaves the road. There is signage where the trail leaves the road stating there is 4.3 more miles of the Bellota Trail before reaching Redington Rd. This is where you pay the piper. Those mountains that I had been eye-balling for the last 4 miles finally presented themselves and they did it in a rather insidious way. Initially, you don’t even realize you’re hitting the mountain. It feels more like a series of hills that keep going and climbing gradually. Every time I looked up I thought I saw spot where I could crest and start my downward journey only to find another hill that would lead me a little higher. The good news is that climbs were fairly gradual for the most part and that when I finally did crest I was within 1 mile of Redington and it was downhill from there. I touched the Italian Trap trail sign at 11.43 miles and started my return trip. I was amazed and somewhat daunted to learn that the elevation gained and lost at the turn around point was within 10 feet of each other (gain 2077 loss 2068). It certainly didn’t feel like a flat trail.

The return trip wasn’t that bad until the climb up to Molina Pass. That final climbed kicked my

. It was there that I encountered the only other trail user for the whole hike. As I was gasping my way to the top I had a trail runner jog by on his way down. Didn’t see any wildlife on the trail, except for cows. Typically, I only take credit for 1 trail per hike, but since I did an out and back I feel I can claim the AZ Trail going one direction and Bellota Trail going the other.

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Mar 25 2024

Mountain_Rat

Guides 11
Routes 123
Photos 818
Triplogs 257

62 male

Joined Jul 14 2011
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Mar 25 2024
		Mountain_Rat • Triplogs 257

Hiking	26.78 Miles	4,446 AEG

Hiking	26.78 Miles	10 Hrs 12 Mns		2.83 mph
	4,446 ft AEG	44 Mns Break	20 LBS Pack

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Rincon Mountains - AZT #9

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If you ask me, the full moon closest the equinox is the best day of the year to hike, and as per usual I auto-blocked today for a monster hike of some sort. Eventually, I had plans A, B & C in place, waiting on a final selection as things developed. As prepared as I was though, by time to launch the universe had conspired against me and those plans were all out the window. I worked feverishly to rebound and was somewhere around plan R before deciding to just wing this one.

Having highly conflicting weather forecasts, I loaded gear for 3 seasons into my 20 liter pack, along with 3 liters of water. I drove the Redington road for 12 miles in a slow, intermittent drizzle, and I started hiking in the same. I gotta say that my morale was teetering at this point, but I pressed on.

Within an hour or so I had escaped the drizzle which seemed to be contained pretty much south of the main road, and I was now strolling the green foothills under a nicely overcast sky. Aside from occasional spits, the rain fell all around me and the cloud cover kept me from overheating. Things were looking up.

This trail is pretty moderate in elevation gain and offers some really nice views in all directions. Many of those views would be obscured for me today due to cloud cover, but hey, clouds are nice scenery too, so...

As it all played out, this ended up a winner for just wingin' it - I left home in the dark, I came home in the dark, I have a few sore muscles. All marks of a successful spring day outdoors.

Wildflowers Observation None
Present, but still rolled up tight. Any day now.

	Mercer Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Loud and strong flow in the stream

The Lake

76-100% full

	Upper Molino Creek	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Recent rains have it running nicely

	West Fork Molino Creek	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Running very steadily

	West Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Tank was bone dry. I don't think it fills anymore. However, the stream was running strong due to recent rains. Got one foot wet crossing it.

White Tank

76-100% full

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Oct 07 2022

GrangerGuy

Guides 34
Routes 138
Photos 931
Triplogs 111

68 male

Joined Dec 26 2018
Phoenix, AZ

Saguaro NP to Molino Basin, AZ

Hiking		Oct 07 2022
		GrangerGuy • Triplogs 111

Hiking	36.88 Miles	8,499 AEG

Hiking	36.88 Miles	3 Days 2 Hrs 12 Mns
	8,499 ft AEG		27 LBS Pack

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10 linked trail guides

North Slope Trail - Saguaro NP

Hope Camp Trail

Quilter Trail

Manning Camp Trail

Fire Loop Trail - Mica

Mica Mountain Trail

[ checklist ] Barrel Cactus Coral Bean Desert Cotton Hummingbird Trumpet Morning glory Showy goldeneye Skunkbush Spiny hackberry Spotted knapweed

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In support of the Arizona Trail in a Day fundraiser for the AZT, I volunteered for a segment in the middle of the Saguaro Wilderness. This meant a day walking into the starting point, and two days walking out from the finishing point. As a reminder, walking across the park requires paying a park fee or having an appropriate pass.

