The Sabino Canyon Recreation Area was a pretty and accessible example of Sonoran Desert, located northeast of Tucson Arizona in the Coronado National Forest.
At the Visitors Center, an open air tram (truck pulling trailers with open air rows of seats) was available that drove to the end of the road, meandering along the canyon bottom while criss-crossing over a dry but flood-prone riverbed. The tram driver narrated along the way about history, geology, and local life. Our particular narrator was inadvertently quite entertaining since his I’m-stoned, slow, monotone voice was comical. His minute long explanation that he didn’t know why a particular cliff had its name was good for a giggle.
At the end of the road, passengers could either return via the tram to the bottom of the canyon or else a few folks hopped off and hiked back along the canyon’s upper reaches via the Phone Line Trail. Except for some ascending switchbacks at the beginning, the entire 4 miles of trail was a gradual and steady downhill back to our cars. Plant life and the occasional critter poked out among the desert scenery, with distant mountain and canyon views along the way. It was a very good introduction to the area, its topography, and its ecosystem.
Hiking Phone Line Trail in Sabino Canyon Recreation Area
Canyon and mountain views along the Phoneline Trail
Saguaro cactus and cliffs in Sabino Canyon
Dead saguaro disintegrate in unusual ways
Hiking through Sabino Canyon Recreation Area