Since our first trip to Sabino Canyon in December 1994, we’ve just kept returning. We were amazed that this lovely canyon and rugged country existed literally minutes away from the city of Tucson. The beauty and variety of desert flora and fauna found here are hard to beat. Sabino Canyon's been in the news lately because several mountain lions were spotted here. The canyon was closed for 3 weeks starting March 9th. The original plan was for the Department of Game and Fish to track and kill the lions. They believed it was inevitable that a lion versus human encounter would occur in this highly used area. This caused a major outcry from a segment of the public, conservation groups, and Governor Janet Napolitano. As a result, the Forest Service decided instead to capture the lions. An 80-pound female mountain lion was captured on April 9th near a deer kill, and permanently relocated to an animal rehab facility. Controversy prevails about what to do next. Although the park is open, some believe the remaining lions should be eliminated from the area, while others favor barring humans and turning Sabino Canyon into a wildlife refuge. The Forest Service wants to hear from the public. If you have any good ideas or strong opinions, write them to comments-southwestern-coronado-santa-catalina@fs.fed.us . The landscape of the canyon is captivating. It features steep, rugged cliffs, foothills, and lush riparian habitat all along the creek and around Sabino Lake. No private vehicles are allowed on the paved road that goes up the canyon and crosses Sabino Creek nine times on rustic stone bridges. But you can take a shuttle. Many prefer to walk part or all of the way, and your shuttle ticket allows you to get off and re-board as many times as you want. For shuttle fee information and much more, go to the Forest Service website.
Last year, we took a short loop hike past the old stone Sabino Dam before catching the shuttle the rest of the way up the canyon. At the end of the shuttle route, we usually hike a ways up the Sabino Canyon Trail, which quickly gains enough elevation to give us spectacular views of the canyon. This trail is an access trail to the more extensive Santa Catalina trail system. There are numerous other trails, including the Phoneline Trail, that parallels the road up high across the ridge, the Esperero Trail to Bird Canyon and Esperero Canyon, and the Bear Canyon Trail to Seven Falls. The Visitor Center provides a good introduction to the area, and the Bajada Loop Trail, a short self-guided nature trail that starts at the Visitor Center, gives information about the desert plants you will find here.