Hill and Dale: Ventana-Esperero Trails to the Window

I gave myself a week to recover from the Santa Catalina Bataan Death Hike before tackling the challenging 15.3-mile Ventana-Esperero Trail, a 4,500-foot climb up to the Window (ventana means window in Spanish), a locally iconic natural circle of rock through which one can see stunning views of the Santa Catalinas and the sprawling concrete mess below that is Tucson. Jack and I were joined by Coloradan, Misty (now of Arizona), and temporary Tucson denizen and Floridian, Michael.

This day we would depend on the intermittent clearing of the low-hanging clouds and fog to catch fleeting glimpses of the rather phantasmagorically beautiful limestone spires and other-worldly rock formations that make up the spine of these mountains. The little bit of rain on the way up, and the spitting sleet at the top, didn't dampen our enjoyment a bit, except, well, we were hoping for a little sun to warm up and dry out our pants and jackets, and would have to wait until half way down the Esperero to the trailhead in Sabino Canyon for the first radiant rays.

Jack leading the way. About 40 degrees at 8 am.

The lower reaches were relatively fog-free and one could still see the valley below. That would quickly change as clouds and rain would soon provide the day's theme.

The fog was encroaching from the beginning of the hike, a portent for the views from the peak. Photo by Jacques (Jack) Simard.

We crossed this stream several times and the water was really flowing as we've had an unusual amount of rain (and snow at the higher elevations) lately. Photo by Jack.

Lots of water flowing and the Maiden Pools were full, an invitation for a cool dip on any typical warm weather outing. That was not today.

Jack and Michael happy that we were almost at the Window.

Misty, a recent Colorado transplant and strong hiker, probably amused by these puny Arizona peaks.

Jack's photo of me taking a photo. Photo by Jack.

Finally, a clear shot of the spires. Photo by Jack.

Photo by Jack.

Nearing the The Window.

Because of the fog, and not knowing what to look for, we were afraid we would miss our destination completely.

Looking north, where the sun was.

Finally stumbled upon La Ventana, an intriguing 15' by 25' hole in otherwise solid rock.

Misty saying, "danger, precipitous cliff ahead." And was she ever right. Good spot for a Darwin Award-winning selfie-death.

Nice of the Forest Service to place a little sign pointing the way to The Window, as it lies a few feet off the trail, and especially in the fog, would be quite easy to miss.