fr4446

1502 Old Road from Gnat Tank towards Roger Road — Following the ridge on FR4446 – on the ridge FR4446 is overgrown but easy to follow. February 2015.

I have been past Gnat Tank a number of times and hadn’t ever noticed any trails other than the Agua Caliente Canyon Trail in the area, but maps and aerial photography clearly show Forest Road 4446 breaking off from the Agua Caliente Canyon Trail at Gnat Tank…

This time, knowing the trail exists, I find it easily enough on the west side of the tank. Hardly a road at this point the faint trail works up the hill to a shallow saddle – recent horse tracks and cairns hidden in the grass help me find the way.

At the saddle I have to wander around and consult the GPS to get on the right track – after a few minutes the old road emerges from the grass, easy to follow as it rambles down the ridge.

Map of FR4446 from Gnat Tank to the private land boundary. — FR4446 in red from Gnat Tank to the Forest Land/Private Land boundary – there is no legal access to Roger Road from this point. The La Milagrosa and Agua Caliente Canyon Trail Loop is shown in black. FSTopo map.

1502 Looking towards Agua Caliente Hill — Looking towards the Agua Caliente Hill trail from FR 4446 – Cat Track Tank is above the prominent Saguaro in the foreground, False Hope Hill and Agua Caliente Hill in the background on the left. February 2015.

The views are great from the ridge – on one side La Milagrosa and Agua Caliente Canyons, on the other side views of the Agua Caliente Hill Trail, False Hope Hill above and Tucson below.

1502 Old Boundary Line — FR4446 continues across the fence into private land – there is currently no legal access into this area from Roger Road. February 2015.

The trail descends towards the Roger Road – but at the moment there is no legal way to connect to Roger Road, private land blocks the way. The access issues in this area date back quite a few years – a quick search turns up this 1996 article – County takes first steps for access to trail, Tucson Citizen, Jennifer Katleman – and Roger Road access is listed in the project list of the 2012 Pima Regional Trail System Master Plan (p. 194). The Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department confirmed that while there is no current anticipated completion date they are looking for opportunities to complete this project. (This is a good opportunity to mention the Pima Trails Association, the current tag line on their website is “Protecting and preserving Pima County trails since 1987” – an important organization to support if you are concerned about trail access in Pima County!)

1502 Abandoned Wire — Barbed wire laying beside FR4446. February 2015.

Avenida de Suzenu Trailhead, Gnat Tank, Private Land Boundary – out and back – 8 miles, 2000′ of elevation gain and loss.

After visiting the La Milagrosa Trail several times over the past few months and consulting maps of the area I began to wonder why I had never noticed passing the junction with Forest Road 4446 where it turns towards Whitetail Tank, it seems so clear on the map…

The La Milagrosa Trail in red - Horsehead Road (where the hike starts) on the left - Forest Road 4446 to Whitetail Tank (marked 4WD) breaks from the La Milagrosa Trail near La Milagrosa Canyon

Standing on the Milagrosa Trail looking at (what may be) a faint old grass covered 4wd road I tell myself that on the other side of the canyon FR4446 will be obvious – that it is simply well disguised near the La Milagrosa Trail so that hikers and bikers won’t accidentally turn onto it. Unfortunately on the other side of the canyon I actually find even fewer hints of the old road… I watch the GPS and try to follow the line on the map – sometimes directly and sometimes criss-crossing it’s path – occasionally finding it, but mostly just looking for it – thankfully the terrain is open enough that it doesn’t really matter that the desert seems to have completely reclaimed stretches of the road.

1501 FR4446 — The now obscure track of Forest Road 4446 is in the center of the picture – this was one of the few places where I felt 99.9% sure that I was actually on the road! January 2015.

1501 Whitetail Tank — Looking back to Whitetail Tank from the hillside of the drainage to the northeast. January 2015.

The tank is larger than I expected, dry and covered with short brown grass. Standing in the tank a small cliff catches my eye – a few minutes of walking in the small drainage above the tank and I reach a lovely drip, black and wet, with clumps of ice on the tree below.

1501 Wall upcanyon from Whitetail Tank — A small cliff in the drainage above the tank – a small flow of water darkens some of the rock. January 2015.

1501 Ice below the drip near Whitetail Tank — I was surprised to find Ice on a tree at the base of the cliff! January 2015.

From the base of the cliff I worked up to the ridge above and then down into the canyon below, eventually looping back to the La Milagrosa Trail via a wandering off-trail route.

1501 Grass in La Milagrosa Canyon — Looking down La Milagrosa Canyon. January 2015.

Whitetail Tank from the Avenida de Suzenu Trailhead – one-way – is approximately 2.8 miles with 1,100′ of elevation gain – maps show FR4446 as a 4WD road but don’t expect to find much of the road and certainly don’t count on it for navigation, take a map and plan on using it – this is essentially an off-trail hike.

fr4446

FR4446 from Gnat Tank to the Private Land Boundary – 2/8/2015

Whitetail Tank – 1/3/2015