Author: Charles Miles

1918 and Bigelow Road, Fall Colors, Construction – 10/20/2014

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
1410 Fall Color
Fall color above the the 1918 Trail. October 2014.

There was steady traffic on the highway and every trailhead I could see had at least one car – on such a lovely day it was inspiring to see so many people out enjoying the mountain. I parked at the Sunset Trailhead and took the unsigned 1918 Trail – the trail runs along a stream near the highway and into the Bear Wallow area – never far from the road, but so beautiful with the fall colors that the sounds of the cars are easily forgotten.

1410 Fall Color along 1918
Bright fall color in the sun along the 1918 Trail. October 2014.

Eventually I turned onto Bigelow Road – steady running to the top – back the way I came. 1918 and Bigelow Road to Mount Bigelow and back the same way – 7 miles, +/- 930′ elevation gain/loss (round-trip).

The changing leaves have been featured in several recent articles – both have some suggestions about places to go to see the colors: Autumn leaves flush Catalinas with color, Douglas Kreutz, Arizona Daily Star – and Hittin’ the Trails 4 You: Mt. Lemmon’s Fall color hot spots, Jeff Beamish, KVOA.com.

Another great post to with some fall colors in the Santa Catalina Mountains is Sirena’s Happy 5th Anniversary! – congratulations to Sirena on her blog’s 5th anniversary! Sirena’s Wanderings is a GREAT source of information and inspiration!

Road construction is on-going – on the weekends there are no delays but areas like the one below (with the pavement removed) located just down-mountain from the Ridgeline Parking Pullout are likely to cause delays on the weekdays…

1410 Construction on the General Hitchcock Highway
Pavement removed – construction underway – there are no current delays on the weekend days, but expect delays during the week – just below the Ridgeline Parking Area. October 2014.

Storm: Point 5506, San Pedro Vista, Meadow Trail Loop – 10/9/2014

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
1410 Storm over the Molino Basin Trail and Shreve Saddle
Looking down on the Molino Basin Trail and Shreve Saddle from Point 5506. October 2014.

The rain started late Tuesday night and by the end of the day on Thursday the Pima County Regional Flood Control District ALERT System reported that 5.35″ of rain had fallen near the top of the Santa Catalina Mountains (the same guage would report just over 6″ for the work week!) – but on Thursday in Tucson blue skies were starting to show thru the clouds and by Friday there would be no weather to enjoy on the mountain…

1410 Blazing Star
Blazing Star coated pants from my hike from the highway up to Point 5506 – the summer heat largely kept me (and pants and socks!) away from the Blazing Star, no longer I guess… October 2014.
1410 A Stormy view from San Pedro Vista
A stormy view from the San Pedro Vista. October 2014.
1410 Meadow Trail covered in Clouds
The Meadow Trail covered in clouds. October 2014.

Assault, Wilderness Festival, Steam Pump, Rain

Posted - Charles Miles
Bicyclist assaulted; deputies need help locating three suspects – A disturbing assault of a cyclist at the bottom of the mountain on October 1 – watch the video and contact the authorities if you have any information. Wild for Wilderness Festival at Sabino Canyon – This event will take place on Saturday, November 8, 2014, 9:00AM – 3:00PM to celebrate 50 years of the Wilderness Act! This poster/picture on Facebook has the best description I have seen and it notes that the festival will include: music, food, speakers, horse packing, guided walks, workshops and more! Note that entrance to Sabino Canyon is FREE for the event. Happenings at Steam Pump Ranch in Oro Valley – Second Saturdays are back at the Steam Pump Ranch, see the link for the details. In addition the Oro Valley Farmer’s Market will be at Steam Pump Ranch every Saturday from 8AM – noon. 3 inches of rain on Mount Lemmon! Arizona Daily Star – Checking the Pima County Regional Flood Control District ALERT System from the start of the day on 10/7 to the end of the day on 10/9 there was nearly 6″ of rain at the top of the mountain!

