I am an avid hiker, backpacker, rafter and canyoneer living in Tucson, AZ who loves experiencing this incredibly diverse state! I have hiked thousands of miles including twice across the length of Arizona. In 2020 I published my first book, Best Day Hikes on the Arizona National Scenic Trail, with Wilderness Press.
My current project is hiking the length of Grand Canyon, my favorite place of all, in sections.
The Colorado River through the Canyon is 277 miles long, but once I’m done I will have hiked over 600 miles. The extra miles are from weaving in and out of side canyons, hiking in and out for access, and changing from one layer of travel to another.
I am passionate about inspiring people to get outdoors, especially other women. I don’t come from an outdoorsy background and if I learned how do do all these things, you can too!
On May 31, 2014, I completed the Arizona Trail Trek, a thru-hike to promote the Arizona Trail, the Gateway Communities and the official guidebook. The AZT Trek raised $18,000 for the Arizona Trail Association.
What a place!!
In May 2009 I finished section hiking the 800-mile Arizona Trail to raise awareness of Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition that I have had since 1997. I kept a website during my hike www.aztrail4fms.org and I really enjoyed sharing my journey. I have also done segments of the Grand Enchantment Trail that goes 700 miles from Phoenix to Albuquerque.
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I am an expert on the Arizona National Scenic Trail and was the Gateway Community Liaison for the Arizona Trail Association for five years from 2011-2016. In the past I have spent my summers working as a guide for Arizona River Runners on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.
Black Bridge over the Colorado River
In 2017, I founded Trails Inspire, a consulting company that develops and promotes the outdoors through photography, public speaking, freelance writing and trail project management. Contact me at sirena@trailsinspire.com with inquiries.
Sirena
Wading in Deer Creek near the Patio
Tater Canyon
Sirena's Wanderings 
Sirena- Really enjoyed our hike together and your write up plus pictures. You are welcome to join us anytime as our guest!!
Happy trails-Frank
ps- Gary is on a two week cruise now but will talk to him when he returns.
surely you do not have Fibromyalgia, do you?
I saw on another site that you were walking for awareness.
i do have it and it is very limiting! I am in new River, nort h Phoenix.
Congratulations on your big hike!!!!
Claudia
I will eagerly look for your updates
The old guy that you met in a narrow, 1-way only, section of the Picacho CLIMB on 22 Mar 2010.
I have my Picacho photos uploaded, they haven’t been published YET. I have 2 really great photos of the place we met
I wonder if you happen to know Cody Lundin, he is an Arizona outdoorsman that has written numerous books about survival.
Bill in Arizona
Sirena: It was nice running into you today (8-11-10) up on Mt. Lemmon on the Marshall Gulch/Aspen trail. I have been following your hikes on your website and it was nice to meet you in person. You looked real familiar when you approached John and I, and then it clicked. Hope the rest of your hike went well.
We went up the Aspen Trail about half an hour and then came back and hiked it down to Marshall Gulch picnic area. About 5 miles overall.
Take care and hope to run into you again someday.
Rob
Nice meeting you both! I had a delightful time- I’ll post a report soon.
Just wanted to let you know I’m a fan. I very much enjoy your site — the text, the photos, and especially the clips. Glad you are now bushwhacking. I especially enjoyed your Santa Teresa trip, since I’ve been to Cottonwood a couple of times and led it just last year.
Your recent Brush Corral write up was of great interest, too, since I’ve been out to Evans a couple of times lately.
Yesterday a friend, Elena Berman, and I hiked up Pima Canyon to maybe 1.5 miles, then bushwhacked to the west up Pusch and came back down the south ridge to the cars. Last week we were in Sycamore Cyn (Catalinas) at the Rose Cyn confluence. A couple of weeks ago I led a SAHC trip up Finger Rock Cyn to Linda Vista, then we bushwhacked all the way down the Bread Loaf to the cars.
My scheduled club trips in January will be a bushwhack in the southern Superstitions and another in the Goldfields and a trail trip (they hardly count) in the Tucson Mts. So, anyway, you can see I’m out there bushwhacking and still fairly aggressive, if rather slowly, at age 66.
So, what I really wanted to do is thank you for the entertaining and informative site. I don’t go too fast, but bushwhacking is a great equalizer, so maybe our paths (or, rather, routes) will cross some time. I’m in Sun City Vistoso, so we are neighbors.
By the way, have you ever been up Coyote HP in the Coyote Wilderness? I led a group last month, but we came up 500′ (distance, not elevation) short, due somewhat to having only 10 hours of daylight, and we were too tired to sprint. It seems you might enjoy going for Coyote HP if you haven’t already.
