Sabino Canyon is a popular hiking area near Tucson, Arizona and is an oasis found within the Santa Catalina Mountains. The canyon was first inhabited by the Hohokam people from around 200 AD to 1450 AD. They built irrigation canals and farmed the land. Some evidence of their structures and artifacts can still be found today.
In the early 1900s, the the first hotel was built in the canyon and the area became a popular destination for tourists and locals looking to escape the desert heat. Later a tramway was constructed to transport visitors up the canyon.As the popularity of the canyon grew it was designated as a National Recreation Area in 1978.
Today the Canyon is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and is popular for hiking, birding and outdoor recreation. There is a fee to be in the park but our America the Beautiful pass covered this fee. We had no set objective but decided to simply hike from the visitors center up the canyon.to a small lake.
The Sabino Canyon Lake Trail is a1.8 miles long moderate hike and is mostly flat with some elevational gain near the midpoint. We combined this hike with a smaller piece of trail to make it about 2.5 miles in total length.
The trail is quite scenic as it winds through the lower reaches of the Sabino Canyon. There are nice views of the surrounding mountains and of course, the beautiful desert landscape. We meandered through the desert until we reached the highlight of this trail. the Sabino Dam.
The dam and its associated falls provided a great respite for us to hydrate, enjoy the water and the sounds of the falls. We enjoyed a brief stay here and did a little birdwatching around the water before moving on down the trail..
We should mention the canyon still maintains an electric shuttle to take hikers deeper into the canyon. There is an additional fee to take the electric shuttle and the next time we visit this area we will take the electric shuttle further up the canyon to explore it more fully. What a great spot so close to Tucson to explore. Yes, we will be back…
Cactus flowers are very pretty. After reading your blog for a while, I’m pretty sure I could identify your husband from the back 😊
ReplyDeleteThat's too funny!
DeleteThanks for the background history. We've hiked there many times. Take the shuttle up the end of the canyon and then hike the Telephone Line trail back down. It runs along the upper canyon ledge and has spectacular views. It isn't difficult since you are heading downhill.
ReplyDeleteYes we will take the shuttle next time we do this canyon.
DeleteGreat photos again, especially all the blooms on the suguro catch my attention. We have not been in this area, got to make a plan ...
ReplyDeleteReally is a nice place, wished we had visited it more often when we were in the area.
Delete