In Northwest Tucson, where I live, the Catalina Mountains look a little differently than when viewed from central Tucson. The most prominent feature from my view is a long ridge sweeping north with several rocky points atop it- Samaniego Ridge. I hike often in the Catalina/Golder Ranch area and the Samaniego Ridge Trail looms tantalizingly above. Unfortunately for the Ridge Trail, it was badly burnt in 2003 and for the most part, the trail was abandoned because of fire damage and nasty, spiky growth that has proliferated since the burn. This spring, I heard of Forest Service crews working up from Charouleau Gap, at the Samaniego Ridge Trail’s northern terminus, but nothing had been done to the upper part.
In June, I was reading one of my favorite blogs by a fellow Arizona Trail/Grand Enchantment Trail enthusiast, The Diary of Scott Morris, and I saw that he and his friend had ridden the Samaniego Ridge Trail in a 12-hour mountain biking epic feat of endurance that left them both exhausted and scratched. Here’s a quote: “A small uphill chute, still clogged with vegetation and steep, seemed our only option. We fought back to the bikes. Louis sat on bushes while I handed him my bike, which he’d move past the bush. I would then hand him his, then pass myself, before we’d move onto the next section. I was happy to not be trying to get through here solo.” This and the pictures convinced me that I should probably hold off on the Samaniego Ridge Trail for the time being. Bummer.
But then, this fall, something wonderful happened- some mountain bikers, including Scott and Louis, came together for several trail work events to reclaim the trail from the nasty briars, deadfall, and New Mexico Locust. Some bikepacked in and spent the weekend clearing brush, while others rode out to the work site, spent the day, and rode out the north end. All of these work events culminated with Scott and Chad Brown’s 14-hour, 80 mile Samaniego Epic ride earlier this month where they first rode up Mount Lemmon (mostly on singletrack!), tackled the Samaniego Ridge Trail, then looped back around to their starting point. Speed like that makes my head dizzy, which is one of the reasons I enjoy Scott’s blog so much. He does things that I could never imagine myself doing. For example, in 2005 he raced the Arizona Trail solo in just 7 days, even taking apart his bike and carrying it through the Grand Canyon!
So, even though I could see from the pictures that the trail was far from pristine, I knew that there had been a fair amount of trailwork and traffic through there. After e-mailing Scott and getting his GPS track and asking him a few questions about the route, I asked Laddie Cox, one of the guys on my Crazies trail crew, for a shuttle up the mountain.
Laddie was at my door at 5 am on November 17, and we talked about the Arizona Trail on the way up the mountain. In addition to being on the Crazies trail crew, he is also the leader of the Hit-and-Run crew, which goes into the more remote and damaged parts of the AZT. He finished the Arizona Trail when he was over 70 years old! An incredible guy, I feel lucky to know him. We reached the very chilly top of the mountain at 9100 ft. and I was bundled up and ready to go by 6:45 am.
I hiked out on the Mount Lemmon Trail just as the horizon started to glow orange. I took the Meadow Trail at the junction, then connected back with the Mount Lemmon Trail for a short distance before reaching the Sutherland Trail junction. This junction is currently signed as the Arizona Trail, but most hikers use the Wilderness of Rock over to Summerhaven and reconnect with the “official” AZT on Oracle Ridge. This will all be a moot point soon, as the alignment of the Arizona Trail will soon be moved over to the east side of the Catalina Highway, using the Bug Springs and Green Mountain trails to allow the mountain bikers to ride singletrack up the mountain instead of riding the highway.
I turned onto the Sutherland Trail, another trail recently reclaimed from fire damage that I’d hiked in May, and Samaniego Ridge finally came into view, capped by attractive Samaniego Peak. This part of the Sutherland Trail has expansive views of Cathedral Peak, Pusch Ridge, the Tucson Mountains, Babo and Kitt Peak out to the west, and views as far north as the 4 Peaks (northeast of Phoenix). This part was still in the shade, so I hurried along and got to the Samaniego Ridge Trail at 8:30 am. The sign said 8.4 miles to FR 736, the northern terminus of the trail located on a road so rough that my stock 4wd Jeep would not make it. So from the north end, I had another 7 miles to get out to the area that my husband was going to come pick me up the next day.
