Pima Canyon

April 22, 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).

Pima Canyon is my traditional end of season hike, since it is my "home trail". What a great way to end a fabulous season!

The weather was beautiful with copious sun, temps in the 70s and generally light winds, except for howling gusts near the top (not uncommon). A pleasant surprise was the lack of bugs. I'd expected a lot of bugs in the upper forests due to the warmer weather, but there were few, possibly due to the very dry weather this winter.

Photo 1 shows the dramatic scene entering the canyon. The mountain ridges on the east wall of the canyon are truly stunning in the early morning sun at this time of the year.

Photo 2 looks at the long western ridge near the start of the canyon. Lots of saguaros here!

Photo 3 also looks at the western wall of the canyon a bit further along the trail. There are lots of craggy cliffs in this area. The saguaros are starting to thin out, although there are still dense patches in warmer locations.

Photo 4 shows a particularly stunning saguaro set against the east wall further up the canyon. You can see the trees at the top of the mountains looking up toward Mt Kimball.

Photo 5 looks toward the canyon peak area from about half way up. The climbing becomes considerably steeper soon after this point.

Photo 6 looks back (southeast) at a magnificent peak area. I believe this is Prominent Point, the Pima Canyon side of Finger Rock. It is very difficult to photograph during my hiking season because it points northwest and doesn't get a lot of sun, but the late morning sun was finally high enough to brighten up much of the mountain face.

Photo 7 is the iconic look down Pima Canyon from the small peak above Pima Saddle (altitude 6,470 feet). The high peak on the right side (west side) of the picture is Table Mountain (6,265 feet) and the slope at left side of the picture is the slope to Mt Kimball, which reaches 7,258 feet. Mt Kimball is the highest peak in the western part of the Catalinas. Tucson spreads out in the valley beyond the canyon and it is bounded by the Tucson Mountains on the other side of the valley.

Photo 8 is a video taken from the small peak above Pima Saddle, looking north to east across the Catalina Mountains. About 10 seconds into the video, Mt Lemmon, the highest peak of the Catalinas at 9,171 feet, comes into view (not too prominent as it is a gently rounded peak). The next, quite prominent peak, is Cathedral Rock, the highest peak in the front range (south side) of the Catalinas facing Tucson at 7,957 feet. The final high, again prominent, peak is Window Peak at 7,468 feet, the second highest peak in the south side of the Catalinas.

Photo 9 looks at the dramatic craggy peaks around Table Mountain, the highest peak on the left of the picture.

Photo 10 was taken at the end of the day, looking at one of the prominent points on the east side of the entrance of the canyon.

Photo 11 is a final wistful picture looking up at Pima Canyon, marking the end of a great hiking season in Arizona.

It was a great day for a final hike of the season. The weather was great, the scenery stunning and the trail a great workout!

Hike stats: about 13.5 miles and 3,550 feet of vertical to a peak of 6,470 feet in 8 hours. This trail can be hiked much faster - I spent a lot of time taking pictures and videos.

The photos below show some of the many wildflowers in bloom. Wildfower blooming is in full swingS, although the cactus have yet to really get going.

The rest of the photos show the wonderful selection of wildflowers on display. You might notice the red cactus flower with the rock canyon below - I think this might be a 100 foot or deeper shear-sided section of the canyon.

All-in-all, a great hike to end the season. I look forward to the next one!

Hike stats: about 13.5 miles and 3,550 feet of vertical to a peak of 6,470 feet in 7 hours.