Pictures from last Fall – watery Hutch’s Pools, a bright moonrise from the West Fork and a beautiful night – but what really sticks in my mind is the lower half of the Box Camp Trail. The rough trail hides other footsteps – hard to guess the last time someone has been here – an hour? a week? Nice to be alone and wonder!
sycamore reservoir
Prison Camp to Sabino Canyon – 10/6/2015
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!
Sycamore Reservoir and Bear Canyon, Racing with Friends – 5/23/2015
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!!
Bigelow Trailhead to the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site – 1/17/2015
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.
Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Area to the base of Thimble Peak – 11/23/2014
If it wasn’t for Finger Rock Thimble Peak would probably be the most recognizable peak in the Santa Catalina Mountains. While there is no official trail to Thimble Peak it is a well traveled destination.
We started at the end of the road in the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site – Molino Basin Trail to Shreve Saddle – Sycamore Reservoir Trail on fallen leaves – along Sycamore Canyon thru small patches of color.
The Bear Canyon Shortcut Trail takes us up to the Bear Canyon Trail and we follow it to the fantastic lookout where the unofficial trail to the Thimble breaks off into a sea of grass.
The trail climbs, curves and climbs again – overgrown in places, but cairns and sections of trail keep appearing until we touch the base of the Thimble.
It’s surprisingly chilly in the shade and we retreat along the ridge into the sun to take a break and enjoy the day before walking back over our footprints to the car… 11.1 Miles, 2580′ of elevation gain/loss. Some good sources of information: Summit Hut Trail Talk – Thimble Peak – David Baker, Hike Arizona – Thimble Peak.