I love the feeling of anticipation that comes with a brand-new stretch of trail I’ve never seen before, especially one that I’ve looked up at so often. I passed the Canada Del Oro Trail junction, another trail that I’ve not done yet. Because I’m the kind of person who never met a list she didn’t like, I am working my way toward hiking all the trails in the Catalina Mountains- so I’ll be back for the CDO trail sometime.
The trail was in much better shape than I’d anticipated. There was broad, pine-needle covered tread with attractive gray boulder piles covered in patches of green lichen- classic Sky Island trail. I was practically skipping along, giddy with excitement. Samaniego Peak came in and out of view among the pine trees and alligator junipers. I could see as I got closer that it looked more like a giant, white boulder pile. I could see where the trees had been cut back and there was flagging and cairns along the route in addition to “little orange hiker guy” medallions on the trees. Even though I was hiking downhill from the top of the mountain, I knew to expect some undulations as the trail rolled along the ridgeline.
It was really impressive all the work that the mountain bikers were able to do, and I thanked them every time I effortlessly glided through a passage that would have been a battle against briars and overgrown trees. The deer seemed to appreciate it too, as there were many heart-shaped footprints on top of the bike tracks. As I progressed along the ridge, closer to Samaniego Peak, I could see out to Oracle Ridge and Dan’s Saddle, and trace the path of the Arizona Trail north. I could also see the Superstitions and Aravaipa, the Santa Teresas, and the Pinalenos along the Grand Enchantment Trail and where the AZT/GET diverge near Antelope Peak- the Arizona Trail continuing south to Mexico, and the Grand Enchantment Trail east to Albuquerque. Good stuff. I could also see Weaver’s Needle in the Superstitions, a peak I have some designs on…
Walnut Spring to the east of Samaniego Peak was my one water source along the route. I reached it at a little after 11 am after many stops for picture taking and ogling the scenery. I settled in for a break and filled all my water containers from the sweet little flow behind the skanky tank with a log in it. I looked at Samaniego Peak, a giant bouldery brushy looking bushwhack and decided against it. I’ll save it for another time when I can come spend the night at Walnut Spring and try a hiker route that goes down the long ridge coming off Samaniego Peak to the west toward the Baby Jesus Trail. (Scott has also ridden/dragged his bike on this route)
Here’s a movie of the view near Walnut Spring:
After a long break at the spring, I continued northward and it was apparent that this part of the trail was a little less worked, but still flagged and easy to follow. Sometimes the “trail” was nothing more than a thin line of briars that had been mashed down by the mountain bikers. I was feeling a touch lonely, so it was nice to see the tracks of the bikes from time to time. Soon I reached what the mountain bikers have been calling the “Corkscrew of Death”. The trail reaches a cliff and the route around it corkscrews straight down the mountain, then regains the ridge via a scramble straight up a steep, sloping slab of rock. I would have hated to try this before the route was cut back, as it was I had to use my finest rompage (less delicately known as Butt-Hiking) techniques to control my slide down the loose soil to the traverse under the cliff. On my way up the slab of rock, I thought for the hundredth time this hike that I was glad I didn’t have to drag a bike up this! On foot it wasn’t nearly as bad.
The view of the east side of the cliff was impressive and I could see back to the top of Mount Lemmon, where I’d started. The trail climbed through boulder fields to the top of Mule Ears for some of the best views of the whole hike.
I was now on the part of the trail that had been worked by the forest service earlier this year and there was more rolling along the ridge before the final drop down to Charouleau Gap. I’d timed my hike to get to the Gap a little before sunset, where I would camp. The descent was steep, but fun and I started to keep my eyes open for camping areas as I approached the Gap, but saw nothing suitable. I dropped my pack at the Gap and went scouting around. There was nothing but one nasty site with a fire ring and the whole hillside was covered in rocks and grass with horribly annoying seeds and a view of the lights and sprawl of Saddlebrooke.
