Sabino Creek: Sabino Creek flows from higher in the Santa Catalina Mountains and becomes the focal point of Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. Water from winter snowfall and the summer rains keeps the small creek flowing throughout the year. The cottonwoods and other trees were just beginning to show off the spring green when we visited the area in March. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Saguaros: Views are abundant through Sabino Canyon, both in the canyon and the surrounding mountainsides. Shown are Saguaro cacti as they decorate this hillside along with rock formations and a variety of desert vegetation. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly from Los Alamos
During a stop in Tucson, Ariz. in March, we decided to visit Sabino Canyon. We have been to the area before but it was quite a while ago. The March skies were sunny and warm, which made for a great day to be outdoors.
Sabino Canyon is in the northeastern boundary of Tucson and is a favorite location for visitors and locals to hike, bike and enjoy nature. The canyon is in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains in the Coronado National Forest.
Snow melt and rainfall create a natural runoff through the canyon during the spring snow melt and during the rainy season in the summer, creating Sabino Creek. While the area is very dry much of the year, the creek usually flows year-round.
Sabino Canyon is a beautiful oasis in the desert. Cottonwood, willow, sycamore and other trees line the creek bed, creating a ribbon of green through the rocky desert and mountainsides in the canyon. As one leaves the oasis around the creek, saguaro, barrel, cholla and prickly pear cacti take over the landscape. A variety of desert plants and wildlife can be seen in Sabino Canyon and the surrounding areas.
Years ago, one could drive into Sabino Canyon but the canyon was closed to auto traffic in the 1970s. The canyon could not accommodate the traffic 50 years ago; I can’t imagine auto traffic in the canyon today.
Sabino Canyon is accessible by foot, bicycle or by riding the Sabino Canyon Crawler, an open-air shuttle which runs every hour of the day. Passengers can ride the shuttle up the canyon and back, and enjoy seeing the canyon from the road. The shuttle makes stops at nine points along the route where riders can get off or on the shuttle. The shuttle stops for a 10-minute break, which allows all riders to stretch their legs and enjoy the views.
Bicycling is allowed but within limited hours, not to interfere with the shuttle service. Generally, biking is allowed before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. every day except Wednesday and Saturday. There is no biking on those two days. One should check schedules before biking in the canyon.
Sabino Canyon is also a favorite location for hiking in the Tucson area. Numerous trails lead hikers to waterfalls and other landmarks throughout the canyon. The cooler temperatures and shade in the canyon also attract many locals.
At the base of the canyon road is a large parking area, a visitors center with displays covering the history and features of the canyon. There is also a gift shop which has basic supplies as well as shirts, caps and various other items with the Sabino Canyon logo.
There is a nominal fee to enter the park and an additional fee to ride the shuttle. We found that Sabino Canyon is indeed an oasis in the desert. It is a beautiful area and is a little higher in elevation making summer temperatures in the shaded canyon more pleasant.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Water Hole: A pool of water is seen in Sabino Creek, which flows through Sabino Canyon in the northeast boundaries of Tucson, Ariz. The canyon sits in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The area is a favorite recreation area for locals and visitors in the area. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Crawler: Visitors can enter Sabino Canyon by foot, bicycle, or the Sabino Canyon Crawler. The Crawler is an electric shuttle that transports visitors up through the canyon for a few miles. Bicycling is allowed, but times are restricted to before 9 a.m. and after 4 p.m. daily. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Enjoy the View: A hiker pauses to enjoy the views while hiking along the creek in Sabino Canyon. The views of the canyon and the surrounding desert mountains are plentiful, and the temperatures are usually a little cooler at the higher altitude of the canyon. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Ribbon Green: A ribbon of spring green foliage follows the path of the mountain run off as it descends into Sabino Creek. The canyon is filled with several varieties of trees. While the creek is small, it does flow year-round with higher water levels during the spring snow melt off and again during the summer rains. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
