Our trek through the Sonoran Desert have been great so far. But before we continue our nomadic experience, we need a break to visit family and get some needed repairs on the camper (don’t ask). There are so many things to do in the Tucson and Phoenix area that we didn’t get to do during our first swing through. Fortunately (?) our family visit is almost exactly between the two. So we took advantage of our down time to take a few day trips and hit some of the things we missed the first time around.
Biosphere 2
Our first stop is Biosphere 2. This is an Earth system science research facility in Oracle, about 30 miles northeast of Tucson. Biosphere 2 was originally meant to demonstrate the viability of closed ecological systems to support and maintain human life in outer space. Biosphere 2 was only used twice for its original intended purposes: once from 1991 to 1993, and the second time from March to September 1994. Both attempts ran into problems. The managing company dissolved in the middle of the second experiment, leaving the facility in limbo. Columbia University assumed management of the facility in 1995 and used it to run experiments until 2003. It then looked in danger of being demolished to make way for housing and retail stores, but was taken over for research by the University of Arizona in 2007.
Inside there are 5 different biomes ranging from a desert to a rain forest to an ocean. The U of A uses the Biosphere as a research and teaching center, conducting experiments on how the changing climate affects earth’s different ecological systems. It remains the largest closed system ever created.
Instead of a tour guide, we downloaded an app allowing us to do a self-guided tour through the facility. The tour was really quite fascinating. Just be prepared to do a bit of walking and climb some stairs.
If you go, stop at the Oracle Patio Cafe afterward for a bite. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but don’t let that stop you from walking in. The staff is fast and friendly. The menu is deliciously unique and the food is made from scratch. The best part is the desserts. The pies, pastries, and cakes are made from scratch daily. I had the key lime pie. That was in the top 2 or 3 I’ve had anywhere – and I’ve had a lot (insert fat joke here). This place is definitely worth a repeat visit.
Tucson Mountain Park and Gates Pass
Our second visit to the Tucson/Phoenix area allowed us to get in some more hikes. Adjacent to the south of the western area of Saguaro National park is Tuscon Mountain Park with 62 miles of trails. Gates Pass Road runs through the middle of the park. It’s a narrow, twisting, turning road through scenic Gates Pass of the Tucson Mountains. There’s a scenic overlook near the highest point of the pass with some spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. Even if you don’t want to do any hiking, Gates Pass Road is worth the drive.
We hiked down the Gates Pass Trail from the scenic parking area to the desert floor. It was an interesting walk through a changing desert landscape. The scenery went from mostly cholla and saguaro near the top transitioning to predominately creosote and palo verde trees at the bottom. There are other shorter trails off the parking lot to some nearby peaks offering some outstanding views.
South Mountain
Near Phoenix is the South Mountain Park and Preserve, one of the largest municipal parks in the country. The park has 58 miles of trails to hike or bike. If hiking or biking is outside your level of ambition, nearby Ponderosa Stables offers horseback riding through the park. Or you can just drive to Dobbins Lookout at the top for some exceptional views of downtown Phoenix, especially at sunset. You can get a good overview of the park at the South Mountain Environmental Education Center, near the park entrance. We took the Kiwanis Trail to the Telegraph Pass Lookout tower. There were some nice views of Phoenix from here, too, especially as we neared the top. With its proximity to Phoenix, the park and trail is much more crowded than we are used to.
Afterwards, we stopped at Andy’s in Mesa for a frozen custard and put back on all those calories we just burned off.
Sabino Canyon Recreation Area
With soaring mountains and deep canyons, the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area draws over a million visitors a year. It doesn’t hurt that it’s so close to Tucson in the Coronado National Forest. Located at the base of Santa Catalina Mountains, there are 30 miles of trails through the area. In addition, you can access trails that lead deeper into the Santa Catalina backcountry. A tram runs form the visitor center to access the various trailheads, unless you have the energy to hike the extra couple miles. There are several shorter trail loops that begin and end around the visitor’s center.
