Pima Canyon
Encyclopedia
Pima Canyon is a major canyon located in the Santa Catalina Mountains
, north of Catalina Foothills
and Tucson, Arizona
, USA
. Pusch Ridge
forms the northwestern cliffs of Pima Canyon, dramatically rising from Pima Creek on the canyon floor. Pima Canyon varies greatly in elevation, from 2900 feet (883.9 m) above sea level
at Pima Creek to 6350 feet (1,935.5 m) at Pima Saddle. Mount Kimball is the highest peak in the vicinity of the canyon.
Pima Canyon, which is called a desert riparian
habitat, has good opportunities for birdwatching. Many desert creatures can be seen, the larger of which are jackrabbits, javelina, and desert bighorn sheep
. Because of its proximity to the Tucson metropolitan area, Pima Canyon is described as "overused", especially during the mild local winters. Many varieties of desert plants can be seen along the trail including the ocotillo
, prickly pear
, palo verde
, mesquite
, and the ubiquitous saguaro
.
, the Pima Canyon trailhead can be reached by driving east from Oracle Road (Arizona Highway 77) on Magee Road until it dead ends. From Ina Road, take Christie Drive north until it intersects with Magee and turn right. The Pima Canyon Trail is numbered # 62. The trailhead carries the name Iris O. Dewihirst.
The lower section of the trail, which runs from the trailhead to the lower dam, is 3.2 miles (5.1 km) long. The lowest elevation at the trailhead is 2900 feet (884 m) while the highest elevation at the dam is 3750 feet (1,143 m) according to the Sierra Club. Another calculation of the dam's elevation is 3960 feet (1,207 m) at 32°22′07.3"N 110°54′39.5"W.According to Google Earth, the dam is at 3,960 feet. The trail has a difficulty rating of C and is called a "popular and easy hike". The Sierra Club website estimates that the 6.4 miles (10.3 km) round trip to the lower dam and back can take two and a half hours. Another source states that the round trip is three hours or more. The US Forest Service does not permit dogs or motorized vehicles on the trail.
From the parking lot, the trail heads east toward the mouth of the canyon. Signs indicate that private property surrounds the trail at this point and request that hikers stay on the well-marked trail. After a few minutes, a hiker will come upon a metal sign pointing to the left and indicating that Mount Kimball is 7 miles away. Follow the sign to the left.These statements come from personal observation. The hiker soon enters the canyon and steep rock faces rise on both sides on the canyon. After about 45 minutes from the start, hikers will arrive at a place where there are some cottonwood trees. Another 30 to 40 minutes will bring hikers to the small dam. Nearby, there are potholes in the rock that native Americans used for grinding.
The distance from the dam to Pima Spring is about 2 miles (3.2 km). The trail gets steeper and more difficult in this stretch. The round trip hike to Pima Spring is considered a "nice day hike" as an alternative to the full seven miles to Mount Kimball. From Pima Spring to Mount Kimball, the trail is very steep and hard to follow. There is a metal sign that points to Pima Saddle, which is on the crest of Pusch Ridge. The hike to the Pima Saddle and back is said to take eight or more hours.
From Pima Saddle, the trail is faint and hikers must keep an eye out for cairns. The view from Mount Kimball is said to be spectacular. The roundtrip distance from trailhead to Mount Kimball is said to be 14.2 miles (22.9 km) and the elevation gain is about 4500 feet (1,372 m). The US Forest Service website notes that the trail is 8.6 miles (13.8 km) one-way in length. Near Mount Kimball, trail # 62 intersects with the Finger Rock Trail # 42.
Significant peaks can be seen along the trail, including Rosewood Point at 4300 feet (1,311 m), Prominent Point at 6700 feet (2,042 m), and Mount Kimball at 7255 feet (2,211 m) on the southeast (right) side of the canyon. On the northwest (left) side of the canyon lie Pusch Peak at 5362 feet (1,634 m), Bighorn Mountain at 5600 feet (1,707 m), Table Mountain 6200 feet (1,890 m), and the Wolf's Teeth.
Santa Catalina Mountains
The Santa Catalina Mountains, commonly referred to as the Catalina Mountains, are located north, and northeast of Tucson, Arizona, United States, on Tucson's north perimeter. The mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area, with the highest average elevation...
, north of Catalina Foothills
Catalina Foothills, Arizona
Catalina Foothills is a census-designated place located north of Tucson in Pima County, Arizona, United States. Situated in the southern foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Catalina Foothills had a population of 53,794 at the 2000 census...
and Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Pusch Ridge
Pusch Ridge
Pusch Ridge is the most prominent feature in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area of the Santa Catalina Mountains, located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, in the United States.-History:...
forms the northwestern cliffs of Pima Canyon, dramatically rising from Pima Creek on the canyon floor. Pima Canyon varies greatly in elevation, from 2900 feet (883.9 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
at Pima Creek to 6350 feet (1,935.5 m) at Pima Saddle. Mount Kimball is the highest peak in the vicinity of the canyon.
