Catalinas - Sabino Loop

March 1, 2022 hike: Sabino loop - Bear Canyon to East Fork to Sabino Canyon Trail to Phoneline.

It was a beautiful sunny day with little wind but quite hot with temps nearing 80 degrees. This is a tough trail in this weather, as the sun, heat and distance take a lot out of the hiker. The trail only reaches 4,800 feet at the top, so it doesn't provide as much heat relief as the higher Catalina trails. I felt broiled and exhausted at the end; much more so than on a cooler day.

Photo 1 shows a beautiful saguaro-studded mountainside in the lower part of Bear canyon.

Photo 2 shows Seven Falls in Bear Canyon and the spectacular mountains surrounding the falls. I only saw 2 people from this point (just over an hour in) until Phoneline trail (about 4 hours later).

Photo 3 looks down the lower portion of Bear Canyon (about 3-4 miles in).

Photo 4 is a video walking along the end of the Bear Canyon trail (about 8 miles in). Suddenly, you crest a ridge, which provides a spectacular view of the back country East and West Fork canyon with a view to the high Catalinas in the distance.

Photo 5 is a video taken right after the previous video which surveys the whole East and West Fork canyon from west to east.

Photo 6 is a still image of the East and West Fork canyon. This is a very remote area with no cellular coverage and generally few or no hikers (none that day).

Photo 7 looks west on the spectacular eastern end of Sabino canyon beside Sabino Canyon trail. The immense nearly-vertical rock faces are very impressive in this area.

Photo 8 looks east on the upper end of Sabino canyon from the Sabino Canyon trail, showing more dramatic canyon walls. I think the Sabino Canyon trail is one of the most impressive trails in the Tucson region, especially as it is only 2 miles long, has easy access from the Sabino Canyon tram and is fairly easy to hike.

Photo 9 looks up (east) from Phoneline trail toward the upper end of lower Sabino Canyon. You can see the Sabino canyon road at the bottom of the canyon and the high Catalinas in the distance. The photo was taken about one-third in from the start (east end) of the canyon.

Photos 10-20 show some of the wildflowers along the trails. The wildflower season is really starting to get underway, but I think we are probably 2-4 weeks from the peak.

All-in-all it was a great hike although the intense sun and heat is making long-distance hiking on the lower trails more difficult.

Hike stats: 17.3 miles with 2,910 feet of vertical to a peak of 4,800 feet in 6 hours 58 minutes. I took 201 photos and videos, which added significant time to the hike.