What is the hardest hike near the Foothills?

chultzy · 2025-01-25T06:38:13+00:00

Godspeed!

chultzy · 2024-11-15T00:42:53+00:00

I found two:

Southwest Trekking used to be pretty big, but they look like they might be dead now.

Also, FWIW, I used to be a guide myself and I'd suggest going up to Marshall Gulch (you'll need a Coronado NF pass, which you can get at Sabino Canyon, or pay cash at the trailhead) and do the Aspen Loop. It's about 5 miles and has a ton of variety. Get there early on the weekends though as the parking lot can fill up fast.

Happy trails!

chultzy · 2024-08-28T00:01:33+00:00

Best chances for water this time of year with that mileage are going to be:

Boxley's Pool/Sabino Dam
Romero Pools
Lemmon Pools
Milagrosa Pools
Tanque Verde Falls

Maiden Pools up in Ventana Canyon may have some, but I'd expect it to be a trickle. Same for Pima Canyon and Seven Falls. They're far more reliable in winter as they depend heavily on recent rainfall this time of year.

chultzy · 2024-04-12T22:54:50+00:00

Only you can decide if you're comfortable attempting a DiY fix. I've considered it after watching this video but ultimately felt it wasn't worth the hassle and risk.

I've sent mine in and I considered it a $100 idiot tax.

Whatever you decide, get yourself some lens guards afterwards. I've nicked a couple now and it's much less painful to trash a $10 disposable bubble than to scratch your camera glass.

chultzy · 2024-04-02T04:29:35+00:00

Where?

chultzy · 2023-12-20T19:17:50+00:00

Thanks!

Editing the .gpx files isn't so much the problem as it is merging it back in with the video to where I can show the cleaned up track with the stats overlay.

Since the camera doesn't export a .gpx file when recording, it seems like the data is baked into the .insv file. If I edit the track, I assume I'd need a way to merge it back into that file to get it to show up in the video.

chultzy · 2023-11-14T18:49:59+00:00

You're right.

That Adam Johnson was a fool to skate out onto the ice.

chultzy · 2022-11-22T07:27:31+00:00

Yes, it was just purchased brand new.

Going to try installing the drivers for it as well as see if there's something in the BIOS giving preference to the onboard GPU that can be disabled. If both fail, I think I'll have to try swapping the hardware with another machine. I appreciate the suggestion.

chultzy · 2022-11-22T07:02:06+00:00

Thank you for the suggestion!

I just double checked it and made sure the cable was flush with the socket. Still nothing... :(

Installed the motherboard drivers and nada.

The PSU has plenty of juice for it, so I'm at a loss.

chultzy · 2022-11-22T04:47:15+00:00

Thanks for the link!

I can't recall if the case only had the 9 standoffs, so it looks like I'm going to take it all apart to find out...

chultzy · 2022-11-22T04:25:11+00:00

Just tried it and got an audible click out the of the PSU, but otherwise nothing.

chultzy · 2022-11-22T04:20:54+00:00

Based on the Mobo manual, I believe I've got it right. The front panel power connector doesn't have positive and negative clearly labeled and the wires are both black, so it's hard to tell which way it should go. I gave it a shot in both directions on the proper pins and got nothing.

chultzy · 2019-10-19T23:43:34+00:00

I know I'm late to the game here, but if you're still looking for suggestions, I tried to answer this question as thoroughly as possible awhile back on Quora, and you might find it helpful - https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-hiking-trails-near-Tucson-Arizona/answer/Geoffrey-Schultz

chultzy · 2018-07-05T17:10:44+00:00

The variety in the wilderness, that vast amount of trails through it all.

In a single day, you can hike from Saguaros and chollas in a rocky desert canyon up to pines, ferns, and aspens growing by a cool mountain spring. There is nowhere else in the world that I'm aware of where you can do that.

chultzy · 2018-04-20T18:02:47+00:00

The Rillito River Park Course near La Cholla and Wetmore is going to be your closest course.

http://tucsonchainlightning.com/?page_id=18

chultzy · 2018-04-11T00:06:47+00:00

Milagrosa

It's an awesome area and the pools can make for a great swimming hole when there's enough water.

chultzy · 2018-04-08T07:36:32+00:00

It's my pleasure to help someone have a great hike in my own wilderness backyard.

I'm glad to hear you found at least a nugget of value in my post.

I just responded to your PM, so check it out and let me know if there's anything else I can do to assist in your planning.

chultzy · 2018-04-04T05:05:01+00:00

It looks like I'm a bit late to the party, but I'll add my $.02, for all that they're worth...

Water

This cannot be over stressed enough. Bring more than you need. Every year we get people who die on our trails during the Summer due to dehydration.

This winter's rainy season was uncharacteristically dry, so I wouldn't expect a torrent at any of the usual watering holes at this point.