Normally, I would have just stayed at the sub-par site and just dealt with it. However, in August, when I was making all sorts of grand plans for the hikes I was going to do in the fall, my husband set a limit of 15 nights of backpacking (I can dayhike all I want) that I could use however I wanted until the end of the year. Though I grumbled a bit when he suggested it, I acquiesced and planned my hikes accordingly. Well, tonight was the last of my nights, and I certainly wasn’t going to spend it at this spot. I watched the sunset from Charouleau Gap, and decided to hike down the forest road for a bit by moonlight and see if I could find something a little more attractive. FR 736 is frequented by off-road enthusiasts, which has left steep smoothly polished surfaces covered in tiny ball-bearing like gravel. I was getting a little grumpy at this point, but figured that I would find something once the road reached the valley below. I could feel every mile I’d hiked today and just wanted to be home for the night. I finally spotted a small spot with a fire ring by the side of the road at 6:30 pm. Almost 12 hours of hiking, 12.5 miles, albeit at a pretty leisurely pace with lots of stops. I’d dropped 4600 ft. from my start, but in reality quite a bit more when you figure in all the ups and downs throughout the day.
The next morning I was so pleased to see that the nondescript site that I’d chosen for my camp in the dark was actually much prettier than I had anticipated- under a giant sycamore with golden leaves. I saw my only person of the whole trip, a guy on a dirt bike that went up to the Gap and back. From my campsite, I planned on taking a route the mountain bikers call Cherry Tank to connect up with an area I was more familiar with. I checked my GPS with Scott’s track loaded onto it only to realize that the track had been truncated. Thankfully I had the map of the route and was able to make the connection without incident. There is a dizzying network of trails, cowpaths, old two-tracks and roads that criss-cross this part of the mountain. My route now curved back underneath Samaniego Ridge and I was able to see many of the spots I’d been to yesterday, including the Corkscrew of Death. The trails in this area cater to mountain bikers, which means lots of swoopy ups and downs and the trails are somewhat rutted. But overall, it’s very pretty and an area not often frequented by hikers, though it is quite close to the town of Catalina.
I connected up with trail I had been on last November through Sutherland Gap and then the trail wove in and out of Sutherland Wash with pockets of fall colors. I called my husband and told him I’d be arriving at our meeting place shortly. It’s always so nice to see Brian when he comes to get me at the end of a trip.
Here’s a video of the route my hike took:
Hiking an area that I have often looked at is always so invigorating to me- it fleshes out what I see and the landscape never looks the same again. Instead of just a feature of the mountain known as Samaniego Ridge, I now have memories and pictures from many spots along the route that I can think of when I see it driving around town or on other hikes. I can look up at Samaniego Peak and know that despite the fact that it looks like a large white cliff from afar, it is really a mound of giant white boulders. Or know that the path of the trail goes up and over the Mule Ears for incredible views. This is why I want to hike all the trails in the Catalinas, because then I feel like I can begin to know this incredible Sky Island playground. Of course the trails are just the beginning- then there are all the subtle folds, ridges, canyons, and peaks that could keep me busy for a lifetime… Next I will be hiking the Brush Corral Trail, on the remote northeastern part of the range. Oh, and Scott’s ridden/dragged his bike through that one too.
Postscript 11/23- There are several more events planned by the mountain bikers to finish clearing the trail, and the area with the mashed-down briars has been cleared. Last week, during their work event, they brought rope and ziplined their bikes down instead of going on the Corkscrew of Death and rappelled down the cliff!
For the full set of pictures, visit my Picasa account:
Samaniego 11-17-10 |
I went back to the house, took a nap and that evening, we went to see my favorite bellydance troupe, The Indigo, perform at an intimate venue in Tucson. I have studied dance for most of my life, and bellydance for five years now, taking breaks from time to time. This show was definitely inspiring and renewed my passion for dance. What a wonderful way to end a great couple of days. Here’s a video of a solo from one of my favorite dancers, Rachel Brice:
For today’s Wildlife Rehab Fundraiser picture, we recently got this young Black-Crowned Night Heron with a hurt foot. We’re feeding him fish and nursing him back to health.
Congrats on your thru-traverse of Samaniego, and good luck on Brush Corral; I’ll be watching for your write-up on that one!
