Special to The Republic
Jun. 16, 2006 02:29 PM
Granite sparkling with mica and quartz crunches loudly underfoot as hikers start uphill on the Aspen Trail (No. 93).
The massive walls of upper Sabino Canyon rise to the left, and a forest full of pines, fir and aspens climbs the mountainside to the right. After 1.8 miles, the trail reaches the junction of the Wilderness of Rocks and Marshall Gulch trails at Marshall Saddle. Hikers should turn left onto the Wilderness of Rocks Trail (No. 44).
As the trail drops steadily toward Lemmon Canyon, giant granite boulders make sporadic appearances, giving hikers a hint of the fantastic rock land waiting farther below. In about a mile, hikers will pass the junction of the Lemmon Rock Lookout Trail and start to crisscross a stream. After another mile, hikers will have to squeeze past a large pool surrounded by huge boulders and scramble up a hill where they'll see the remarkable chasm of rocks crafted by nature's strokes of erosion called the Wilderness of Rocks.
Huge boulders lay erratically on slabs of granite weathered to slick rock. Spires poke into the sky. Stacks of rocks teeter upon one another. And curious shapes appear in outcroppings. The area brings an element of mystery to the hike not only because of its awesome aesthetics but because the trail disappears in the jumble of rocks. Unless hikers have well-honed route-finding skills, they should not attempt to hike the last two miles of the trail to its junction with the Mount Lemmon Trail and should make the area their turnaround point.
After doubling back on Trail 44 to Marshall Saddle, hikers should continue on the Marshall Gulch Trail (No. 3). After climbing 1,000 feet out of the Wilderness of Rocks, hikers will welcome Marshall Gulch's 1.3-mile downhill ramble back to the trailhead. A particularly rich array of ferns, maple trees, vines, wildflowers and berry bushes is packed into the stream-fed gulch. It's easy to see why this is one of the most popular trails on the mountain.
If you go
Getting there: Take Interstate 10 to Tucson; exit at Grant Road (No. 256) and drive east to Tanque Verde Road; continue east to the Catalina Highway; turn left and drive 25 miles through the town of Summerhaven to the trailhead.
Length: 7 to 11 miles.
Level of difficulty: Moderate.
Elevation: 8,400 to 7,000 feet.
Managing Agency: Coronado National Forest, (520) 749-8700
The massive walls of upper Sabino Canyon rise to the left, and a forest full of pines, fir and aspens climbs the mountainside to the right. After 1.8 miles, the trail reaches the junction of the Wilderness of Rocks and Marshall Gulch trails at Marshall Saddle. Hikers should turn left onto the Wilderness of Rocks Trail (No. 44).
As the trail drops steadily toward Lemmon Canyon, giant granite boulders make sporadic appearances, giving hikers a hint of the fantastic rock land waiting farther below. In about a mile, hikers will pass the junction of the Lemmon Rock Lookout Trail and start to crisscross a stream. After another mile, hikers will have to squeeze past a large pool surrounded by huge boulders and scramble up a hill where they'll see the remarkable chasm of rocks crafted by nature's strokes of erosion called the Wilderness of Rocks.
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Huge boulders lay erratically on slabs of granite weathered to slick rock. Spires poke into the sky. Stacks of rocks teeter upon one another. And curious shapes appear in outcroppings. The area brings an element of mystery to the hike not only because of its awesome aesthetics but because the trail disappears in the jumble of rocks. Unless hikers have well-honed route-finding skills, they should not attempt to hike the last two miles of the trail to its junction with the Mount Lemmon Trail and should make the area their turnaround point.
After doubling back on Trail 44 to Marshall Saddle, hikers should continue on the Marshall Gulch Trail (No. 3). After climbing 1,000 feet out of the Wilderness of Rocks, hikers will welcome Marshall Gulch's 1.3-mile downhill ramble back to the trailhead. A particularly rich array of ferns, maple trees, vines, wildflowers and berry bushes is packed into the stream-fed gulch. It's easy to see why this is one of the most popular trails on the mountain.
If you go
Getting there: Take Interstate 10 to Tucson; exit at Grant Road (No. 256) and drive east to Tanque Verde Road; continue east to the Catalina Highway; turn left and drive 25 miles through the town of Summerhaven to the trailhead.
Length: 7 to 11 miles.
Level of difficulty: Moderate.
Elevation: 8,400 to 7,000 feet.
Managing Agency: Coronado National Forest, (520) 749-8700
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