Seven Falls
One of the most popular trails in the recreation area is the Seven Falls Trail. It meanders up through Bear Canyon along the Sabino Creek for three miles to a surreal set of waterfalls that cascade into large pools. The trail crosses the creek several times along the way. As you near the waterfalls the trail turns to switchbacks, before the falls finally reveal themselves around a bend in the canyon. The views are stunning. Water cascades down the granite cliffs into clear pools that you can relax around, and swim or wade into. Due to winter snow melt, gentle winter rains, and a dramatic summer monsoon, water is flowing over the falls and into Sabino Creek almost year round. I can see why it’s a popular hike.
Casa Grande Mountain Park
The Casa Grande Mountain trails system started by hikers and bicyclists who were creating their own trails and routes on the mountain. Because the popularity of these trails increased, the City’s Parks and Recreation Department developed a more organized trail system to protect the desert landscape. Casa Grande Mountain is now home to more than 17 miles of established and marked trails. At its highest point the mountain reaches an elevation of 2,538 ft. and provides unparalleled views of the surrounding mountain ranges and valley. We started at the Arica Road Trailhead, taking the Spine Trail to Ridge Trail. We then walked up the Ridge Trail to the top of a small peak overlooking the valley and a view of Picacho Peak. Afterwards, we followed the Ridge Trail to the other side of the Spine Trail, looping back to the parking lot. Along the trails we found some painted rocks. It almost turned into a Easter egg hunt. Casa Grande Mountain Park doesn’t have the incredible views or extensive trail network that other parks have. However, it has quality hiking that doesn’t require an hour’s drive.
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge
Our trailer is fixed (finally!), our visit with family is over and we’re back to our nomadic ways. We found a place to set up camp for a few days on Palm Canyon Road, just outside Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. The area encompasses over 500,000 acres of pristine desert and low, rugged mountains with thousands more on the BLM land just outside. There’s quite a bit of space here but the best part is there are only about 5 campers here. We pretty much have the place to ourselves with an unspoiled view of the nearby mountains. As an added bonus, we are over an hour away from any city lights so the night skies are absolutely brilliant.
A bit of history: The Boy Scouts petitioned the US government to set aside this area to protect the declining population of big horn sheep. After two yeas of campaigning, the Kofa Game Range was established in 1939. Conservation efforts have continued throughout the years except during World War II when tanks and infantry under General George S. Patton used the area to trained for battle. Despite several clean-ups, you can still find unexploded ordinances around. Bighorn sheep and Sonoran pronghorn population have rebounded over the years in the Kofa and Castle Dome mountains in recent years. We weren’t lucky enough to see any, though.
Hiking
Palm Canyon Trail
Hiking is a favorite pastime in Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, even though it technically has only one designated trail: Palm Canyon Trail. The California fan palm is the only palm tree native to Arizona. The small, scattered clusters of palms in Palm Canyon attract hundreds of visitors each year. The palms seem unnatural in the desert landscape. The survival of these trees is directly dependent on the microclimate in this protected canyon. They are only able to live in the narrow side canyons where direct sunshine is limited and moisture is available. This is the last significant location in Arizona where palm trees grow in their natural habitat. The trail is easy to follow, but is rough most of the way due to large rocks and some steeper sections. There is an unofficial scramble up the narrow canyon the leads to the palms but that is quite steep and rugged. We took the trail further up into the canyon for some more fantastic views. It’s not a particularly long hike and it’s worth the drive down the gravel road to check it out.
Kofa Queen Canyon
Near the Palm Canyon Trail is a OHV road leading to the Kofa Queen Canyon. We took a drive down it part way to have a look. The scenery here is spectacular and the traveling is fairly easy to begin with but gets narrower and rougher as you approach the canyon. After reaching the first rock formation, the trail enters Kofa Queen Canyon and the roadway becomes fairly rough with boulders and ruts. Much of the road was up the dry creek bed with some larger rocks to avoid. This is where we got out and walked. I decided the bushes and palo verde trees had done enough damage to the finish of my truck.
The road eventually comes to a fork, and Skull Rock is right there at the junction. Going further along the main canyon would bring you to Kofa Queen Mine two miles farther out, south of the road. Taking the other fork would bring you to Cereus Tank and Tunnel Mine. We did neither. Instead we headed back to the truck and home for dinner.
