Whitetail Tank – 1/3/2015

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 CanyonThe 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.

Milagrosa Loop – 12/12/2014

1412 Agua Caliente Canyon
Water down-canyon from the trail in Agua Caliente Canyon. December 2014.

In the bottom of Agua Caliente Canyon I leave the trail and spend a few minutes chasing the water down stream across the sand and boulders, surrounded by insects I can not name – in this section of the canyon there are not any towering walls or thundering falls, just intimate moments – a little too soon I find the trail again. Milagrosa/Agua Caliente Loop, 6.9 miles, 1450′ of elevation gain/loss.

1412 Butterfly in Agua Caliente Canyon
Butterfly and flowers in the bottom of Agua Caliente Canyon – lovely to see on a December hike. December 2014.

Molino Basin to Agua Caliente Hill – 12/7/2014

1412 Into the Sunset
Sunset on the Agua Caliente Hill Trail. December 2014.

Climbing up the Bellota Trail out of Molino Basin a Gopher Snake and then a Tarantula stop my progress – not what I was expecting on a December afternoon – but always beautiful to see, I watch them move slowly away from the trail. There is water and mud at West Spring Tank – and in Milagrosa Canyon as I turn south.

I don’t see anyone on the Milagrosa Trail and the ridge between the canyons feels wonderfully far from the city. Trail 46A down into Agua Caliente Canyon – along the bottom – and then the climb to join the Agua Caliente Hill Trail.

A pause at the summit and we start down – the sun, grass and views are stunning! The day fades – we watch the lights come on in the city and finish our in the Agua Caliente Hill South Trailhead just before the moon rises. 13.7 miles, +3200’/-4500′ elevation gain/loss.

1412 Tucson from the Agua Caliente Hill Trail
The Tucson City Lights from the Agua Caliente Hill Trail. December 2014.