Best regards, and happy hiking,
Bob Eschrich
Hi Sirena,
Great site!!!!! I lost all your contact info, so typed your name into google and got this!! I live in Mexico now. Miss you loads!
Garth
Sirena,
Loved meeting you on the rafting trip – your dedication to rehabbing the wildlife is fabulous – learned so much this past week – thanks for all your help and especially for lending me your scarf – I know it was special to you!!!
B.A.
B.A., you and your group were such a pleasure to have on the trip! I loved hearing you all laugh together and enjoying yourselves. Hope our paths cross again someday.
Sirena,
I’m impressed with how much hiking you’ve done, and -once- had a student at a wilderness program in Utah I worked at with fibromyalgia. I don’t recall her name. I mention it because she too, had to fight through some tough times. Also, I came I crossed your sight as my wife and I contemplate a week of biking on the Arizona Trail. Do you have a suggestion for the best section for scenic, and not too heinous, riding? We’d appreciate any info. Take Care. Thanks.
Daniel, I would recommend the Las Cienegas and Rincon Valley segments.
thanks Sirena.
I have come across your Blog several times as I have a plan to hike The Wave in March.
I just love reading your adventures!
You are awesome!
(I just linked to your blog post about hiking the Wave on the FB page for my JMT trail journal. https://www.facebook.com/MarryMeJohnMuir.)
Moving to tucson at the end of February …. Super excited to get out exploring….
[…] Sirena’s Wanderings: Sirena hails from Arizona, a state near and dear to my own heart. She is an avid hiker but also a do-gooder. She has hiked the Arizona trail twice, once to raise awareness about Fibromyalgia (a disease she herself suffers from) and once to help raise awareness and money for the AZT itself. She is an amazing environmental steward and supports others in the hiking community by writing about their accomplishments. Plus she runs rivers in the Grand Canyon… how freaking awesome is that? […]
Hey Sirena, I have been reading your blog for a while now and love it. Your focus on Arizona is amazing and seeing as it is one of my favorite states I like to indulge myself in your beautiful pictures and all the good you do for the state. I don’t know if you have done one of these yet but I wanted to nominate you for a Liebster Award. I feel like they are a little gimmicky, but if you haven’t heard of them they are basically a pass-it-forward method of connecting bloggers and their audiences. I wanted to nominate three people who were badass women working and playing in the outdoors so that my followers could find other blogs that parallel my own. If you want to read more about it check out my post on it and if you are interested I posted my questions for the people I nominated at the bottom of the post. Thanks for all that you do!
http://tandemtrekking.com/2016/01/06/what-do-liebster-awards-and-chain-emails-from-the-90s-have-in-common/
Hi Lindsey- thanks for nominating me for a Liebster Award! I haven’t done one of these yet and I’d love to answer your questions on my blog. I’m neck-deep in 2016 scheduling and planning right now, but I’ll try to get to it next week. Happy New Year!
Thanks Sirena, I look forward to reading your answers! Let me know when you post it and I’ll come check it out!
I’m interested in getting more information on where you found pothole water on the Tuckup trail. I’m planning a trip there this April. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Andrew, sorry it took me a bit to get back to you! What route are you planning on taking?
Are there employment opportunities at Bar 10?
I’m sure there are! I’d contact the ranch directly, their busy season is during commercial river rafting season from April-September.
Hi Sirena – Jeff Wiesen here, I’m a casting director who works on campaigns looking for non-actors. We’re doing a commercial with Microsoft right now and looking for river rafting guides! I found you via the River Runners site and thought I’d reach out. The campaign is all about technology that allows for connectivity in remote places with no WIFI. We’re only interviewing this week. Please respond back asap if interested, thanks!!
Hi Jeff, I’m interested to learn more, feel free to contact me at sirena@trailsinspire.com!
Just wanted to say how amazing you are and how inspiring the blog is. I especially love that you mention that you are self taught and do not come from an outdoorsy background. I have really tried to do the same in the time I have lived in Arizona (lots of hits and misses lol). Keep being awesome and having adventures!
Thanks for the kind words, inspiring is my favorite compliment! I truly believe everyone has it in them to become outdoorsy, it just takes making the leap of faith to get started. Glad you enjoy reading!
I’ve followed your blog a long time, Sirena; coming ‘out’ here to say thank you! I am a Northern Californian, displaced in Tucson. I used to solo backpack a lot myself, but no longer do. Let me know if you’d ever welcome (female, middle aged but experienced) company on the trails sometime!
Thank you for the kind words and glad to hear you’re a longtime reader!