Geography
The source of Pima Creek is located below the Pima Saddle, which is at an elevation of 6350 feet (1,935 m). The distance from the Pima Canyon Trailhead to the Pima Saddle is about 5 miles (8 km).This was measured on Google Earth. The creek flows intermittently throughout the year, usually after substantial rain or snow melt in the Santa Catalina Mountains.Pima Canyon, which is called a desert riparian
Riparian zone
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen terrestrial biomes of the earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks are called riparian vegetation, characterized by...
habitat, has good opportunities for birdwatching. Many desert creatures can be seen, the larger of which are jackrabbits, javelina, and desert bighorn sheep
Desert Bighorn Sheep
The Desert Bighorn Sheep is a subspecies of Bighorn Sheep that occurs in the desert Southwest regions of the United States and in the northern regions of Mexico. The trinomial of this species commemorates the American naturalist Edward William Nelson...
. Because of its proximity to the Tucson metropolitan area, Pima Canyon is described as "overused", especially during the mild local winters. Many varieties of desert plants can be seen along the trail including the ocotillo
Ocotillo
Fouquieria splendens Engelm. is a desert plant of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Common names include ocotillo, desert coral, coachwhip, Jacob's staff, and vine cactus, although it is not a true cactus...
, prickly pear
Opuntia
Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
, palo verde
Parkinsonia aculeata
Parkinsonia aculeata is a species of perennial flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. Common names include palo verde, Mexican palo verde, Parkinsonia, Jerusalem thorn, and jelly bean tree.-Etymology:...
, mesquite
Mesquite
Mesquite is a leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in northern Mexico through the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Deserts, and up into the Southwestern United States as far north as southern Kansas, west to the Colorado Desert in California,and east to the eastern fifth of Texas, where...
, and the ubiquitous saguaro
Saguaro
The saguaro is a large, tree-sized cactus species in the monotypic genus Carnegiea. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in the U.S. state of Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, a small part of Baja California in the San Felipe Desert and an extremely small area of California, U.S...
.
Pima Canyon Trail
From Oro ValleyOro Valley, Arizona
Oro Valley, incorporated in 1974, is a suburban town located north of Tucson, Arizona, USA in Pima County. According to a July 2008 estimate, the population of the town is 43,223, an increase from 29,700 in 2000 Oro Valley, incorporated in 1974, is a suburban town located north of Tucson,...
, the Pima Canyon trailhead can be reached by driving east from Oracle Road (Arizona Highway 77) on Magee Road until it dead ends. From Ina Road, take Christie Drive north until it intersects with Magee and turn right. The Pima Canyon Trail is numbered # 62. The trailhead carries the name Iris O. Dewihirst.
The lower section of the trail, which runs from the trailhead to the lower dam, is 3.2 miles (5.1 km) long. The lowest elevation at the trailhead is 2900 feet (884 m) while the highest elevation at the dam is 3750 feet (1,143 m) according to the Sierra Club. Another calculation of the dam's elevation is 3960 feet (1,207 m) at 32°22′07.3"N 110°54′39.5"W.According to Google Earth, the dam is at 3,960 feet. The trail has a difficulty rating of C and is called a "popular and easy hike". The Sierra Club website estimates that the 6.4 miles (10.3 km) round trip to the lower dam and back can take two and a half hours. Another source states that the round trip is three hours or more. The US Forest Service does not permit dogs or motorized vehicles on the trail.
From the parking lot, the trail heads east toward the mouth of the canyon. Signs indicate that private property surrounds the trail at this point and request that hikers stay on the well-marked trail. After a few minutes, a hiker will come upon a metal sign pointing to the left and indicating that Mount Kimball is 7 miles away. Follow the sign to the left.These statements come from personal observation. The hiker soon enters the canyon and steep rock faces rise on both sides on the canyon. After about 45 minutes from the start, hikers will arrive at a place where there are some cottonwood trees. Another 30 to 40 minutes will bring hikers to the small dam. Nearby, there are potholes in the rock that native Americans used for grinding.
The distance from the dam to Pima Spring is about 2 miles (3.2 km). The trail gets steeper and more difficult in this stretch. The round trip hike to Pima Spring is considered a "nice day hike" as an alternative to the full seven miles to Mount Kimball. From Pima Spring to Mount Kimball, the trail is very steep and hard to follow. There is a metal sign that points to Pima Saddle, which is on the crest of Pusch Ridge. The hike to the Pima Saddle and back is said to take eight or more hours.
From Pima Saddle, the trail is faint and hikers must keep an eye out for cairns. The view from Mount Kimball is said to be spectacular. The roundtrip distance from trailhead to Mount Kimball is said to be 14.2 miles (22.9 km) and the elevation gain is about 4500 feet (1,372 m). The US Forest Service website notes that the trail is 8.6 miles (13.8 km) one-way in length. Near Mount Kimball, trail # 62 intersects with the Finger Rock Trail # 42.
Significant peaks can be seen along the trail, including Rosewood Point at 4300 feet (1,311 m), Prominent Point at 6700 feet (2,042 m), and Mount Kimball at 7255 feet (2,211 m) on the southeast (right) side of the canyon. On the northwest (left) side of the canyon lie Pusch Peak at 5362 feet (1,634 m), Bighorn Mountain at 5600 feet (1,707 m), Table Mountain 6200 feet (1,890 m), and the Wolf's Teeth.
Pima Canyon Trail Photos
| Approach to Pima Canyon | Tucson Range from Pima Canyon | Mouth of Pima Canyon | Pusch Peak from Pima Canyon |
| First Trail-Canyon Crossing | Fourth Trail-Canyon Crossing | Pima Canyon Lower Dam | Pima Canyon Gila Monster |