Back to Aravaipa

We just returned from our semi-annual trip to Aravaipa Canyon.  We usually go in early May to celebrate our anniversary (we met on May 2nd, thirteen years ago!).  Our last trip was last fall which you can read about here.

Aravaipa Canyon is a BLM Wilderness area located at the north end of the Galiuro mountains of central Arizona.  It can be accessed from either the east or west side.  To drive from one side to the other would take a minimum of three hours.  A $5/day permit is required  for any entry into the canyon (I am generally opposed to permits but this canyon is an extremely special place).  Once in the canyon, it is 11 miles from end to end, mostly walking directly in the streambed.  Aravaipa is one of the few perennial creeks in southern AZ.  In addition to the wilderness area, the Nature Conservancy owns large tracts of land on either side of the BLM land.  Aravaipa is one of the crown jewels of riparian areas in the Southwest.

This was our first trip into the east side.  It took us three hours to drive the 150 miles from downtown Tucson to the trailhead, the last 38 on well-graded dirt road.  We hiked in about two hours to the Hell Hole canyon tributary.  On the second day, we hiked up Hell Hole which, in places, is only about 12 feet wide - a beautiful, twisty slot canyon with towering sandstone walls.  After turning around, I hiked further down Aravaipa creek attempting to find the fartherest point we had come from the west side.  No luck - but that means there is still plenty more to explore next time!  In addditon to the dozens and dozens of bird species, we saw quite a bit of wildlife including coatimundi, a ringtail cat, javelina, heron, toads, eagles, and deer.  Enjoy the photos...