Sabino Canyon Recreation Area - Tucson

We will be heading to Colorado in June, and because of this, we wanted to start getting our hiking legs and stamina built to ensure our time in the 14er's of Colorado will be with optimum outdoor experience.  We have visited Sabino in the past, taking guests to the Visitor's Center and boarding the tram which travels 3.8 miles up into the canyon, narrating a history of the area and what the sites to see along the way.  Once the tram (they call it the Sabino Canyon Crawler) reaches stop 9, the crawler returns back to the beginning and travelers can step off at any of the 9 points, or ride to the top (9th stop) and walk back down, or just stay on the crawler for the return trip.  We opted to take the crawler to the top (9) and then walked down, locating a lunch spot to enjoy the views, then continuing down until we decide to get back on the ride.  We did make it to stop 4 and then got back on to the beginning.

View from our seat looking up into canyon

Saguaros are starting to bloom

Sabino is open 360 days a year, is managed by the national park system, but you have to purchase your ride on the crawler if you choose to do that option. You can walk/hike up or before 9am and after 5pm you can ride your bike.  Free earbuds are provided to listen to the guided tour of the geological and cultural history as your transverse up the canyon.  The shuttle runs every hour.  

We see the other side of Pusch Ridge from the house

People continue hiking from stop 9

Stop 9 - everyone getting out

Starting back down the canyon

We followed Sabino Creek, crossing the creek 9 times on the 3.8 mile paved road, the creek originates near Mt. Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains, winding its way through miles of canyons before reaching the desert below.  During the monsoons, the tram does not go as far due to the high water rushing over the  bridges.  At one point on our walk back down, we saw someone swimming in one of the pools of water - water looked very cold!  I do not know what our elevation was at stop 9, but we had to be at least 8000 feet.

Someone swimming in water hole

Lots of small waterfalls

First bridge crossing on way back

Very pretty day to visit Sabino.  We think it has been at least 10 years since our last visit.  We were a bit surprised at the amount of people, but it is so pretty up there, and to visit when the temp is still doable - think it was somewhere about 75.

Dave standing on bridge taking pics of water

Our lunch spot - stop 6

Cool saguaro

Cave Creek Ranch and Chiricahua Mountains

We had not visited Chiricahua (Cheer-ah-cow-wa) National Monument, located southeastern Arizona, near the Mexico border and near Douglas, AZ, so I looked around for an airbnb or vrbo home or hotel near there and found Cave Creek Ranch which has 6 apartments and 7 cottages for rent.  The area in Portal, AZ is one of the top birding and hiking areas in North America.  The area has a long history of attracting rare birds. There are nearly 40 year-round resident species of birds and over 150 seasonal birds who use the Ranch as a stop-over on their fly path.

Fire tower manned on top of ridge

See snow in distance? We will be staying near there.

Bonita Canyon Drive to Massai Point

We stayed in an apartment which had a fully equipped kitchen, private bath, and 2 bedrooms.  Had our own sitting area on the porch where we could see all kinds of wildlife.  In the main ranch house there is a common room with a library with research books of history and birding that you could use.  No TVs, no radios, no telephones - just quiet.  The area is also know for its dark sky.  We were at an elevation of 5000 feet.

Our apartment, looking at rhyolite columns in distance

Wild turkeys galore

Puffed up and gobble-gobble noisy

So many deer roaming around

Our first day there, a drive of 3 1/2 hours east and south of Tucson, we stopped at the Chiricahua National Monument Visitor's Center.  There is an unpaved road/mountain road that we could have traveled on to get to Cave Creek on the east side of the mountains,  but the ranger said unless we had high-profile vehicle, not advisable to travel. We did the touristy things - drove to Massai Point which followed the Bonita Canyon Drive east bound up into the mountains.  Grabbed a quick lunch that I had packed, did the looky-looky thing then drove back to the Center and headed back north, then east on I 10 and then south to the other side and on to Cave Creek (Portal) and had another 2 hours drive again. Very windy, and very cold.  Temp was 42 but with the wind chill, FREEZING!! 

Sunset first night - looking back towards Ranch

A Sky Island, the rugged Chiricahua Mountains are home to the greatest diversity of species in all of North America.  Researchers come from all around the world to study and the American Museum of Natural History's Southwestern Research Station is located 4 miles inside the canyon.  The volcanic formations of Cave Creek Canyon are special interest to Geologists while the Chiricahua's were the home of the great Apache chief Cochise and the site of Geronimo's final surrender.

Rental cabin built by CCC in 1930s

We were given a map of birding spots around Portal, some on private land but the owners giving consent to people stopping and watching the birds.  Talk about wildlife - our first morning Dave yelled at me as I was getting out of the shower to take a look out back.  Over a dozen wild turkeys.  We saw deer eating out of the bird feeders, and a resident coatimundi (rare to find in urban areas, but this booger looked tame).  The Ranch puts peanut butter smeared on the trees which attracts the coatimundi, deer, and birds to eat.  Lots of picture taking.

Cave Creek was in back yard

Trail to Vista Point

Can see camper down bottom of trees

People had some serious cameras.  Dave kept saying - look at that camera - had to cost a fortune (20K plus).  My oh my.  Did some pleasant walks/hikes.  Saw waterfalls, had to cross Cave Creek a number of times while driving to different trail heads and points of interest.  Would love to come back in the fall when there many different kinds of birds stopping on their fly path, heading south.

Portal - population 142

How many Ohio plates can you find?

Ranch is 7 miles into this canyon

On way back home we took a different route, traveled to Douglas, then to Bisbee and on to Tombstone to head back to Tucson.  More scenic.  Stopped to take a picture of Geronimo's memorial by the roadside.

Coatimundi

Saw a number of Border Patrol outposts filming/watching the area.  We were very close to Mexico.  Saw the border wall while traveling towards Bisbee.  Big black monolithic structure.  Ugly.  

Border Patrol check points

Geronimo's memorial

Coming up into Bisbee from Douglas