We’ve been to the Santa Ritas many times, frequently day hiking but also on a couple backpacking trips. At over 9,400 feet, Mount Wrighton is the highest mountain in the area around Tucson, attracting peakbaggers to the summit. Additionally, Madera Canyon is home to a huge number of migrating birds, including the rare Elegant Trogon and more than 15 species of hummingbirds. As such, it’s a popular area, but most of the crowds are confined to the lower canyon or one of the 2 main trails to the summit.
For the most part, the other trails are less traveled and a little overgrown, having never quite fully recovered from a large fire in 2005. In January 2022, we made a loop between the Arizona Trail and the SkIT routes in the Santa Ritas with our friends Sara and Randy. Despite one rough day and terrible campsite, overall we had a terrific time.
Today, the Santa Ritas are caught up in a battle. A mining corporation has intentions of establishing an open pit copper mine, a move opposed by local environmentalists as well as local Tribes, particularly the Tohono O’odham, Pascua Yaqui and Hopi Nations. Initially the Rosemont Mine seemed to have been defeated, but the company has shifted tactics and is now pushing for a new mine called Copper World. Though they have suffered many defeats, the company refuses to give up, and the legal challenges continue to work their way through the courts.
Copper has long been economically important in Arizona, but the mines are massive, ugly, and destructive, especially to Indigenous communities. For now, the Arizona Trail is safe, but for a while it looked like a reroute was a given. The future of the Santa Ritas is not guaranteed, however. Therefore, we enjoy these lands with somber knowledge that we might not be able to in a few years.
We headed south on the Arizona Trail from Kentucky Camp. The remnants of an old mine, this is somehow fitting, as the battle to mine the mountains rages on. The weather was chilly but clear, and we moved fast enough to keep warm. The Arizona Trail is wide and easy to follow, in spite of being rocky and rugged at times.
When we intersected with the Temporal Gulch Trail, we left the AZT behind to join the SkIT. I had assumed we would be able to find a place to camp somewhere in the canyon, but this turned out to be a mistake. As the day turned to dusk, we were all pretty tired and hungry, and yet there was not a flat spot in sight.
At one point, we came upon an abandoned backpack and blanket, then a short while later a pair of jeans. We were a little surprised to see evidence of migrant activity in this canyon, but it makes sense. This trail is seldom used, making it ideal for someone trying to remain hidden. If this random stranger slept here though, it can’t have been too comfortable. There was barely room for a body to lay down.
A short while later I pushed into a small grassy meadow to see if we could make it work for a campsite. Sadly, whatever the grasslike plant was, it was stiff and spiky, and stuck to my clothes and irritated my skin. We abandoned that spot and moved on, getting grumpier by the minute.
Finally, we spotted a small depression in the shade of a few pine trees. It was slanted and tight, but the ground was soft with pine needles and there was space enough for the four of us to set up close together. By the time we finished eating it was dark outside, and we all crawled into bed to prepare for a cold night.
Despite being a little crooked, I slept well and was plenty warm in the quilt. As we packed up in the morning we all discussed how well we slept. “It took me a long time to fall asleep,” Paul announced and was quickly met with three “no you didn’t” replies in unison. Being camped so close together, everyone could hear him snoring, so we all knew he was the first to fall asleep!
The morning was cold and the canyon was shaded, so we quickly got to climbing. It wasn’t long before we made the ridge at Josephine saddle and found ourselves back in familiar territory. It was snowy at the top as we continued on the climb toward Wrightson. Upon reaching Baldy Saddle it was windy as usual. (Paul and I camped here before, and I think it was the windiest night I ever spent in a tent). We debated whether we wanted to do the spur to the summit, but it was cold and we’d been up there before, so we continued on the Crest Trail through the snow toward Florida Saddle.
The views along this section of trail were lovely. At Florida Saddle, we again left familiar territory behind as we followed the SkIT on the Sawmill Canyon Trail. This section appears to see very little use. The trail was quite faint but still fairly easy to follow as we headed downhill. We took a long break at Sawmill Spring, then continued the descent until we finally joined some forest roads. We found a campsite with nice views and set up early, enjoying a fire in the established fire ring.
Early the next morning we completed the loop, following the forest roads back to our starting point at the Arizona Trail. Aside from a couple hunters we didn’t see any traffic on the roads. The weather was cool but the day was clear and we enjoyed the warmth of the sun.
Despite being a great hike, the camping was less than ideal. Even the viable spots we did pass up were just mediocre. Additionally, simply due to the migrant activity in Temporal Gulch, I wouldn’t want to camp there alone. That being said, the hike was great, the scenery was beautiful, and we had the place mostly to ourselves given the time of year and the trails we used. At this point, we’ve only got a few more miles of trail left and we’ll have covered all of the trails in the Santa Ritas!
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