TheTrailWeBlaze's Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Jul 19 2025

TheTrailWeBlaze

Triplogs 3

male

Joined Feb 25 2024
Tucson, AZ

Rincon Spring Trail #331

Tucson, AZ

Rincon Spring Trail #331

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Jul 19 2025
		TheTrailWeBlaze • Triplogs 3

Hiking	5.00 Miles	609 AEG

Hiking	5.00 Miles	3 Hrs	1.67 mph
	609 ft AEG

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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.

	Rincon Spring	Dry	Dry
	Couple small puddles from previous night's monsoon, but no running water.

Oct 19 2024

TheTrailWeBlaze

Triplogs 3

male

Joined Feb 25 2024
Tucson, AZ

Esperero Trail #25

Tucson, AZ

Esperero Trail #25

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Oct 19 2024
		TheTrailWeBlaze • Triplogs 3

Hiking	8.00 Miles	2,421 AEG

Hiking	8.00 Miles	4 Hrs 30 Mns	1.78 mph
	2,421 ft AEG

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I went partially up Esperero Trail for 4mi from the Sabino visitor center, to right around the ridgeline that borders Esperero Canyon on the east. It was a nice desert foothills hike, especially the section nearer to Sabino Canyon. Around 3mi from the visitor center the trail starts to become steep and rocky as it ascends north, and there is more overgrowth on the trail. If you wear shorts, your legs will by itchy by the end. Large swaths of the canyon you ascend are completely overtaken with buffelgrass.

I saw a handful of people on the trail, but it felt pretty empty compared to the crowds back in Sabino Canyon.

The views are good of Tucson to the south, especially up at the ridgeline before Esperero. There you can see the Santa Ritas, the Sierritas, Baboquivari, and even the Huachucas to the south, and Cathedral Rock rising up to the north. Esperero looked nice and shaded among the riparian trees, but I turned around before making it down into the canyon.

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Feb 25 2024

TheTrailWeBlaze

Triplogs 3

male

Joined Feb 25 2024
Tucson, AZ

CDO#4 and Red Ridge Loop, AZ

Hiking		Feb 25 2024
		TheTrailWeBlaze • Triplogs 3

Hiking	16.00 Miles

Hiking	16.00 Miles

no routes

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Red Ridge Trail #2

Canada del Oro Trail #4

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We did an overnight backpacking trip by making a loop of Canada del Oro #4 and Red Ridge Trail. CDO #4 had rough hiking for much of it with large areas where the trail was gone or at least buried in brambles.

We started at the Mount Lemmon trailhead and took Mount Lemmon Trail to Sutherland to Samaniego. The trails were covered in snow but were relatively easy to get through. We turned onto CDO towards Shovel Spring, and the trail became less maintained but still followable.

At the second right that drops down into CDO, the trail rapidly deteriorated. After 20 feet, a fallen tree blocked the trail and necessitated going around up the steep slope. Past that, the scrub rapidly began to close in until we were pushing ourselves through brush with every step.

Once down into the valley, it only got worse. The trail was off and on, but even the on parts were heavily grown over with numerous species of thorny plants. It was probably not much faster on the "trail" than just bushwhacking anywhere. Besides thorns, the upper canyon is full of burned out trees and debris. This continued for a couple miles of very slow pace. Our clothes were ripped up and our arms and legs were covered in scratches from pushing through.

Eventually the canyon opened up and more riparian areas break up the brambles. There were a few false starts to this, but eventually we left the brambles behind and entered a beautiful oak riparian area. Someone has cut a trail here and left numerous cairns to guide the way and mark stream crossings. We saw some cow sign as well as deer. We camped a mile from the Red Ridge trail intersection among oaks and near to the stream. The stream was flowing well, and we could hear many small tributaries as we passed along the canyon.

The journey up Red Ridge was shorter than the first day but challenging. It is steep and mostly sun exposed once past Catalina Camp. We had to stop frequently to catch our breath. The trail could benefit from more switchbacks! There were some patches of thorny plants and a couple downed trees across the trail, but the trail is clear and easy to follow. In the final mile snow covered the trail and we struggled along slowly.

I definitely want to return to northern Canada del Oro as it seemed like beautiful oak forest and upland desert terrain. I am glad we tried the upper canyon just to check it off the list, but I'd never recommend it or do it again!

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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