ARIZONA TRAIL RINCON VALLEY PASSAGE 8

ARIZONA TRAIL RINCON VALLEY PASSAGE #8

Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead to Colossal Cave Mountain Park

Cienega Creek is a reliable water source

Also known as the "three bridges" section, Passage 8 of state-traversing Arizona Trail winds through a swath of desert south of Tucson.  Although it's one of the shortest and easiest of the 43 passages that comprise the 817-mile trail, this 14.8-mile trek is special because it's home to the first stands of saguaro cactuses encountered when hiking the trail from south-to-north. The hike begins at the Gabe Zimmerman trailhead with a contemplative stroll around memorials to the victims of the January 2011 Tucson shooting that wounded Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. From here, the route descends into Davidson Canyon and the fringes of Cienega Creek Natural Preserve where perennial waters and shady cottonwoods make for a popular camping and water stocking spot. (Note: if you want to leave the trail and explore around the creek, permits are required. See link below.) Beyond the creek, the trail roams under and around three railroad trestle bridges then heads north into Colossal Cave Mountain Park.  The privately operated park offers camping, water and tours of subterranean limestone caverns and is a good turnaround point for a day hike. The passage continues on to Hope Camp at the border of Saguaro National Park where you can continue north to Utah or hike three miles west to the nearest car shuttle location at the Loma Alta trailhead.

One of the "three bridges"

LENGTH: 4.7 miles to Colossal Cave

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 3098' - 3650'

Arizona Trail heading into the Rincon Mountains

Gabe Zimmerman trailhead

GETTING THERE: Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead:

From Phoenix, go south on I10, take exit 281 in Tucson, go 3 miles southeast, then north on the frontage road (Marsh Station Road) to the trailhead on the right.

INFO & MAPS: Arizona Trail Association

http://www.aztrail.org/passages/pass_08.html

Colossal Cave Mountain Park: 520-647-7275

http://www.colossalcave.com/welcome.html

CIENEGA CREEK NATURAL PRESERVE: 520-877-6158

http://webcms.pima.gov/cms/one.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=1515

COLOSSAL CAVE

COLOSSAL CAVE LADDER TOUR Colossal Cave Mountain Park, Tucson Guided tours of Colossal Cave are offered to the public several times each day except on major holidays when the park is closed. Entrance to the cave is by guided tour ONLY. The easy, basic tour takes about 45 minutes. The more difficult “Ladder Tour” (1.5 hours) and the “Wild Cave Tour” (3 hours) require reservations. Both tours require hikers to be in good physical condition and able to climb narrow, vertical ladders. Participants are required to wear helmets with headlamps that are provided by the park and must be able to maneuver through some tight spaces and walk on narrow ledges with deep drop-offs. A tour through the “dry” cave includes visits to a series of “rooms” with names like “Crystal Forest”, “Silent Waterfall” and the “Kingdom of the Elves” that lend a sense of wonder to the limestone chambers of stalactites, stalagmites and bizarre water-borne rock formations. LENGTH: 1 mile underground RATING: fun ELEVTION CHANGE: 50 feet FEES: visit the Web site for current fees and tour information. GETTING THERE: From Phoenix, take I-10 south past downtown Tucson to exit 279 (Vail/Wentworth exit) and follow the signs for about 7 miles to the park. (16721 Old Spanish Trail, Vail, AZ 85641) INFORMATION: www.colossalcave.com or (520) 647-7275