Sabino Canyon, An Awesome Place for Hiking - Part 1, Friday, March 15, 2019

"One Canyon, Many Worlds:" This display in the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center says it all. "Several very different communities of plants and animals thrive in Sabino Canyon's patchwork of shade and light, coolness and warmth, moisture and aridity." 

Sabino Canyon houses these living areas for the flora and fauna. The following information is from a display in the Visitor Center.

• Mesquite Bosque - Groves of velvet mesquite trees are spread across flat terraces on the canyon floor. Nourished by moisture from Sabino Creek, they, in turn, provide food, hiding places, and nesting sites for many desert animals.
• Aquatic Community - Besides the many desert residents that visit Sabino Creek to drink and to forage for food, the stream is a stopover for migrating birds as well as a permanent home for many small creatures, from diving beetles to mud turtles.
• Semidesert Grassland - A shrubby grassland grows on the more shaded parts of the southeastern canyon wall, where winter temperatures are too cold for many desert plants. It provides a cool refuge for desert animals on hot summer days.
• Riparian Woodland - The forest of tall trees along the banks of Sabino Creek is Sabino Canyon's rarest plant community...Riparian (streamside) communities like this teem with the most diverse animal life in the Southwest.
• Sonoran Desertscrub - This true desert community inhabits the sunnier slopes on both canyon walls, where its many plants and animals must be able to cope with periodic heat and drought. It's easy to recognize--look for where the saguaros grow.

When we arrived in the park, we knew it must be something special. Throngs of people were pouring into the parking lot which was almost full to capacity. We snagged one of the last spots.

Upon arriving in the courtyard of the Visitor Center, we started looking at a map of the trails and comparing that to our Volksmarch directions. Bob overheard a Park Ranger telling people at the display next to us that the shuttle buses were not running up the road because of high water over the bridges. He said the water was over-the-hiking-boots deep to waist deep. That is exactly where our Volksmarch was supposed to go. We did not wish to go through water that deep.

One young ranger standing nearby told us we could take a trail up to a place called Cardiac Gap, but it was quite strenuous. We were not feeling up for that today, especially because we wanted to do the downtown Tucson 11k walk in the afternoon.

Bob and I mulled it over. I went into the Visitor Center to get a copy of the map. As we were hanging out in the courtyard looking perplexed, a different ranger came and asked if he could help. We explained we wanted to do a 10k (6.2 mile) walk, but we didn't want to cross any deep streams. He sized up what our experience level might be and suggested the perfect hike. We were carrying a backpack with water and supplies, had shade hats on, were wearing great hiking boots, and I had my hiking poles with me. The walk he suggested was absolutely perfect! He gave us detailed instructions and off we went.

From the Visitor Center, we started on the Bear Canyon Trail until we reached the unmarked Esperero Trail just past the Bajada Loop Trail. We took Esperero Trail uphill about 0.8 mi. 

Bob on Esperero Trail.

Me on Esperero Trail in Sabino Canyon.

First time I've seen a Phainopepla. 

The ranger told us for a spectacular view, after we stepped off the big slab of rock near the top of the trail, to look for five or six saguaro cacti to the right near the edge of the canyon. We found the spot to take photos of Sabino Canyon.

No photos of Sabino Canyon can be transferred from my computer all of a sudden. Maybe there are too many people on the network right now. I will try to post them later. 

Yellow evening primroses.

This walk has wonderful vistas all around and good scents from some type of plant. Esperero Trail went up, and Rattlesnake Trail took us down through some riparian areas. 

Me in Rattlesnake Canyon

Bob walking in the creek bed.

We followed a pretty creek with some small falls. Crossing the creek was no problem at all. We could either hop over it or use a couple of stepping stones.

The trail came out at the shuttle road. We turned left onto the road and walked up to Shuttle Stop #2. After taking one look at the water flowing over the bridge, we decided to follow the advice, "Turn around, don't drown." It was a bit over ankle deep and flowing fast.

Bob at Shuttle #2 creek crossing.

Since no shuttles were running, the road was wide open for walking. Lots of families were out today. Kids were exploring down by the creek and families chatted while keeping an eye on them.

We exited the road on the Bluff Trail. Once again, we were charmed by the scenery: big rock outcroppings, Sabino Creek, and the Sabino Dam. 

The Bluff Trail.

Sabino Dam.

A huge crested saguaro.

Another view of Sabino Dam.

Unknown flower.

From the dam parking lot, we took the paved road downhill to the Bear Canyon Trail. That took us back to the Visitor Center parking lot. I took my national park book in to collect the stamp only to be told they don't have the date stamp because they're a national recreation area. Oh, well. I took the generic stamp they had which was fine.

For lunch, we went to Boston Market and had great chicken lunches to fuel us for our 11k downtown Tucson Volksmarch this afternoon. 

A SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT TO MY MOM WHO TURNED 89 TODAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!

Continued in Part 2...