Aravaipa/1

Dateline: 4 August 2023

Another winter diversion, this time a special two-part report from ‘regionally famous’ Aravaipa Canyon, Arizona. BLM (US government) wilderness land in southeast Arizona, renowned as a year-round stream & rock canyon oasis in what’s essentially the rugged Sonoran-ish desert northeast of Tucson and southeast of Phoenix.

Shot above: unnamed rock formation, probably the eastern edge of the Brandenburg Mountain complex. Shot below: Aravaipa Canyon West Trailhead.

Canyon is accessed by west and east trailheads; west trailhead much closer to both Tucson and Phoenix. Driving time to west trailhead from Tucson Mall area: about 1.5 hours. (About an hour on the highway to the E. Aravaipa Rd turnoff, then 1/2 hr.+ mostly on rough dirt roads; absent crazy weather conditions, ok for passenger cars.) There is an open-air ‘bathroom’ at the trailhead, namely, pit toilet building sans roof.

Hiking or camping (max. 2 nights/3 days) access via permit only. See BLM website for details. Short version: go online to get an inexpensive permit, 3 months ahead of your planned date. Hint: few folks are hiking the canyon in high summer. Shot below – view west back towards trailhead, post-dawn w/ moon, from Aravaipa Creek streambed:

Canyon route has short sections of trail, but otherwise unimproved with many sections requiring stream crossings or stream hiking. Hint: wear close-toed water shoes, or boots/wool socks; sandals are ‘doable’ but there’s a lot of sand & gravel = really unpleasant.

Canyon overall is fairly heavily forested along the water = shady and cool in the morning. (Sunrise in August around 6 AM.) Mid-summer, still warm in the canyon, but much cooler than surrounding desert = good hiking conditions if carrying plenty of water for hydration.

Initial section is a bit flatter; after passing the wilderness boundary, more interesting with rock/canyon walls:

A view showing the very tight transition between stream, riparian vegetation, and desert hillside:

Overall bird activity was “good,” but probably too large an area with too much water/vegetation for concentrated activity. Here are some nice ‘flying way overhead’ bird shots:

For this day hike, the turnaround was the junction for Cave Canyon:

Considering patches of rough terrain + occasional need for bushwacking, Cave Canyon seemed like a reasonable spot for lunch + turnaround. (As mentioned, temps were warm/hot, but manageable.) Better option for enjoying the canyon would be an overnight at least as far as Horse Camp Canyon.