interest. Crowned with forests of pine, fir, and aspen, and graced with springs and creeks, these isolated, lofty ranges are locally known as “sky islands.” Nearly all the sky islands are part of the Coronado National Forest, and many are protected as wilderness areas. The 9157-foot Santa Catalina Mountains are the most accessible of the sky islands, just north of Tucson. Although a paved road leads to the top of the mountain, the western and southern sections are included in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area. The wilderness is a complex maze of deep canyons, creeks, and granite peaks, all laced by a network of trails. East of Tucson, Saguaro National Park contains the Rincon Mountains, an 8664-foot sky island. Both the Santa Catalina Mountains and the Rincon Mountains rise from 3000-foot desert valleys, and the vegetation ranges from classic saguaro cactus to fir, quaking aspen, and spruce.
Along the Super Trail, Santa Rita Mountains, Trip 25
Pinnacles, Chiricahua Mountains
Galiuro Mountains
Probably the least known sky island, the Galiuro Mountains top out at 7663-foot Bassett Peak. Vegetation is primarily high desert grassland and pinyon pine and juniper woodland. A few patches of ponderosa pines occur in protected valleys and on cooler north slopes. Deep canyons are the main feature of the range, and these are protected in the Galiuro Wilderness on the Coronado National Forest, and the Redfield Canyon Wilderness on Bureau of Land Management land. A network of little-used trails covers most of this remote sky island, and there are many possibilities for extended backpack trips into areas that rarely have visitors.
Chiricahua Mountains
The Chiricahua Mountains, another beautiful sky island, are in the southeast corner of the state, north of the town of Douglas. The crest of the Chiricahuas is a series of gentle, forested summits, culminating in 9759-foot Chiricahua Peak. Numerous canyons cut the flanks of the range, creating towering cliffs and dramatic vistas overlooking the 5000-foot valleys. The Chiricahua trail network provides many miles of enjoyable backpacking, from the Chihuahuan desert grasslands in the canyon bottoms, through chaparral brush and pinyon pine and juniper woodland, to graceful forests of Apache pine, quaking aspen, and Douglas-fir along the highest ridges.
Santa Rita Mountains
The prominent summit of 9453-foot Mount Wrightson crowns the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson. This unit of the Coronado National Forest is protected within the Mount Wrightson Wilderness. Because this sky island range is close to the Sierra Madre Mountains of northern Mexico, it forms a haven for rare birds normally seen only south of the international border. Several permanent streams further enhance the wildlife possibilities and contrast with the desert vegetation in the 3000- to 4000-foot valleys flanking the Santa Rita Mountains. Trails run the length of the crest and down the flanking ridges and canyons. Although the range is small, several rewarding overnight trips are possible in the Santa Rita Mountains.
Featured Trips
1 Paria Canyon
MAPS West Clark Bench, Bridger Point, Wrather Arch, Water Pockets, Ferry Swale, Lees Ferry U.S.G.S.
SEASON April–June, Mid-September through October.
BEST April–May, October.
WATER The Paria River generally flows below Buckskin Canyon, but the water is silty and must be filtered. You’ll find several unnamed springs between miles 10 and 25.
PERMITS Required, and a reservation is recommended. Walk-in permits may be available, depending on demand, at the BLM Kanab Field Office or the Paria Information Station at the north trailhead, especially during the off-season (summer and winter).
RULES Campfires are not allowed and all toilet paper must be packed out.
CONTACT For information: Bureau of Land Management, 345 E. Riverside Dr. St. George, UT 84790, http://paria.az.blm.gov; for reservations: Arizona Strip Interpretive Association, 345 E. Riverside Dr., St. George, UT 84790, (435) 688-3246, [email protected]
HIGHLIGHTS Starting just north of the Arizona border in southern Utah, this classic hike takes you through one of the most spectacular sandstone canyons in North America. Surprisingly, the hiking is reasonably easy—it’s the only hike in this book with no elevation gain. A prime feature of this trip, the narrows of Paria Canyon, are 12 miles long, and average 20 to 30 feet wide and more than 500 feet deep. An optional side hike takes you into Buckskin Canyon, which is even narrower.
PROBLEMS Because Paria Canyon is popular, reservations are required for the limited number of permits available during the prime spring and fall seasons. A daily fee is charged for each person and each dog in the party. Although the Paria River is usually less than 1 foot deep, you’ll cross it hundreds of times. You will need a pair of river sandals or other amphibious footwear. Conventional leather hiking boots will be ruined by a trip through Paria Canyon. A hiking stick is useful for maintaining your footing in the silty river.
Because a flash flood would be extremely dangerous in the narrows, and inconvenient elsewhere in the canyon, you must have a stable weather forecast before starting the trip. A storm in the Paria River’s headwaters, completely out of your sight or hearing, can easily send a flash flood through the narrows. Hike the canyon north to south, as presented here, so that your weather forecast is as current as possible for the passage through the narrows from roughly mile 4 to 16. Summer weather can be extremely hot, and during the late fall and winter, the Paria River runs too high and cold to wade. A shuttle is necessary, so contact the BLM for a current list of commercial shuttle operators.
Warning: Before committing to the narrows, be certain you have a stable weather forecast for the Paria watershed, and that the actual weather matches the forecast.
HOW TO GET THERE To reach the starting point at White House Trailhead from Page, drive north 29 miles on U.S. 89 to the BLM ranger station and campground on the left (south) side of the highway. The end point of the trip at Lees Ferry on the Colorado River can be reached from Page by driving 23 miles south on U.S. 89 to Arizona 89A. Turn right (north), and continue 14 miles, across Navajo Bridge, and turn right (northeast) on the road to Lees Ferry, drive 5 miles and park in the west end of the long-term parking lot.
DESCRIPTION As you hike south from the White House Trailhead, the Paria River runs through an open valley, but within a couple of miles the canyon walls begin to close in, soon rising 200 feet above the Paria River bed. The narrows begin at about mile 4, where the canyon walls narrow to 20 to 50 feet. Paria Canyon is now over 400 feet deep. From here to about mile 12, there is no escape from rising water in the event of a flood, and no place to camp.
Backpackers in Paria Canyon
As you continue, the narrows become progressively deeper and more impressive. The Navajo sandstone walls curve overhead, blocking out most
