The horse corrals at the end of the road in the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site –
I don’t know when these were built (early 2000s?) or how frequently they are used – but the County Line Riders of Catalina, Tucson Saddle Club and the Pima County Sheriff’s Posse, who donated corrals, are still active and easy to find information about.
Unfortunately I have not yet been able to find any information about the ‘In Memory of Richard Dawson’ dedication.
Waves of rain and hail were the highlights of the day – it was beautiful to see the mountain covered in clouds and wet with rain!
The gate at the entrance to the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site is closed, the sun is hot and Sycamore Canyon is dry – summer! And a simple day out with friends enjoying the trails!!
10am at the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site and there was no need for a jacket – February and it feels like spring!
We descended to the Avenida de Suzenu Trailhead via the Molino Basin Trail, Bellota Trail and La Milagrosa Trail – sun, blue sky and water in all the canyons. 10.6 miles, +1100’/-3100′ of elevation gain/loss.
We started at the Bigelow Trailhead, walked past the gate that closes Organization Ridge Road to public motorized traffic in the winter and continued on to the Palisade Trailhead. The road was icy and there was just enough snow at the trailhead to give a pleasant hint of winter, but not enough to require anything other than a little caution.
We could hear Palisade Canyon flowing below – it looked like quite a bit of water from the trail – walked snowy sections of Palisade Trail where the shade preserved the remains of the last storm, paused for birds and enjoyed the polished stone in Pine Canyon before reaching Mud Spring.
The waterfall in Pine Canyon was roaring away – quite a sight – and we paused just before the trail begins to plunge downwards to enjoy the view – Thimble Peak to Brinkley Point!
Down to the junction with the East Fork Trail and then up – past the Bear Canyon Trail and onto the Bear Canyon Trail, across Sycamore Canyon, past Sycamore Reservoir where Sycamore Canyon and Bear Canyon were pouring an impressive amount of water over the dam, up to Shreve Saddle and then down the Molino Basin Trail to the car we had left at the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site earlier in the day.
Descending the Palisade Trail is a great way to see everything from pine forest to cactus and take in quite a few impressive views. Currently miles 4-6 of the Palisade Trail are distinctly more overgrown and less used than the upper sections of the trail – with some attention and effort you should be able to find the trail, but be prepared to use your map and navigate if needed.
12.8 miles, +1,400’/-4,350′ of elevation gain/loss.