Douglas Springs Campground and Two Falls

There is a Chinese saying that's apt when disappointment turns to good fortune: 塞翁失马 (sàiwēngshīmǎ)—Who's to say it's bad luck? We were intending on hiking the 22-mile Bear Canyon-Thimble Rock-Phoneline loop today, but Mother Nature had different ideas. Because of recent heavy rains (thank you climate change), Bear Canyon is roaring and dangerous, and that hike requires several stream crossings. So I chose the one place (so I thought) where water wouldn't be an issue: the 19-mile out-and-back in the Rincons—the Douglas Spring Trail to Cowhead Saddle. 

I have done this hike many times, most recently last year. However, after reaching the Douglas Spring Campground, we found our progress stymied by...a water crossing. There was also snow up ahead, so we decided to let cooler heads prevail and lopped the final 5 miles off the hike and turned around. We instead decided to visit two trail-adjacent waterfalls to add a couple miles to our now paltry 13.5-mile hike. Great decision as the falls were really flowing. We had lunch at the breathtaking Bridal Wreath Falls, and followed that up with a quick jaunt iver to Ernie's Falls. Both falls were more impressive than I have ever seen them. Even Ernie's Falls—always a bride's maid, never a bridal wreath—was impressive. I hiked to both falls a couple of Mondays ago with my pal Jack, and the contrast was striking. 

Overall, we ended up with a great hike today, with cool temps near 40º at the trailhead at 8am, rising to 60º at hike's end.

 

Snowy Mount Lemmon peaking up from behind the Santa Catalina's.

Lots of water even at the lower reaches near the trailhead.

Douglas Spring and the adjacent Douglas Spring Campground.

Cowhead Saddle (white knob in the distance).

Bridal Wreath Falls from the main trail. Photo by Misty.

Approaching Bridal Wreath Falls on the spur
trail from the main Douglas Spring Trail.

We scaled a side trail up near the falls to capture this 

amazing Saguaro and the falls as a backdrop. A view 

maybe worth the hike all by itself.

Bridal Wreath from above. Video my Misty.

Bridal Wreath Falls.

Photo by Misty.

Misty.

Ernie's Falls.

Close-up photo by Misty.