Hope Camp Trail
I started at the Loma Alta Trailhead of the Hope Camp Trail. There is a short section of dirt road passable by any car and good parking here. I was surprised there is no outhouse here. This is a popular weekday trailhead for people doing day hikes, apparently. Hope Camp Trail is wide and pretty flat. At about 2.3 miles I met the AZT and …

Quilter Trail
Named after Jake Quilter, an enthusiastic trailworker, who died suddenly while doing trail work. Info on him: [ John "Jake" Quilter ] . According to trail signs, Quilter Trail from Hope Camp Trail to Manning Camp Trail is 5.5 miles, although I measured it at 4.6. It’s always tough to get these right. There was good water where the trail enters the wilderness boundary, at The “Quilter Trail – 1.35mi Water Crossing”. At a signpost pointing right to the abandoned Madrona Camp, begins the …

Manning Camp Trail
Continuing northeast on the Manning Camp Trail, I encountered at seasonal stream flowing cheerfully at several gallons per minute at N 32.1787° W -110.60955°. This trail is flagged for maintenance. It looks like the park service will soon be fixing many places where the trail has become a stream. Thank you, NPS! About 2.3 miles from the Quilter Trail, there is an intersection with the Douglas Spring Trail going off to the left. This intersection is a little confusing. From here the trail heads east and south. The sky was darkening, and rumbling, and I could see I was going to get wet, so I quickened my pace a little to Grass Shack Spring Camp, arriving and getting my tent set up just as it started to rain. Note that camping here requires a paid reservation at Recreation.gov, but it is a nice camp, with good bear boxes that make great tables, and a really nice outhouse. The camp is 3 miles past the end of the Quilter Trail, or 10 miles from the Loma Alta Trailhead.

Saturday morning, I began my commitment to Arizona Trail in a Day, leaving camp around 6:15 am. In 4.6 miles, arrived at Manning Camp, another place where you could camp after making the reservation at Recreation.gov. This camp is a backcountry camp for maintenance and fire crews, and is really well appointed with faucets delivering running water, giant wood furniture, picnic tables, solar showers, cabins, covered corrals, and a propane stove that would serve dozens. It’s a puzzle to me why there isn’t a circle drawn around this place excluding it from the wilderness. No one was around. I enjoyed a hot lunch (using my own stove) at their picnic table, and then continued NE on the …

South Fire Loop Trail
You only go about 0.1 mile on this trail before it bears off to the right, with the AZT / Mica Mountain Trail continuing straight.

Mica Mountain Trail
A quarter mile up this trail, I encountered something I had never seen before, a chronolog.io photo stand. The idea here is you set your camera on the stand and take a picture, which you email to their upload site and they add it to their time lapse photo series. Unfortunately, at 8000’, my brain doesn’t work quite so good, and I am “icon-challenged” in any case,

so I put my camera on the stand backwards. If you are in doubt, take pictures both ways and sort it out when you get home. At 1.5 miles from Manning Camp, I took the short detour left on…

North Fire Loop Trail
… arriving at the summit of Mica Mountain, my high point for the trip. Then back the way I came to the intersection with the Mica Mountain Trail. There is quite the trail network up here, and the trail labeling is imperfect up here, and people have scratched edits on the signs so you don’t lose the AZT. Mostly I was following my GPS, so I had no issue. I continued straight on the north Fire Loop Trail, which seems to be marked Mica Mountain Trail, past the intersection with the Bonita Trail and turning left on the…

North Slope Trail
I headed down this trail 0.6 mi to Italian Spring, which is a large grassy puddle, with good water. Just as I finished up stocking up my water and having a snack, the skies opened up with thunder and lightning and hail. Not my favorite thing on mountain ridges, but I hoped that the radio tower on Mica Mountain would be a better target than me. Hail stings on bare skin. I headed as fast as I could down…

Italian Spring Trail #95
I was much slower than a couple other parties of younger folks dashing from the storm, including an unauthorized dog, but there was no point in rushing and getting hurt. Once out of Saguaro National Park, and entering the Rincon Mountains Wilderness, I had completed my section of Arizona Trail in a Day, but I just kept walking until the rain stopped, setting up camp on a flat spot with great views.

Sunday, October 9, I was in no hurry to leave camp, and continued down the hill, with my pruning shears and saw handy. I trimmed a lot of catclaw and mesquite that was encroaching on the trail, but eventually ran out of time for this. Just before exiting the wilderness, I encountered a seasonal stream flowing vigorously, which I have added to the water sources.

