Seven Falls Trail

The last hike of the season brought us to Tucson, again to Sabino Canyon. This time, we headed up the boulder-strewn canyon on the Seven Falls Trail. This time of year, with heavy snow runoff, the water level is pretty high, making the seven times we cross the stream bed quite a challenge. Many times we had to run skipping and jumping across partially submerged stepping stones and boulders trying unsuccessfully not to get our feet wet. Another challenge and headache is that this trail is especially popular with the locals. This is exacerbated by a shuttle train that takes gangs of etiquette-unaware casual hikers 1.8 miles closer to the falls and dumps them at half-hour intervals onto the trail. These lolling gaggles wander about coming and going, blissfully unaware of their surroundings or your need to get by. The trail ends at a cascading falls, the seventh and most spectacular. All-in-all, a beautiful hike, with perfect weather, 8.6 easy miles, and only 1,000 feet of elevation gain.