I had no idea the Arizona Trail is to be relocated outside of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness, away from Sabino Canyon, the Wilderness of Rock, and Mount Lemmon, (and closer to a paved highway), all for the sake of accommodating bicycle traffic. I’m all for inclusiveness, but not at the expense of a high-quality wilderness backpacking experience, especially when such a route is already in place and entirely manageable. And I would think this to be the ‘majority opinion’ among Arizona Trail users. One wonders whether new, connecting trail will be constructed in order to make such an alignment more palatable (for all users), and in any case, I see no reason why this couldn’t simply be made into an ‘alternate route’ of the AZ Trail, with the main route through the Wilderness kept intact.
(PS – Spoke with Dave Hicks at ATA. Plan is for two designated Arizona Trail routes, retaining the current Wilderness route for foot and hoof traffic, and adding a new Bugs/Green Mtn option for mountain bikes. The latter will include some new trail construction, apparently starting from Prison Camp.)
Wonderful report Sirena. I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks for the kind words as well. It’s great to see more people getting out on this lost and yet amazing trail.
Hey Brett — my understanding is that the impetus for the AZT change is not MTB access, but maintenance. CDO and Lemmon Trails will continue to be a challenge to maintain for many years. It is some of the old time hikers that are pushing to move the AZT out of the wilderness. The cyclists just happen to agree with them. Two routes would be great, too. Remember that our (yours and mine) opinion on what is “entirely manageable” is likely entirely different than many other hikers. 😉
One thing we agree on — looking forward to a Brush Corral report from Sirena. Thanks!
Serena, loved your journal. We had quite a journey ourselves on the Sananiego Ridge trail the last 2 days. My son, his friend and dad, and I rescued two abandoned mountain bikes (that’s a whole nother story!) just below the trail at Samaniego Peak and took the trail out to the Gap in the snow! It was real hairy finding the corkscrew of death yet alone pulling the two bikes up with rope. Very precarious section of the trail. We made an overnight camp just before the corkscrew on the trail. We saw mountain lion and bear tracks in the snow on the trail for a couple of miles.
Thanks again for your posting. Loved it and could relate to it.
Mike Skilsky
Oro Valley
What a trip- I’d like to hear the rest of that story! It’s a wild, wonderful part of the Catalinas for sure.
Hey Mike,
Sounds like an interesting trip! I remember reading many years ago a SARA (Southern AZ Rescue Association) report that mentioned mountain bikers that ditched their bikes when they lost the trail, ran out of food/water, et cetera. I wonder if you found their bikes! How old were they and were they rusted/buried?
-Scott
Scott/Sirena,
It’s a story of mountain bikes lost and found. I dropped my son and his two friends off at Ski Valley on Thursday Dec 26. Their plan was to ride the Samaniego Ridge Trail to the Gap and hopefully to the end of the 4-wheel drive road near Saddlebrook. They started at noon and made it to the walnut springs tank when they lost the trail in 6 to 8 inches of snow. The snow was patchy early on the trail but got deeper as they rode down from Mt Lemmon. They called Search and Rescue around 4pm and started down the slopes bushwhacking with the bikes in hopes of getting out of the snow to the CDO trail. They ditched their bikes after about 500′ down. They hiked a little further until it was fully dark. To make a long story short, at 12:45 am they were helicoptered out. On Saturday, 4 of us drove to the Gap then to the CDO trailhead. Our plan was to hike the lower trail in no snow, then head up, get the bikes and back down and out on the CDO trail. We had a GPS with approximate coordinates of the bikes. We had good bike lights with us. The hike up took much longer than expected. We decided that taking the bikes straight down was a bad idea. We decided to take the Samaniego Ridge trail back. We had maps but no idea of the “Corkscrew of Death”. We camped overnight on the trail prior to the Corkscrew (7200′) because we probed but it was difficult to find the trail down in 8 inches of snow in the dark with only a light. The next day we figured it was the only way out and fortunately we had rope with us. The steep slope was all snow and ice and we pulled the bikes up about 60 feet then managed them to the saddle. I am sure glad there was 4 of us. Pretty hairy experience let me tell you.
My son Cal says you are friends with Hank Rowe.
Mike Skilsky
Oro Valley