Where FR 37 comes in from the left to go to Italian Trap Tank, there is a wide sandy wash flowing that had to be forded, but never more than an inch or two deep. I’m confused as to whether this is the beginning of the Italian Spring Trail or if Italian Spring Trail #95 begins at Reddington Road and follows the alignment of the AZT. Even the Far Out app shows this location as the transition from AZT Passage 9 to Passage 10, while the AZ Trail webpage shows the dividing line at Reddington Road.

From here it was clear I would have to push to get to my intended camp at The Lake where the trail crosses Bellota Road. I picked up a gallon of water I had cached at Reddington Road and pressed on the …

Bellota Trail #15
The hike through the rolling meadows of the Reddington Pass area is beautiful, and far different from the high rocky wilderness to the south. I watched numerous storms meandering through the area, but none hit me. A lot of target shooting goes on in the area, and even after dark

. I wished I was wearing my orange hunting season hiking gear as I walked along the ridge top. I arrived at The Lake just before 6 pm, set up my tent, and had dinner in the dark. A great horned owl serenaded me all evening. As I sat there, a helicopter and fixed wing plane came in and circled for about 20 minutes, looking in the dark for who knows what?

Monday morning, I was walking toward Molino Basin at first light. It is nice rolling country, and I watched the moon set and the sun rise as I went. Took a long break at West Spring, and then made the thousand foot climb up over the pass to Molino Basin.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

Wildflowers Observation Light

	Carolyn's Creek	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Flowing at gallons per minute of clear, cool water.

	Fletch's Creek	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Flowing at gallons per minute across trail.

	Grass Shack Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	The stream flows vigorously through the camp, by all the campsites.

	Italian Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Pretty pool of water in the grass. Good source.

	Manning Camp Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	I collected water at the faucet at the cabin. There was water everywhere.

	Quilter Trail - 1.35mi Water Crossing	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Lots of water flowing in the ravine today, just where the Quilter Trail crosses into the wilderness.

	The Lake	51-75% full	51-75% full
	Plenty of water in the Lake, although I did not check it out for drinking quality.

	West Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	There was good water in a pool at the spring.

1 archive

Feb 14 2021

fricknaley

Guides 93
Routes 397
Photos 4,984
Triplogs 4,124

49 male

Joined Jun 20 2003
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Run/Jog		Feb 14 2021
		fricknaley • Triplogs 4,124

Run/Jog	15.80 Miles	2,212 AEG

Run/Jog	15.80 Miles	3 Hrs 36 Mns		4.56 mph
	2,212 ft AEG	8 Mns Break	5 LBS Pack

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big loop i like using catalina highway up to soldier trail, soldier to hirabiyashi, AZT out to la milagrosa ridge.

it was chilly and cloudy at the beginning. i kinda struggled all day after two difficult nights at work. tried to just keep it moving, even if ugly.

tough day but a fun route

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Nov 29 2020

johnlp

Guides 1
Routes 14
Photos 7,202
Triplogs 5,208

68 male

Joined Mar 16 2008
chandler,az

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Nov 29 2020
		johnlp • Triplogs 5,208

Backpack	27.00 Miles	4,700 AEG

Backpack	27.00 Miles	2 Days
	4,700 ft AEG

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trekkin_gecko

Kelly and I decided to do an out and back on AZT #10 so we wouldn't need to find a shuttle. Plan was to locate a place to camp a little over half way, then day hike to the north end of the segment and back to camp hauling our cached water.
The first day was cool and breezy. Excellent hiking conditions. The trail is in good shape and scenery is above average. Good views of the Rincons and Catalinas. Saw some mountain bikers and a few hikers near Catalina highway. Mostly by ourselves. Spotted three whitetail deer including a buck.
As we set up camp and ate dinner the wind began to pick up. We had no idea there was a high wind advisory beginning at 2 AM lol. The wind blew 15-20 mph all night. Our tents held up fine. Thankfully temps stayed up in the forties. The previous morning we recorded 28 degrees along Reddington Rd.
After being in our tents for over ten hours we got up had coffee, ate a snack, packed up and headed out wearing all of our cold weather clothing. The wind was now blowing 25 mph with gusts to 45 trying to knock us off the trail. We still made pretty good time and got back to the car before 10 AM. Besides the wind it was a very nice hike.
We stopped in Tucson for breakfast then headed home. Another fun trip. Thanks Kelly!

	West Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Pool under nearest cottonwood tree.

