In Tucson it is still hot, the only hint of fall a slight cooling trend that takes us down into the low 90s by the end of the week. After being trapped inside for a few days by illness the cool air and fall colors in Bear Wallow were a pleasant surprise. It was great to see so many hikers out and about, many with cameras and tripods capturing the fleeting change of seasons.
Changing colors in Bear Wallow. October 2017.
There is more color on the mountain than you might expect – Bear Wallow might be the best single stop in the Santa Catalina Mountains for fall colors, fun to visit camera in hand – but what I really love is stalking the smaller pockets of color scattered across the higher areas of the mountain. Today we hiked around the top of the mountain, wandered down from the Box Elder Picnic Area and pointed at distant hints of color thinking ahead to next week…
Below the Box Elder Picnic Area looking over colorful Aspens at Marble Peak . October 2017.Aspens near the top of Mount Lemmon. October 2017.
Bare Aspens near the top of the Red Ridge Trail. October 2016.
The Aspens along the Red Ridge Trail are bare – from the Aspen Trail we can see a few trees still with fall colors – but the best color is lower on the mountain where the walk from the Sunset Trailhead into Bear Wallow on the 1918 Trail flows thru red and yellow maple leaves in the trees, and on the ground…
Last fall colors in the Aspens from the Aspen Trail. October 2016.Fall color – Maples in Bear Wallow. October 2016.
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.
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).
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…
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.
