Backpacking Arizona. Bruce Grubbs
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partially in the White Mountain Apache Reservation, and partially within the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Several wilderness areas in the White Mountain region protect heavily forested 11,000-foot mountains, as well as semidesert canyons at elevations below 5000 feet. The area of most appeal to backpackers is the Blue Range Primitive Area, known locally as the “Blue.” This wild area straddles the Mogollon Rim east of the White Mountains.
The Mogollon Rim is split by the mile-deep canyon created by the Blue River, which drains south into the San Francisco River. West of the Blue River canyon the Mogollon Rim culminates at 9355-foot Blue Peak. 8000-foot mountains and plateaus rise along the Mogollon Rim east of the Blue River. Miles of seldom-used trails trace the Blue backcountry. In the 1930s, the Blue was one of the first wilderness areas protected by the U.S. Forest Service under the inspired leadership of Aldo Leopold. In 1964, Congress passed the Wilderness Act, which included most of the Forest Service wilderness areas in the new National Wilderness Preservation System. The Forest Service designated the remaining administratively protected areas as primitive areas to distinguish them from Congressionally protected wilderness. In the years since, Congress has protected all the remaining primitive areas as wilderness areas, except one: the Blue. The administrative protection of the Blue by the U.S. Forest Service can be rescinded at any time. Even the small section of the Blue in New Mexico is protected as wilderness. Wilderness enthusiasts hope the Arizona section of the Blue will be added soon—it certainly deserves wilderness protection.
Central Mountains
All of Arizona south and west of the Mogollon Rim is part of the basin and range geologic province, in which small, separate north-south trending mountain ranges rise above intervening valleys. A rugged complex of mountains and deep valleys characterize the central mountains, the area immediately south of the Mogollon Rim. This vast area, mostly contained in the Tonto National Forest, contains a variety of terrain from desert canyons to forested plateaus and mountains.
Mazatzal Mountains
The Mazatzal Mountains, one of the largest and highest ranges in the central mountains, reaches 7903 feet at Mazatzal Peak. The Verde River, Arizona’s only Wild and Scenic River and home to desert bald eagles, flows along the west side of the Mazatzal Wilderness Area. The crest of the Mazatzal Mountains is formed by a giant, tilted fault block of metamorphic rocks. This geology creates steep escarpments on the east, where water from the canyons drain into Tonto Creek. The west slopes are gentler, but are cut by deep, rugged canyons which empty into the Verde River at elevations around 2000 feet. The area is protected within the Mazatzal Wilderness, part of the Tonto National Forest. A network of trails covers the wilderness and provides the backpacker with a plethora of excellent wilderness trips from forested crest to desert plains.
Superstition Mountains
The Superstition Mountains, located at the southwestern edge of the central mountains, are mostly volcanic in character, the apparent remnants of a gigantic caldera. Local hikers fondly refer to the range as the “Sups.” The western canyons and mountains of the Sups are part of the Sonoran Desert, and range from 2000 to 5000 feet in elevation. Desert shrubs, cactus, and grasslands are the primary vegetation in this western region. The eastern end of the Superstition Mountains features a metamorphic geology of largely granitic rocks. Elevations are higher in the eastern Sups, and the terrain is mostly covered with high desert grassland, chaparral brush, and pinyon pine and juniper woodland. A few pockets of stately ponderosa pines favor cool canyon bottoms and north slopes. Mound Mountain is the highest point in the Sups, at 6266 feet. The Superstition Wilderness Area encompasses nearly the entire range. Though relatively small, the wilderness is rugged and includes a thorough network of trails. This creates opportunities for a variety of backpack trips of several days.
SKY ISLANDS
Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains
Arizona’s basin and range country culminates in southeastern Arizona, where the mountain ranges reach as high as 10,700 feet. In the broad valleys separating the ranges, the Sonoran Desert of southwestern Arizona meets the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico, creating a mix of desert vegetation. But to the backpacker, the mountain ranges are of greatest 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