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“Good people drink good beer.” Hunter S Thompson

Nov 29 2020

trekkin_gecko

Guides 10
Routes 673
Photos 7,281
Triplogs 4,660

67 female

Joined Nov 17 2008
phoenix, az

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Nov 29 2020
		trekkin_gecko • Triplogs 4,660

Backpack	27.00 Miles	4,700 AEG

Backpack	27.00 Miles	2 Days
	4,700 ft AEG		19.6 LBS Pack

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johnlp

john and i decided to get one more azt segment in this year
we did redington pass as an in & out backpack/day hike combo
the passage now starts at redington road rather than italian trap trailhead according to the arizona trail website
left town early, and cached two gallons of water at molino basin trailhead just in case
set out around 0800 in upper 40s, quickly shedding layers
the entire day offered beautiful hiking weather, warming into the 60s
took a break at west spring, where we found a pool of water, and on the return, water in the spring box
had we known that, we might have started from gordon hirabayashi, which is a much easier drive
we had found a decent campsite a mile back from the spring, so we hid most of our gear there and day hiked the rest
good uphill to a saddle overlooking molino basin, then down to the campground and on to gordon hirabayashi
both the bellota and molino basin trails were smooth with good footing
enjoyed the sky island terrain throughout the hike
took another break at gordon hirabayashi
on the return, picked up three liters of water each, then our gear and on to the campsite
once the sun dropped, temps fell quickly
john climbed a nearby ridge for views of the sunset and of tucson
an almost full moon lit things up nicely
backpacking this time of year means a long time in the tents
it had been breezy all day, but the wind really kicked up early morning
we could barely heat water for coffee, had lara bars for breakfast, crammed our gear into packs and took off around 0645
a challenge fighting the wind on the way back

good thing we didn't know there was a high wind warning beforehand, and glad it wasn't like that sunday
nice to have less than eight miles to finish, and we were eating breakfast at snooze by 1100
this was one of my favorite passages so far
always a good trip with lp, especially with an opportunity to practice backpacking
thanks, john! one more green checkmark for the azt

	West Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	water in a pool below the spring, and in the spring box

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hazhole

Dec 26 2019

ShatteredArm

Guides 12
Routes 192
Photos 863
Triplogs 356

42 male

Joined Nov 30 2015
Phoenix, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Run/Jog		Dec 26 2019
		ShatteredArm • Triplogs 356

Run/Jog	17.40 Miles	2,552 AEG

Run/Jog	17.40 Miles	4 Hrs 2 Mns	4.31 mph
	2,552 ft AEG

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Molino Campground

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Didn't have any plans for the day after Christmas, so I decided to attack the next segment of the AZT. Tried to park at Hirabayashi, but the guy at the checkpoint wouldn't let me go without chains/4wd (of course they opened the road just a half hour later). Pretty lame, would be cool if they were allowed to use common sense, but I didn't mind adding Soldier Trail (wish they would at least let me park a mile farther up though).

Didn't get started until after 12:30pm at Redington Road, so I figured I didn't have too much time to dawdle, or else I'd be coming down Soldier in the dark. Made pretty good time across the flat stuff (the constant gunfire in the distance helped). All the big and little drainages were flowing, and the Agua Caliente Wash crossing even required me to go up about 50 feet to find a spot that was jumpable...

Made it to Catalina Highway (10.7 miles) in just about 2 hours and 20 minutes. The signage at Molino was pretty terrible; there was a sign directing you to AZ trail, but the next junction was unmarked, and the trail to the campground looked more well-traveled. So I went that way, and ended up walking through the campground, unsure if it was correct. There was even an AZ trail sign on the road. But at the other end, I found the trail meanders around the south side of the campground...oh well.

Got to Hirabayashi very tempted to hitchhike back down, but then decided I have time, so I might as well see Soldier Trail... Which was fun, except the mile and a half along the road to get back to the car.

West Fork Molino Creek

Medium flow

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Feb 10 2019

fricknaley

Guides 93
Routes 397
Photos 4,984
Triplogs 4,124

49 male

Joined Jun 20 2003
Tucson, AZ

Soldier/AZT/La Milagrosa, AZ

Run/Jog		Feb 10 2019
		fricknaley • Triplogs 4,124

Run/Jog	15.85 Miles	3,450 AEG

Run/Jog	15.85 Miles	3 Hrs 45 Mns		4.42 mph
	3,450 ft AEG	10 Mns Break	6 LBS Pack

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challenging run and a loop i like.

it was chilly for most of the run and super humid. sun came out the last couple miles. lot of water on the trails.

handfull of hikers here and there. yo yo'd for miles with a couple of very nice mountain bikers and we ended up finishing at the same time. that was pretty cool.

saw 3 horses out on the AZT bellota segment.

felt pretty good today. took 15 minutes off my last time

went to work afterwords for a bit

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Nov 17 2018

toddak

Guides 13
Routes 38
Photos 1,651
Triplogs 577

60 male

Joined Nov 15 2005
Jackson, CA

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 17 2018
		toddak • Triplogs 577

Hiking	22.00 Miles	2,500 AEG

Hiking	22.00 Miles	9 Hrs 30 Mns	2.32 mph
	2,500 ft AEG

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NOBO from Redington Road to Catalina Highway and back. All day roller coaster through tall grass.

