05 Dec Hiking around Tucson
Thursday Nov 2 2023
Later that week, I took myself all the way to the top of Mount Lemmon to the very end of the road. The tiny ski village town had multiple restaurants and tons of hikers, tourists, and residents bustling about.
I parked at the Marshall Gulch Recreation Area and began my 4 mile loop around the outer edge of Mount Lemmon, circling Marshall Peak. The trail climbed through a recent burn scar leaving the undergrowth open and golden with the autumn season. Aspens glowed and the trail offered excellent views of the greater Tuscan area.
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- The epic road to the top of Mount Lemmon!
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- Marshall Gulch hike at the top of Mount Lemmon
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- Still finding some fall colors up there!
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- Awesome views of the Tucson valley!
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- The burn scar of Marshall Peak
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- Beautiful colors through the last of the season’s foliage
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- The loop trail provided so many views of the valley
Friday November 3 2023
The hikes continued the following day with Aaron and I checking out the eastern Saguaro National Park. We chose a looping trail and began early to beat the desert heat of midday. The mesquite trees were fluorescent green in the 8am sunlight, and of course there were endless giant saguaro cacti.
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- Beautiful morning hike in Saguaro National Park
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- Starting the loop hike around 8am
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- Mountains and so many saguaros!
The hike had just enough elevation gain to make it worth our while, providing sweeping views of the mountains all around. We finished the 5-mile loop in a little less than 2 hours, and got back to the van sweaty and happy with our first visit to Saguaro National Park!
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- Saguaros and mountains – perfect Tucson views!
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