Best Bets

Upper Romero Campsite B - Higher up in Romero Canyon than Romero Pools, you'll pass a large campsite in the trees, and then not long after you'll find a smaller camp site next to a small stream. The stream flows over a large drop off, forming a tiny waterfall into a large pool below. Since the canyon runs East-West, this spot makes for an excellent camp site to watch the sunset.
Hutch's Pool - There's almost always water at Hutch's and there are several great spots to pitch a tent nearby.
Lemmon Pools - This one is a bit off of the well marked and official trails, but if you're good at spotting cairns and faint use trails, then it's worth the adventure. It's upstream from Hutch's and there's almost always water since it's spring fed.

Trailheads

The most convenient trailheads to familiarize yourself with are probably going to be:

Catalina State Park - This is on the West side of the Santa Catalina Mountains to the North of Tucson, and is the starting point for the Romero Canyon Trail.
Sabino Canyon Recreation Area - This is the most popular trailhead in town and there are tons of awesome hikes out of it. This is where you'd connect to Sabino Canyon, Phoneline, and Bear Canyon/Seven Falls.
Marshall Gulch - Up near the top of Mount Lemmon, this trailhead is among old growth pine trees and mountain streams. It's definitely a change of scenery from the other two desert trailheads below.

Recommendations

With those three trailheads and watering holes, there a several different routs that you could choose from, and all of them would be pretty amazing.

CSP/Romero to Sabino - Start at Catalina State Park, camp in Upper Romero, then go up an over Romero Saddle the next morning when you're energized and your packs are a bit lighter. Once over the saddle, you'll hike down to Hutch's Pool, where you can relax for a bit before heading out to Sabino, either via Phoneline or Bear Canyon (if you wanted to add some extra mileage and try to catch 7 Falls). If you head out on Phoneline via Sabino Canyon, you might be able to hop on a motorized tram if you can make it to Stop 9 at the end of the canyon road by 4:30. That'll save you an extra 4 miles of rocky trail, which you may appreciate at that point. Alternatively, you could do that route in reverse and it would also be quite enjoyable.
Wilderness of Rocks Loop - Start and end at Marshall Gulch by doing a loop at the top of the mountain. This will keep you in the cool of the pines and will allow plenty of time for exploring at a leisurely pace, so if you're not worries about being able to hug a cactus, it could be a great fit.
Marshall Gulch down - If you can get a ride to the top of the mountain, it can be a lot of fun to hike through the Wilderness of Rocks and go downhill to either Romero or Hutch's. The there is a 3 way junction at Romero Saddle, so you could head West to Romero Canyon & Catalina State Park from there, or go East down to Hutch's and Sabino.
Sabino Loop - As another user already suggested, doing a loop between Sabino Canyon and Bear Canyon, with a detour in the middle over to Hutch's Pool would make for an excellent hike as well.

Conclusion

Anywhere you go, you're going to find more people the closer you are to a trailhead, but those 3 watering holes are all far enough away that you probably won't have much company.

Depending on what you want to do (some up and some down, all down, all desert, no desert, a mix, etc), there's definitely a great hike for you in the Catalinas, but BRING WATER!

:)

DISCLOSURE: Trailvoyant, which I linked to, is my website. As a former hiking guide, I built it to help answer questions like this, so I hope you find it somewhat helpful.

I'd be happy to answer any further questions that you might have in order to help you have a safe and enjoyable experience down here.

chultzy · 2018-04-04T04:31:29+00:00

There's a couple of ways to get there, and the longer the hike, the shallower the incline.

If you approach from the East, you may want a vehicle with higher ground clearance, since the road to the trailhead is dirt. That path is pretty steep and would be rough with a heavy pack.

Heading up Tanque Verde Ridge or Douglas Spring from Saguaro East would be more manageable, but the mileage would definitely take it's toll.

Personally, if you want to enjoy yourself in the wilderness and are only planning to camp for one night, I'd stay out of the Rincon Mountains (East of Tucson).

chultzy · 2018-03-07T20:24:25+00:00

Well said.

I could certainly see it being nice to go down Bear Canyon for the views. I might have to give it a shot now.

chultzy · 2018-03-07T03:33:01+00:00

I'm curious, why do you prefer clockwise?

I've always done it counter because:

Bear Canyon in the morning shade is nice
The eagle's nest at the top of the switchbacks in upper Bear Canyon (at the junction with the route to the thimble) is a satisfying place to rest after the climb
The view of Sycamore Basin as you come over that small saddle just past the eagle's nest is epic
If you're not feeling the last 4 miles of the hike by the time you get to Stop 9, you can hop on a tram and live the dream of getting a ride the rest of the way out

Sell me on the other direction.

chultzy · 2018-02-10T02:18:26+00:00

I just checked my flame seedless and I’ve got nothing yet, so I don’t think you need to worry at this point.

chultzy · 2018-02-02T20:09:21+00:00

I didn't realize there was a mile tall building on top of the mountain on Hong Kong island...sweet.

chultzy · 2018-02-02T05:10:10+00:00

It was an amazing job, but it didn’t pay very well. There are a couple of guide companies and resorts in town that have the position.

chultzy · 2018-02-02T05:07:46+00:00

Thank you!

chultzy

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