	The Lake	26-50% full	26-50% full
	dark brown color

	West Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	light flow in drainage

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Mar 17 2018

tibber

Guides 21
Routes 1,182
Photos 36,858
Triplogs 1,570

69 female

Joined Feb 26 2004
Phoenix, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Mar 17 2018
		tibber • Triplogs 1,570

Hiking	10.72 Miles	1,802 AEG

Hiking	10.72 Miles	5 Hrs 48 Mns	2.12 mph
	1,802 ft AEG	45 Mns Break

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	desertgirl	Paintninaz
	Sredfield

We originally had a different plan but nite time temps and not wanting to spend 12 hours in a tent, inspired us to pick a Plan B. Tracy came up with this one and though the shuttle is brutal we got 'er done. It took us 4 hours to set up the shuttle on Redington Road and Molino Basin parking. Traveling that rough and tough Redington Road coming and going in the AM made us think we were all ready tired and beat up and we hadn't even set foot to the trail.

The hike up the hill out of Molino Basin is actually pretty nice as they throw in a couple switchbacks altho I thot it would send us to the right but we ended up veering left to that saddle. I was feeling the oats as they say so I headed on up and was able to look back and get pictures of the others. The views from the saddle looking both ways is pretty sweet with the two sky islands, Santa Catalina and The Rincons. Off in the distance to the east I thot I could see two silos. We would later see that they were two Italian Cypress trees at the Bellota Ranch.

Down from the saddle we headed south and east. It takes awhile to get down so we were happy that we had made the choice to hike it from this side first. We would have another hill on the other side but it was a lot more gradual and not quite as steep. We encountered two other couples and another single hiker as we made our way down to West Spring which you can't miss for the two brightly colored cottonwoods and the big tank. At the big tank I was surprised to see a little moat constructed around a portion of it. Very interesting.

We would continue on a bit of a road for awhile admiring the tall hills and mountains on either side and behind us. It was pleasant walking as the trail was in very good shape. There was also plenty of water around; I assume from last week's rains. We were surprised at how much water we would see. We had our lunch in Agua Caliente drainage on the beach. We didn't take too much time before we were on the trail again. About 1/2 hour later we would get our first view of the Galiuros to compliment the Rincons on our other side and the Catalinas behind.

I remarked we would be coming on The Lake pretty soon and Shawn said to not get my hopes up. As we passed by it was more like a big pond. We came upon a nice Arizona Trail sign where Shawn could trim some of the tree that was obstructing the view. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted what looked like water so Tracy and I went to check it out. THERE was the real The Lake. It was very photogenic and after admiring it for awhile we came back to re-join Ambika and Shawn at the trail.

About a mile later we ran into some hikers on the other side of the gate (about the 1/2 way point). One was a thru hiker who was in need of some shoe repair so we offered our electronic suggestions. He had also written a haiku about his experience with a coati the nite before. The other two hikers were section hiking the AZT coming from Redington Road. One of the gals took our picture. As we got a little higher above the drainage we spotted the ranch and that's where I saw the two silos, I mean Italian Cypresses, earlier from the saddle above Molino Basin. It seemed surprising how far we had come even though it was only about 5 miles from that saddle.

We had a couple more miles before we would start our little climb and continued to enjoy our views. We took a break at about the 7 1/2 mile mark and in a little over a mile we would begin the slight climb. You could see where the fire had eaten some of the wood stair blocks and along the way you could also see the burnt trees and cactus as we came out of a drainage. (http://wildfiretoday.com/2017/07/05/fir ... pass-road/) Earlier in the day we had seen a dozer cut over by West Spring. If it was all the same fire it was the 23,000 acre Burro Fire. The 600 foot climb had a very nice grade with a switchback here and there. The temps were nice so I was able to make good time and once again be able to shoot back at my fellow hikers coming my way.

Once we got to a saddle we contoured along the side of the mountain where we stopped for about 5 minutes before completing the rest of our journey. As we topped out we enjoyed views of all the mountains once again as we made our way on the trail between the golden grass. Soon we would see White Tank and then spot the truck. From here it was downhill to the gate and we could relish the last of our hike... even though I had no beer to cheer me on

.

