KEY INFO
LOCATION Saguaro National Park to Italian Trap
DISTANCE 21.6 miles one-way
DAY-TRIP OPTION See turnaround note in the trail description.
SHUTTLE RECOMMENDATION Not applicable
DIFFICULTY Moderate to difficult
LAND MANAGERS Coronado National Forest, Santa Catalina Ranger District, www.fs.usda.gov/coronado, 520-749-8700; Saguaro National Park, nps.gov/sagu, 520-733-5158
RECOMMENDED MONTHS March–November
GATEWAY COMMUNITY See Tucson.
GEOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS See “The Mighty Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains”.
Saguaro National Park is home to the richest stands of saguaro cactus anywhere in the world, and you’ll travel beneath these giant sentinels of the desert for the first few miles of this passage. If you’re here in early summer you may be treated to their brilliant white blooms—the Arizona state flower—which attract nighttime pollinators to sip sweet nectar from the tops of the tall cacti. If pollinated, the saguaro produce ruby-red fruits in June that sustain almost every desert critter. A staple food source for native people, saguaro fruit is still harvested in the traditional way by the Tohono O’odham.
In addition to the saguaro forests at lower elevations, Saguaro National Park also contains high-elevation peaks where deep snow might cover the mountaintops four months of the year. Like the state of Arizona, this passage offers up diversity that you have to see (and hear and smell and feel) in order to believe.
Because the pine–fir forest community atop the Rincon Mountains is similar to forests of southern Canada, the 20.5-mile traverse of the park, including a 6,169-foot climb to the high point of Passage 9, at 8,602 feet, features the botanical equivalent of a 5,000-mile walk to Canada and back. Adventurers on the Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) will pass through six distinct biotic communities, each occupying a certain elevation range: desert scrub, desert grassland, oak woodland, pine–oak woodland, pine forest, and mixed-conifer forest. This variety of biomes supports 986 different species of plants.
Saguaro National Park prohibits backcountry camping and requires permits and reservations for overnight stays. Call or visit Saguaro National Park’s East Visitor Center to get a permit. Same-day walk-in permits are issued before noon, depending on availability. The campgrounds rarely fill during the week. To guarantee a spot, you may request a permit up to two months in advance. Some thru-hikers purchase permits for multiple days around their anticipated stay in the park to ensure that they have a permit should their trip plans change.
The banded gneiss of the Rincon Mountains is visible throughout Passage 9.
From Hope Camp the trail heads north for 0.5 mile to the beginning of the Quilter Trail, which heads north-northeast to a sharp right turn at mile 1.2. It goes east across more-or-less level terrain until mile 1.4 where it crosses a drainage, goes over a slight rise to another drainage, and then begins its relentless ascent toward the summit of Mica Mountain. Trail aficionados will appreciate the impressive rock work that makes this trail sustainable (and possible!) up the slopes of this rugged range. Flecks of mica, a naturally occurring mineral, adorn the trail, sparkling like tiny mirrors in the sunlight.
It’s a tough slog up the steep terrain, dipping in and out of small drainages, and the views to the south improve with every foot of elevation you gain. At mile 5.3 the trail joins the Manning Camp Trail about 1.5 miles north of the Madrona Ranger Station (closed) and turns left (north) to continue its ascent.
TURNAROUND NOTE: Day-hikers attempting an out-and-back of this challenging passage will want to turn around near the junction with the Manning Camp Trail or Grass Shack Campground.
To continue on this passage, follow to where the AZT passes a trail junction at mile 7.6 and drops a bit into Grass Shack Campground, which has three campsites (permit required), an outhouse, and seasonal water in Chimenea Creek. From Grass Shack the trail climbs 2,657 feet through changing terrain and plant communities en route to Manning Camp. The trail follows a ridgeline between Chimenea and Madrona Canyons. Stay left at a trail junction about 3.5 miles from the campground, and continue across Chimenea Creek and up to Manning Camp at mile 12.8.
Manning Camp has six tent sites (permit required). A faucet with seasonal running water is on the east side of the main ranger building; the Park Service recommends treating the water before using it. The campground also has an outhouse.
To continue on the AZT, turn right (east) from the junction at mile 12.9 and follow the Mica Mountain Trail. Numerous trails loop through this area, and GPS users will appreciate having the track loaded in their unit as they make their way through here. Trail users without GPS receivers can stay on course by heading northeast along the creekbed, avoiding side trails, for approximately 0.7 mile to the Spud Rock Trail junction, and then turning right onto the North Slope Trail. At mile 13.6, turn 90 degrees to the left (north) onto the North Slope Trail, which descends steeply through switch-backs to approximately mile 15, where it levels somewhat and fades among the remnants of a forest fire.
Trail users without GPS units can stay on course by heading northeast along the creekbed, avoiding side trails, for approximately 0.7 mile. At the T-intersection, turn right (east) for a short distance, then left (north) on a trail toward Italian Spring. Follow metal markers on trees past a flat point that offers sweeping views to the east. The trail then bends back to the left (northwest) and continues descending on switchbacks.
Follow cairns when the trees become sparse as you descend into the high desert. Pass through a fence at mile 19.2 and continue downhill for approximately 2.8 miles, passing occasional cairns.
Cross the broad sandy Tanque Verde Wash (normally dry) diagonally to a point just north of an old-growth tree that is 6 feet in diameter. Turn right on the signed trail in a mesquite forest, and pass a carsonite marker with a decal and the number 95. Within 100 yards you arrive at a metal AZT sign marking the boundary between Passages 9 and 10 (not visible from FR 37). This area is called Italian Trap, named for early settlers who constructed rock walls to assist with animal drives. Water is normally available in Italian Trap Tank in a fenced pasture less than 0.5 mile west off the trail.
Passage 9 climbs incessantly toward the high domes of the Rincon Mountains, and views to the south reveal the Rincon Valley and Santa Rita Mountains.
Bikes are prohibited in the East Saguaro Wilderness and Rincon Mountain Wilderness, which make up much of this passage. For detailed information about scenic mountain biking routes around wilderness areas, visit aztrail.org.
There is no vehicle access for the 3 miles required to reach Hope Camp and the Quilter Trail. From Old Spanish Trail in Tucson, travel approximately 7 miles southeast of the Saguaro National Park East Visitor Center, or go 4 miles northwest of Colossal Cave Mountain Park on Old Spanish Trail, then turn north on Camino Loma Alta. Go 2.5 miles until it ends at a small trailhead and parking area. Hike or ride 3 miles on Hope Camp Trail to Hope Camp.
If you want to hit the trail from here, please follow the trail description in reverse order. From Tucson, head east on Tanque Verde Road, which becomes Redington Road after you leave the city. The road turns to dirt near mile marker 3. From that point, continue to just past mile marker 12 on Redington Road. If you are driving a passenger vehicle, park on the right at the top of a small ridge, as the remainder of the route is very rocky and bumpy. The AZT crosses Redington Road here as marked by signs. Those who wish to reach Italian Trap by high-clearance four-wheel-drive may descend the other side of the ridge to the south, and continue 2 miles. Park at a large metal AZT sign near the corrals and fences. The last stretch of Passage 9 arrives on the road from the east.