Redington Pass Closure, Shifting Ground, Guided Hikes, Fall Colors, Bighorn Sheep Update

Posted - Charles Miles

Redington Pass shooting area closure extended Cleanup work continues in the area – The Forest Service has extended the closure (details below) indefinitely to allow for clean up of several recreational shooting sites between Mileposts 5 and 7 on Redington Road .  The clean-up – which includes removal of soil with high lead concentrations – is currently expected to be completely mid-November. The press release also mentions that a Redington Pass Collaborative Management Plan is being developed that is “intended to increase visitor safety, enhance multiple uses and recreational experiences, and minimize user conflicts.” The Friends of Redington Pass is one group to explore if you are interested in this area.

Prohibited activities include parking a motorized vehicle between Mile Markers 5.0 and 7.0 along Pima County Road 371, and discharging a firearm, air rifle, paint ball gun, gas gun or archery equipment between Mile Markers 5.0 and 7.0, or within 0.6 miles of that segment of the road.

County testing for shifting ground under Catalina Highway; blame Aspen wildfire, KGUN9, Maggie Vespa – The article expands on the information available on the Pima County Website about construction on the Mount Lemmon Highway and talks specifically about the installation of monitors to detect ground movement. The county states that greater run-off after the fires is creating more stress on the highway infrastructure – but also says there is “no reason to worry”. (Expect construction above San Pedro Vista thru mid-November – delays are expected weekdays between the hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. – possibly with a reduction to one lane and temporary closures to safely position heavy equipment.)

Guided Hikes in Catalina State Park in October – on the 12th, 19th and 26th there will be guided hikes in Catalina State Park – hopefully with nice cool temperatures as we move into Fall!

Autumn in Tucson: Lederhosen and leaves – Arizona Daily Star,  Ann Brown – A nice article mentioning a number of reasonably easy to access places on the mountains to see fall colors. The article also mentions the Oktoberfest at Mount Lemmon Ski Valley – Saturdays and Sundays 11:45 a.m.-5 p.m. thru October 12.

The Bighorn Sheep Restoration Project Status update for 9/15 to 9/28 is available (all updates are currently available here) – This updates includes information about Bighorn Sheep populations and translocation efforts that have taken place in other parts of Arizona to give some perspective/comparison to the project in the Santa Catalina Mountains – interesting reading! Also included in this update is another mention of the upcoming research/vegetation sampling and a call for volunteers:

If you’d like to get involved (and enjoy some pretty spectacular hiking along the way), please contact either Research Biologist Andrew Jones ([email protected]) or Larisa Harding ([email protected]) and let us know as we begin to organize this effort. Sampling will most likely occur from early January through the end of February 2015. Come join in the fun and contribute to the research efforts!

Construction, National Public Lands Day, Trail Dust Days

Posted - Charles Miles

Construction – Mt. Lemmon Highway at Mile Post 18.2 – Construction at milepost 18.2 will mean weekday delays accessing trailheads above San Pedro Vista – from the article:

Construction activities will be concluded on weekdays between the hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. During these times, traffic control will be necessary. Travel will be reduced down to one lane of travel with flaggers directing traffic. Construction activities will cause temporary delays in traffic so that heavy equipment can be safely positioned. During non construction hours two lanes of traffic (one in each direction) will be restored.

Celebrate National Public Lands Day with fee free day and activities, KVOA.com, Anthony Victor Reyes – “In celebration of National Public Lands Day on Saturday, Sept. 27, Sabino Canyon and Mt. Lemmon will offer a variety of activities and waived Forest Service standard amenity fees.” – see the article for more details.

Tucson Rough Riders Trail Dust Days – The Tucson Rough Riders are a 4WD club founded in 1976. Trail Dust Days will be based in Catalina State Park from October 16-19 and feature games, food, a raffle and off-road runs. See the link for more details – registration is required.

Teenager rescued from Sabino Canyon, KGUN9, Shelby Payne – between Tram stops 8 and 9 – “The 16 year old girl slipped while attempting to jump into a pool of water from a cliff and got stuck onto a ledge approximately 10 feet down.”

Bighorn Sheep Restoration Project Status update for 9/1 to 9/14 was recently released and contained no new details.