In our continued effort to get to know Tucson a little better, we spent last Saturday hiking at Sabino Canyon. Only a 15 minute drive from our house, Sabino Canyon is a beautiful mix of desert and mountain landscape. Nestled between the cottonwoods and pine trees are an array of desert vegetation -- Sabino Canyon is as diverse as it is fascinating (at least that's what the Web site says).
After we took the shuttle bus us the canyon, we jumped off at stop four and started our hiking experience. Here's Shelby, looking cool in her shades, running around a bit. Notice the beautiful behind her.
Daddy and Shelby posing for the camera. Because it's monsoon season here in Tucson, the water in the creek/river is higher than usual. As we crossed each bridge, we had to wade through water. We weren't complaining as it was super hot and the water was quite refreshing.
Here's Shelby and I at one of those crossings. Notice she's happily sloshing through. I think the water play was her favorite part.
And then here's a shot of her making watery footprints after we made it through the creek.So here's the information on Sabino Canyon. According to SabinoCanyon.com, the Santa Catalina mountain range began its formation some 12 million years ago. Plant life first appeared around 6000 and 8000 years ago, and some of the earliest occupants of Sabino Canyon were the Hohokam people.
An earthquake centered in northern Mexico in 187 dislodged an array of massive boulders lining the canyon walls, which crashed down and came to rest in the valley below. In 1905, the Forest Service was first created and began overseeing Sabino Canyon and during the Great Depression, the bridges over Sabino Creek and the Sabino Dam were constructed .
The first trams in Sabino Canyon started operating in 1978 and from then on the access to Upper Sabino Canyon was restricted to foot, bicycle or tram.
Along the way, you may cross paths with some of the following wildlife inhabiting Sabino Canyon during your visit and will most likely spot something of interest in your travels. We saw tons of lizards (big, little, fat and skinny) and the cutest little bunny. If you go, you're likely to see roadrunners, javelinas, tarantulas, white tail deers, so many snakes and even mountain lions!
