Pima Canyon

January 28, 2022 hike: Pima canyon to the peak above the Saddle (the Saddle is the ridge at the top of the canyon where a hiker can see the canyon on one side and whatever is on the other side - the northern Catalinas in this case).

It was a great day for a hike, with the temps in the low-mid 60s, strong sun with a bit of high wispy cloud as the afternoon progressed and light to no winds in the canyon. The wind was a surprise, given that there was a wind warning in Tucson and it was windy in the city. Even the peak was relatively placid with 50/50 calm/gusts.

The trail was pleasant, as usual, up to the dams at the mid-point of the canyon . The subsequent climbs were the usual hard work. The top mile or so is quite challenging due to erosion and fallen trees from the Big Horn fire of 2020. The very top ascent to the Saddle was extremely difficult as the trail disappears, it is very steep and the erosion and fallen trees are extreme in places. The view from the small peak just to the west of the Saddle was spectacular, per the photos and videos from that vantage point.

Photo 1 was taken in the lower canyon looking at the west wall in mid-morning.

Photo 2 again looks at the west wall, about 10 minutes later than Photo 1. The incredibly blue sky of the day really shows in photos 1 and 2.

Photo 3 looks up at the very tight valley leading to the Saddle. It is hard to believe there is a trail there and it is very steep, narrow and challenging.

Photo 4 looks down the full length of Pima canyon from the small peak above the Saddle. You can see Tucson beyond the canyon, the Tucson mountains bounding the west side of the city and the Boboquivari/Quinlan mountains in the far distance to the southwest.

Photo 5 is a video shot from the peak above the Saddle starting with a western vantage point looking over Oro Valley and surveying the high Catalinas including Mount Lemmon to the north and then ending with the front Catalinas including Window Peak and finally Mount Kimball to the east.

Photo 6 is a second video shot from the peak above the Saddle starting with a view of Mount Kimball to the east and panning south over Pima canyon and continuing to the west looking at Oro Valley and ending with the Tortolita mountains that bound the northwest corner of Oro Valley.

Photo 7 looks down from the peak above the Saddle at the very dramatic rock structures and extremely steep narrow passage down to the broader part of Pima canyon.

Photo 8 looks up at the rock face of Pima canyon that is the northeastern side of the climb to the Saddle. There is a trail across this section leading to Mount Kimball. That trail has dramatic, somewhat vertiginous views.

Photo 9 looks at a massive rock face on the eastern wall of Pima canyon near the middle of canyon. Unfortunately, this face looks northwest, so it rarely has sun on it in the winter. Otherwise, I think it would look incredible.

Photo 10 looks at one of the large conical mountains on the eastern wall of Pima canyon near the bottom of the canyon.

Photos 11-13 show some of the few wildflowers in bloom. There is a lot of new foliage growth, so I suspect the canyon will have a lot of wildflowers in a month or two.

All-in-all, it was a fabulous hike, especially given the wind warnings for the day. But it was a challenging hike, as was demonstrated by the fact that my pace was about 50% faster last week on Tanque Verde Ridge trail, and TVR is a much longer trail with more vertical.

Hike stats: about 13.5 miles and 3,550 feet of vertical to a peak of 6,470 feet in 6 hours 58 minutes.