Saguaro National Park, January 21-25
Jan 30, 2020 14:47:21 GMT -8
MTalpine, swiftdream, and 2 more like this
Post by trinity on Jan 30, 2020 14:47:21 GMT -8
Just returned from a wonderful 4 night trip to Saguaro National Park. I had not been to the Tucson area in several decades, and had forgotten what a beautiful area it is. I did an out and back, hiking to Juniper Basin the first day, then to Manning Camp where I spent two nights, then back to Juniper Basin for my final night, and back out. I totally lucked out on weather conditions, if I had tried to go several weeks earlier I think the trail to Manning Camp would have been impassible under several feet of snow.
I got a late start on day one, hitting the trail around 1:00. It was a real hump getting up to Juniper Basin, only about 7 miles, but close to 3,000 feet in elevation gain. Too much for an old guy like me to do in an afternoon, and I didn’t arrive in camp until after dark. There was a heavy mist, so my flashlight didn’t illuminate anything, making the campsite difficult to find. Right after I got my tent set up the mist turned to drizzle, and it rained off and on throughout the night.
The mist was still heavy the next morning, and my tent and much of my gear were soaked, and stayed that way. I felt like I was in a cloud forest as I hiked up to Manning Camp, about 8 miles and 2,000 feet of gain, easier than day 1, but no picnic. As I got closer to Manning I began to encounter patches of snow, but all very easily passable. Manning itself was virtually snow free. It is a gorgeous spot in Ponderosa Pine forest at around 8,000 feet. I had the camp to myself for the two nights I was there.
On day 3 I just lazed around camp until late morning, then took a day hike up Mica Mountain, then continuing on in a short loop to the southeast on the Fire Loop Trail. Here the snow patches were larger and deeper. Once I got off the AZT, I was in areas where trail had not yet been broken, and I did a fair amount of post-holing in spots, but not terribly deep—maybe a foot and a half max.
On day 4 I hiked back to Juniper Basin. Descending was a lot more fun than ascending had been, and I was grateful to be able to see the spectacular views, which had been obscured on my way up. I arrived at Juniper Basin early, and was surprised to have the campground to myself on a Friday night.
On Saturday I hiked back out. I saw the first people I had seen since leaving Juniper Basin on Wednesday, I was pretty impressed that in a National Park right outside of Tucson I could go 3 full days without seeing another human soul. I ran into quite a few day hikers, of course, on that final day, but fewer than I expected.
I’m not sure I would recommend Saguaro as a winter destination, there is no doubt that I got very lucky with the weather, and I could just as easily have been cold, wet, and miserable the entire time. But as it was, I absolutely loved it. The variety of landscapes as you ascend from the Sororan Desert at the trailhead, through Oak-Juniper woodland and up to Ponderosa Pine forest is marvelous. There was water everywhere (not typical for this park), so I never had to carry too much. I had plenty of solitude, and luxurious campsites (Manning has the nicest back country latrines, by far, that I’ve ever seen). And the views are spectacular. This is sky island territory, so in every direction you look there are grand vistas with distant mountain ranges rising up out of the desert. This is a wonderful place, and I’m grateful to have had a chance to visit. Many thanks to all those who provided valuable information on this area, especially swiftdream, kwpapke, and desert dweller.
I got a late start on day one, hitting the trail around 1:00. It was a real hump getting up to Juniper Basin, only about 7 miles, but close to 3,000 feet in elevation gain. Too much for an old guy like me to do in an afternoon, and I didn’t arrive in camp until after dark. There was a heavy mist, so my flashlight didn’t illuminate anything, making the campsite difficult to find. Right after I got my tent set up the mist turned to drizzle, and it rained off and on throughout the night.
The mist was still heavy the next morning, and my tent and much of my gear were soaked, and stayed that way. I felt like I was in a cloud forest as I hiked up to Manning Camp, about 8 miles and 2,000 feet of gain, easier than day 1, but no picnic. As I got closer to Manning I began to encounter patches of snow, but all very easily passable. Manning itself was virtually snow free. It is a gorgeous spot in Ponderosa Pine forest at around 8,000 feet. I had the camp to myself for the two nights I was there.
On day 3 I just lazed around camp until late morning, then took a day hike up Mica Mountain, then continuing on in a short loop to the southeast on the Fire Loop Trail. Here the snow patches were larger and deeper. Once I got off the AZT, I was in areas where trail had not yet been broken, and I did a fair amount of post-holing in spots, but not terribly deep—maybe a foot and a half max.
On day 4 I hiked back to Juniper Basin. Descending was a lot more fun than ascending had been, and I was grateful to be able to see the spectacular views, which had been obscured on my way up. I arrived at Juniper Basin early, and was surprised to have the campground to myself on a Friday night.
On Saturday I hiked back out. I saw the first people I had seen since leaving Juniper Basin on Wednesday, I was pretty impressed that in a National Park right outside of Tucson I could go 3 full days without seeing another human soul. I ran into quite a few day hikers, of course, on that final day, but fewer than I expected.
I’m not sure I would recommend Saguaro as a winter destination, there is no doubt that I got very lucky with the weather, and I could just as easily have been cold, wet, and miserable the entire time. But as it was, I absolutely loved it. The variety of landscapes as you ascend from the Sororan Desert at the trailhead, through Oak-Juniper woodland and up to Ponderosa Pine forest is marvelous. There was water everywhere (not typical for this park), so I never had to carry too much. I had plenty of solitude, and luxurious campsites (Manning has the nicest back country latrines, by far, that I’ve ever seen). And the views are spectacular. This is sky island territory, so in every direction you look there are grand vistas with distant mountain ranges rising up out of the desert. This is a wonderful place, and I’m grateful to have had a chance to visit. Many thanks to all those who provided valuable information on this area, especially swiftdream, kwpapke, and desert dweller.