We piled into the truck and headed down the rough and rugged Redington Road with a big awh for the second time of the day when we hit pavement. We did go by a couple areas where there were quite a few vehicles so I assume there is some easy hiking in the vicinity. The shooting area was a mess of plastic bags. However, the sun was shining nicely on the leafed-out ocotillos so we did enjoy that. We picked up our other vehicle and headed down the Catalina Highway to Taco Giro where we enjoyed a most excellent meal except for the apparently non-tequila peach margarita. It was pretty but no tequila means no margarita.

Videos are in production. Having to work with my laptop as my brother is working on my over-loaded computer.
from Molino to almost West Spring: [ youtube video ]
from above West Spring to just past Agua Caliente drainage: [ youtube video ]
about 1/2 way, we found THE Lake [ youtube video ]
finishing the last big climb to Redington Road [ youtube video ]

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sand Verbena

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bassett Peak Galiuro Mountains West Spring White Tank

	The Lake	51-75% full	51-75% full
	not exactly sure what full was. also, there are two lakes. one by the trail and one to the NE of it just off the trail.

	West Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	water was running from the spring above the tank and there was water in the moat

_____________________

For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled.

6 archives

Mar 10 2018

FOTG

Guides 37
Routes 556
Photos 10,872
Triplogs 1,052

43 male

Joined Jan 21 2013
AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Mar 10 2018
		FOTG • Triplogs 1,052

Hiking	1.36 Miles	284 AEG

Hiking	1.36 Miles	47 Mns	1.85 mph
	284 ft AEG	3 Mns Break

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none

no partners

Carrie took me up canyon a little bit to see if a waterfall was flowing. It was trickling and there was some running water in the creek bed, but nothing to write home about.

_____________________

Apr 02 2017

fricknaley

Guides 93
Routes 397
Photos 4,984
Triplogs 4,124

49 male

Joined Jun 20 2003
Tucson, AZ

Soldier/AZT/La Milagrosa Loop, AZ

Run/Jog		Apr 02 2017
		fricknaley • Triplogs 4,124

Run/Jog	15.55 Miles	3,239 AEG

Run/Jog	15.55 Miles	4 Hrs		3.99 mph
	3,239 ft AEG	6 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

no photosets

Linked

linked

Rincon Mountains - AZT #9

Partners

none

no partners

good big loop using catalina highway, soldier trail, the AZT and la milagrosa ridge. perfect day. felt decent for the most part. saw some people here and there.

ended up being a small fire in molino basin the next day. yikes. certainly wasn't from me burning rubber :lol:

_____________________

Mar 04 2017

The_N

Routes 54
Photos 1,508
Triplogs 325

39 male

Joined Mar 18 2015
Payson, AZ

AZT: I-10 to Summerhaven, AZ

Backpack		Mar 04 2017
		The_N • Triplogs 325

Backpack	70.00 Miles	16,000 AEG

Backpack	70.00 Miles	2 Days 13 Hrs 45 Mns
	16,000 ft AEG		22 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

14 linked trail guides

Rincon Valley - AZT #8

Quilter Trail

Manning Camp Trail

Sycamore Reservoir Trail #39

East Fork Trail #24A

Oracle Ridge - AZT #12

Mount Lemmon Trail #5

Wilderness of Rocks Trail #44

Marshall Gulch Trail #3

Mount Lemmon 9,157

Partners

partners

DallinW

Day 1: I decided to join Dallin on a portion of his Spring Break AZT dash. We were dropped off at Gabe Zimmerman TH on Saturday a.m. and started the trek at segment #8. It was a sunny, beautiful day. The trail is mostly flat and winds through a scenic desert. Saguaros dominate, Rincon Peak looms and neat geology surrounds. The smell of spring Creosote wafted through the air. Plenty of mountain bikers on this stretch. We breaked at Rincon Creek and enjoyed a brief soak. Heading up and into the mountains we would cross many flowing drainages and even saw a distant waterfall. After some climbing, we both hit a wall and stopped for camp on a rock slab 2 miles short of Grass Shack. Worst campsite ever. We were joined at camp by Anna, a solo backpacker on the 2nd night of her maiden voyage, who we'd been leap frogging in those last 6 miles.

