Cactus Forest Trail

A rare crested saguaro (center) made fuzzy by my 

old iPhone SE’s substandard camera.

Today I chose an easy 10-mile out-and-back, with only 1,000 feet of elevation gain, as I’m still nursing the sprained ankle I sustained on my first hike this year coming down off Pontatoc Ridge. The Cactus Forest Trail resides in the Saguaro National Park East on the eastern edge of Tucson where Broadway runs out of real estate.

Another plus of this trail is the sand and gravel trail bed. Not a lot of places to twist an ankle, and it’s pretty forgiving. 

The trail is also open to bikers and horses, and the few of the latter I saw were confined to the first two miles. Temps around 45 when starting out at 10, rising to the high sixties by the end of the hike.

Remains of an old lime kiln.

 My lunch spot on what passes for a hillock.

“He went that-away.”

Santa Catalina Mountains in the background.