Horse Tanks
This hike can be as long or as short as you want if you have a high clearance vehicle. The tanks lie at the end of a 3 mile OHV road. We hiked in from the main road because, well, we needed the exercise and the walk up the road was very scenic.
My first thoughts when I read about this hike was of human manufactured, metal tanks built by ranchers for their horses in the desert. I was wrong (I know, big surprise). Tanks in the desert are natural depressions that collect rain water. In Kofa the many tanks provide a vital source of drinking water to wildlife during the long dry spells. The tanks in this area have been enhanced by concrete spillways added by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to increase the amount of water captured during periods of rain. Once we arrived at the end of the road, it was just a short hike up some rocks to some tanks. There are at least 8 – 10 more tanks here if you’re adventurous enough to scramble up several waterfalls, rocks and traverses.
Mines
There are a couple old gold mines at the end of the King Valley Road so we decided to take a look. After a loooong, bumpy drive on a dirt road, we came to the base of some beautiful mountains where the mines are located.
King of Arizona Mine
Before Charles E. Eichelberger discovered gold in 1896, few people ventured into what would become the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. The discovery of gold lead to several mines springing up in the area, the most famous of which was the “King of Arizona Mine.” Workers stamped mine property with the initials “K of A” which ended up giving the mountains their name. The King of Arizona Mine wasn’t as successful as some others in the state, but it produced enough gold and silver during its heyday that a town of about 300 sprung up to support it. The mine sits on private land with ‘No Trespassing’ signs all around it so we couldn’t check it out. We did, however, get close enough to get pictures from a distance.
North Star Mine
Continuing up the road, you see the remnants of what once was the North Star Mine. The town of Polaris was settled at the base of Polaris mountain to support the workers of the North Star Mine. Town of Polaris. . . North Star Mine. . . Clever. The mine and town only existed from 1909 to 1914. But in those five years as many as 2000 people lived and worked here. Polaris even had its own post office.
There are some mine shafts that you could still get into but with warnings of bats and some type of fungus, we didn’t venture in.
Lake Havasu City
We took a break from hiking and took a day trip up to Lake Havasu City to grab some supplies and check out the famed London Bridge. The bridge was originally built in the 1830s over the River Thames in London. By 1962, the bridge was not sound enough to support the increased traffic load so it was dismantled and sold by the City of London. Enter Robert P. McCulloch. McCulloch was trying to develop a retirement community in Arizona near a man-made reservoir. But because the the land was far from population centers and had a hot, arid climate, he couldn’t bring in many buyers. McColloch’s real estate agents convince him to purchase the bridge and bring it to his planned community to draw tourists and retirement home buyers to the area. The bridge’s facing stones were disassembled, and each was numbered and then reassembled here in Lake Havasu City. His gamble paid off as land sales improved dramatically and the city is now a hot spot for retirees and spring break crowds.
Another phenomenon brought from Europe with the bridge is the tradition of love locks. The idea is simple: a couple crosses the bridge and puts a padlock on a section of the chainlink fence. The lock represents their love, and it will stay there for all of eternity. They then dramatically hurl the keys to the lock into the body of water under the bridge, make out a bit and then they leave. We first ran into this while we were in Italy. The practice supposedly began when a Hungarian woman lost her lover during World War I and started fixing padlocks on bridges where they used to meet. It was her way of expressing that her love was unbreakable. Soon, the trend caught on and became a tradition not only in Hungary but also in other parts of the world. Nothing says true love like a rusty padlock on a bridge.
There are plenty of places to grab a bite nearby taking advantage of the bridge’s notoriety. We had lunch at Burgers by the Bridge near the base of the bridge. I had a western burger 1/2 pound well seasoned burger topped with a fried onion ring, bacon, cheese and a tasty BBQ sauce. Cathy had the fish tacos. She said they had a great balance of flavors. Great place to eat and people watch from the patio. Highly recommended.
Moving On
It’s time to leave the saguaros and the Sonoran Desert and head to the yuccas and Joshua trees of the Mojave desert. The plan is to spend some time in the Mojave National Preserve and Death Valley National Park. The only thing that may change that is the heat at Death Valley. Check in here and see how we made out.
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