The Southwest - Winter 2007 Sabino Canyon NP - Tucson
Val says.....
Sabino Canyon lies at the north east edge of Tucson, Arizona's, urban development. It is in the Santa Catalina Mountains which are within the Coronado National Forest. The center of the canyon is a riparian corridor containing quite a bit of vegetation compared to the surrounding desert. There are mesquite, Palo Verde, and cottonwood trees, as well as many smaller bushes and grasses, growing along the banks of Sabino Creek. Beyond the creek rise steep rock walls. Since 1978, the canyon has been accessible only by tram, bicycle or on foot.
The tram route is about 3.7 miles, although there are hiking trails that go much further. Unfortunately, when we were there (January 2007), the canyon was still recovering from a raging thousand-year flood in July 2006. Many trees were uprooted, boulders piled up, roadways, trails, and bridges were damaged. This was also the time of year when much of life in the canyon was dormant for the winter, so it wasn't at its most scenic. The tram route only went about half-way and we walked up about another half mile. It was a bit curious to see an area considered beautiful during certain seasons and the destruction caused by a natural occurrence. The area had only about six inches of rain, but when that pours down the canyon walls and is all funnelled into the creek it turns devastating.
We received many warnings about mountain lions while at Sabino Canyon. We were given written information, the tram driver reviewed what to do, and signs were posted frequently along the trails. After seeing the mountain lions at the Desert Museum the previous day, we knew we didn't want to have a close encounter with one. We also recalled that when we were staying in Mesa in 2004, we heard that a woman, hiking alone, had been attacked and killed by a mountain lion in Sabino Canyon. Hence the warnings. Fortunately, we didn't see any, we enjoyed our time there, and Lou found many more photo opportunities.