Day 2: We woke up refreshed and determined to make up some milage. We started our climb up Mica Mountain. The ever changing terrain kept me in awe. Unlike anything I'd seen in AZ. The Juniper grasslands gave way to pines. The trail was beautiful and easy to follow. The creek at Grass Shack was flowing good. Temps dropped as we climbed and we didn't see any sunshine all day. Our nutrition / water break at Manning Camp was fairly chilly. We reached the top shortly after and enjoyed the stunning views. We hit a few snow patches on the north face of Mica. Nothing too bad but the slow melt made the trail loose and slick. We made our way down through the oak and manzanita forest before a nice afternoon/evening stroll over the rolling grasslands. Winds were ripping, deer were grazing and we both nearly stepped on a very lethargic baby rattler. After an impressive sunset and 1.5 hours of night hiking, we settled on another lousy camp site, but made it work.

Day 3: Didn't start well at all. I woke up with a screaming IT band and a serious case of pumpkin chaffe with a 25 mile day ahead. I threw an elastic knee brace on and went commando to help combat the chaffe (it helps). Needless to say, it took some warming up before I could move. I limped my way up the pass and down to Molino Basin. Dallin informed me that this was one of my last bail out options, but encouraged me to keep going, so I did. Once we topped out and I saw the views down into Sabino Canyon, my spirits were instantly lifted. I pushed on through the pain and was grateful I did. Wouldn't want to miss this canyon. We made our way back down into Saguaros and a lush riparian zone. The entire canyon and every drainage was raging. Quite a few day hikers and a few backpackers along this stretch. I can see why, Sabino is a showstopper. Despite my ailments, we were cruising along the canyon and making great time. Romero Pass put an end to that. I could barely lift my right leg at this point but we pushed on. Eventually we topped out and down into Wilderness of Rocks. More snow patches in this area. Some icy, but no additional gear is needed, just a careful step. The snow melt fueled good flowing water everywhere. We had about 5 miles left and I was hurting, completely drained and flat out delirious. Spending another night wasn't an option. Temps dropped quickly and darkness fell. We had a couple hours of night hiking with some interesting route finding along snowy creeks. It took some teamwork but we made it out and to our ride after road walking up from Marshall Gulch TH. Temps were already in the mid 30's. Burritos and beverages saved the day. Overall, an amazing and epic trip. We knocked out a good amount of trail with big climbs but I also got my pumpkin handed to me a few times throughout. Well worth it.

Wildflowers Observation Light
Brittles and poppies mostly. Still too early.

	Cienega Creek @ AZT	Light flow	Light flow
	Murky and green but filterable.

	East Fork Sabino Canyon	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Great flow throughout.

	Grass Shack Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Both streams at Grass Shack were flowing. Good water.

	Italian Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Muddy seep filled with algae. Filterable but will clog a filter quick.

	Lemmon Creek @ WOR #44	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Snow melt fed. Ice cold. Good water.

	Rincon Creek @ AZT	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Good, clear water. A ribbon of life in the desert.

	Upper Molino Creek	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Flowing down to the Highway.

	West Fork Sabino Canyon	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Great flow throughout.

_____________________

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.

1 archive

Mar 04 2017

DallinW

Guides 1
Routes 105
Photos 1,740
Triplogs 228

33 male

Joined Feb 26 2015
Gilbert AZ

AZT Spring Break 2017, AZ

Backpack		Mar 04 2017
		DallinW • Triplogs 228

Backpack	159.40 Miles	34,237 AEG

Backpack	159.40 Miles	9 Days
	34,237 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

25 linked trail guides

Rincon Valley - AZT #8

Rincon Mountains - AZT #9

Quilter Trail

Manning Camp Trail

Sycamore Reservoir Trail #39

East Fork Trail #24A

Oracle Ridge - AZT #12

Gila River Canyons - AZT #16

Alamo Canyon - AZT #17

Reavis Ranch via 109 North

Superstition Wilderness - AZT #19

Four Peaks - AZT #20

Mount Lemmon Trail #5

Wilderness of Rocks Trail #44

Marshall Gulch Trail #3

Picketpost Circumference

Reavis Gap Trail #117

Two Bar Ridge Trail #119

Cottonwood Trail #120

Vineyard Trail #131

Four Peaks Trail #130

Pigeon Trail #134

Partners

partners

The_N

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Golden Corydalis Saguaro - Crested

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Gila Monster

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dream

Amethyst West Drainage at Trail #130

Medium flow

Cienega Creek @ AZT

Light flow

	Cottonwood Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Better flow as you head down the drainage.

