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Honey Bee Canyon Trail Access Issue – 9/4/2016

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Pusch Peak from Honeybee Canyon Park in Oro Valley. August 2016.
Pusch Peak from Honeybee Canyon Park in Oro Valley. August 2016.

Bicycle Tucson recently made two posts – Honeybee neighborhood to attempt bike ban Oct. 1 and Show your support for trail access at OV town council – that you should read about an access issue in the Honeybee Canyon/Rancho Vistoso/Oro Valley area.

Access has been an issue in this area before – see After 30 years of fighting and compromise, Rancho Vistoso nearly complete for some details back into the 1990s and HONEYBEE CANYON/TORTOLITA MOUNTAIN ACCESS UPDATE for more recent history – and it appears that there may be an upcoming chance to influence future access – posted to Facebook by The Damion Alexander Team:

The Home Owner Association at Honeybee Ridge has put up a sign saying that trail access via the easement off of Quiet Rain Dr. will be closed as of October 1, 2016.

There are differences of legal opinion as to if the HOA has the authority to do this. Regardless of if they have the law on their side, what is clear is the community needs to create a permanent access to these trails.

We need the elected officials to know how important this for the kids and families, businesses, tourism, health and vitality of Oro Valley and the region. HoneyBee/Rail X Ranch Trails offer some of the best beginner trails in the region and are often used in the National promotion of our region.

At the city council meeting on September 7th at the call to the audience the cycling community and other trail users need to show up and tell the mayor and council how important this access point is. We also need to make them aware of other options (AND THE CURRENT LACK THERE OF) for accessing Honeybee trail.

With the current election many in candidates are calling for a new and improved Oro Valley. One that is not known as just a retirement community. Because of this our voice will resonate louder. Please take your time and show up for this meeting. If you can’t make this one, show up at the next one. We are going to need to keep a constant vigil to save our trails.

The meeting is at 6:00 PM on September 7th. at the Oro Valley Town Hall. 11000 N La Canada Drive Oro Valley, AZ 85737

Stars and Clouds, Night in Sabino Canyon – 2/6/2016

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Blackett's Ridge under the stars. February 2016.
Blackett’s Ridge under the stars. February 2016.
A tree above the Sabino Canyon 'lake'. February 2016.
A tree above the Sabino Canyon ‘lake’. February 2016.
Clouds and Stars above the Santa Catalina Mountains. February 2016.
Clouds and Stars above the Santa Catalina Mountains. February 2016.

We hiked, slowly and with pauses for pictures, out passed the dam and to the lake, under the stars and clouds – it was a beautiful night and as our friend Mindi wrote “I can’t even describe how much fun it is to go sit in the dark with your camera!”

Night in Sabino Canyon – 1/23/2016

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Full Moon, Saguaros and water in Sabino Canyon. January 2016.
Full Moon, Saguaros and water in Sabino Canyon. January 2016.

There is nowhere that I have visited in the Santa Catalina Mountains where you are more likely to see people hiking/walking/running/enjoying the night outside than in Sabino Canyon. With a great variety of trails from steep climbs like Blackett's Ridge to walks on the pavement along the canyon, water (at least part of the year…) and an open parking area (many of the the county trailheads have parking restrictions that are not night-hike-friendly) Sabino Canyon is a beautiful spot to enjoy nighttime in the desert! (Hiking at night presents a unique set of challenges – if you have never hiked at night find an experienced friend or group to hike with.)

Below the dam in lower Sabino Canyon. January 2016.
Below the dam in lower Sabino Canyon. January 2016.

The construction of the dam in Lower Sabino Canyon began in 1937 after plans fell thru for a much larger dam higher in the canyon – the dam was dedicated the next year. In Sabino Canyon: The Life of a Southerwestern Oasis by David Wentworth Lazaroff says of the lake behind the dam:

The tiny lake was instantly popular. The centerpiece of the new Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, it regularly filled with swimmers, and fisherman crowded the dam angling for stocked bass and sunfish. (p. 99)

The water behind the dam, surrounded by trees, is still an attraction in the canyon – but no one would describe it as a lake – silted in and overgrown.

Moon, Saguaro in headlamp light - on the way back from the dam in Lower Sabino Canyon. January 2016.
Moon, Saguaro in headlamp light – on the way back from the dam in Lower Sabino Canyon. January 2016.

 

Falls in Molino Canyon above Molino Basin – 1/3/2016

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Falls in Molino Canyon above Molino Basin. January 2016.
Falls in Molino Canyon above Molino Basin. January 2016.

Not far from Molino Basin Parking Area on the Bellota Trail a small side trail splits off and follows Molino Canyon, the most obvious path takes you to the top of the falls above, but it is worth it to find your way base of the falls…

Night, Sabino Canyon, Bear Canyon – 12/26/2015

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Water flowing in Sabino Canyon. December 2015.
Water flowing in Sabino Canyon. December 2015.
A Saguaro in the Moon - moonrise above Bear Canyon. December 2015.
A Saguaro in the Moon – moonrise above Bear Canyon. December 2015.
On the road into Bear Canyon. December 2015.
On the road into Bear Canyon. December 2015.