East Fork Sabino Canyon

Heavy flow

Granite Spring

Dry

Grass Shack Spring

Gallon + per minute

Italian Spring

Quart per minute

Lemmon Creek @ WOR #44

Medium flow

Manning Camp Spring

Gallon + per minute

Mineral Creek

Medium flow

Pine Creek at Reavis Gap #117

Medium flow

Posta Quemada Canyon

Dry

Reavis Creek at Gap Trail #117

Heavy flow

Medium flow

Gallon + per minute

51-75% full

51-75% full

Light flow

Gallon per minute

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5 archives

Sep 18 2016

GrottoGirl

Guides 3
Routes 569
Photos 11,976
Triplogs 1,634

50 female

Joined Sep 18 2009
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Sep 18 2016
		GrottoGirl • Triplogs 1,634

Hiking	1.67 Miles	452 AEG

Hiking	1.67 Miles	1 Hour 52 Mns	0.89 mph
	452 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Took my friend who doesn't normally hike out. Fortunately for her I was hungover so I had no interest in trying to go fast. It still was nice to get out even in my condition!

_____________________

Dec 19 2015

AZHiker456

Guides 28
Routes 199
Photos 7,422
Triplogs 188

female

Joined Nov 07 2015

Airmen Peak

Airmen Peak

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Dec 19 2015
		AZHiker456 • Triplogs 188

Hiking	4.56 Miles	1,904 AEG

Hiking	4.56 Miles	4 Hrs 9 Mns	1.90 mph
	1,904 ft AEG	1 Hour 45 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

This peak has been on my radar for almost 3 years now, and it was great to finally experience it. I learned about it a few months after having moved to the Tucson area while hiking with one of the local hiking meetup groups. The peak, [and journey to reach it], were described as a 'beautiful, fun, and not too difficult off-trail trek to a lesser known but still awesome summit.' In just a few words, that pretty much sums it up!

_____________________

God save the Prom Queen, cuz [reality check!] AEG's King...!

1 archive

Feb 21 2015

fujijess

Photos 1
Triplogs 3

female

Joined Jan 12 2015
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Feb 21 2015
		fujijess • Triplogs 3

Hiking		1,300 AEG

Hiking
	1,300 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Cold wind in the morning heading out. Hiking out direction was nice. Pleasant wide open meadow look once you get over the big ridge. Little streams around. Stopped to eat lunch with bf by a bigger steam and then decided to head back. Probably best since the hike going back up that mean ridge was super tough. I liked doing this hike when the steams were still full of snow melt, made it extra pretty.

_____________________

1 archive

Feb 03 2015

topohiker

Guides 14
Routes 115
Photos 4,830
Triplogs 3,536

male

Joined Oct 29 2005
Scottsdale, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Feb 03 2015
		topohiker • Triplogs 3,536

Hiking	32.42 Miles	5,182 AEG

Hiking	32.42 Miles	12 Hrs 43 Mns	2.89 mph
	5,182 ft AEG	1 Hour 30 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

This hike almost didn’t happen

My plan was to hike the AZT 10 from where Redington RD intersects the AZT. My ETA to the TH was 8:45. There was an accident on I-10 and that brought traffic to a standstill. This delayed me 45 minutes. After getting past the accident I continued on to Redinton RD. About10 miles from the intersection there was a sheriff and a road closed sign!! I then came up with plan B. Start at the northern end of the AZT 10. I when doubled-back to the Catalina highway and drove up to the Molino Basin campground.

My 8:45 ETA turned into a 10:15 arrival.

The Hike:
I went north on Bellota trail to the Prison Camp and checked it out. Then I headed south to the Italian trap TH. There was water everywhere! The creeks and washes were flowing heavy and fast. A good portion of the trail had water flowing down it. The Agua Caliente Wash was about 2 feet deep and 5 feet wide. I just bite the bullet and walked through it. I got to the Italian trap TH at dusk. FR4424 was a running creek.

On the way back, the valley was so cold I could see my breath.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Miscellaneous Survey Marker

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] The Lake

_____________________

"Everywhere is walking distance...If you have the time"
-Stephen Wright

1 archive

Dec 26 2014

slowandsteady

Routes 67
Photos 966
Triplogs 694

51 female

Joined Jan 05 2012
Phoenix,AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Dec 26 2014
		slowandsteady • Triplogs 694

Hiking	16.01 Miles	2,909 AEG

Hiking	16.01 Miles	7 Hrs 20 Mns	2.57 mph
	2,909 ft AEG	1 Hour 6 Mns Break

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

BiFrost

We only saw mountain bikers until we reached Molino Basin. The trail from Molino to Prison Camp seemed to be very popular, lots of hikers and their doggies.

_____________________

Dec 26 2014

BiFrost

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Dec 26 2014
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	16.01 Miles	2,909 AEG

Hiking	16.01 Miles	7 Hrs 20 Mns	2.57 mph
	2,909 ft AEG	1 Hour 6 Mns Break

Linked

linked