Description:​

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Sabino Creek flows through a narrow canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains, forming a ribbon of waterfalls, wading pools, and lush riparian flora.  Millions of hikers have traveled to Sabino Canyon Recreation Area to view massive cottonwood trees and stately saguaros against the backdrop of soaring granite walls.  

The most popular hike is along the Sabino Canyon Road which was built as a public works project in the 1930s and leads from the Visitor Center toward the top of the canyon.  The road was closed to cars in the 1970s, and today, electric shuttles take visitors on a narrated 3.7-mile ride up the canyon (for a fee).  At the final stop, passengers can hop off the shuttle to hike down the canyon, reboarding the passing shuttles at any of the 9 stops to return to the parking lot.

Hikers wind their way down the canyon road, crossing the creek nine times on historic rock bridges.  The road is fully wheelchair accessible, though the grade can be steep at the top of the canyon, and steep again at the bottom as it passes over a hill leading back to the parking lot.  These grades can be avoided by riding the shuttle to hike only the mid-sections of the trail where grades are about 1-3%.  

There are six accessible restrooms, multiple drinking fountains and water faucets, dozens of benches, and plenty of signs along the road.  Docents and rangers frequently patrol the route on foot and by bike.  In case of emergency, hikers are rarely far from another hiker or a passing shuttle bus.

When planning a Sabino hike, consider the time of day and the season.  Snowmelt in spring and thunderstorms in summer will often cause the

creek to flow over the bridges, making the road impassable.  The canyon temperature can range from below freezing on a winter morning to over

100F on a summer afternoon.  Hikers enjoy desert wildflowers in late

winter, cactus flowers in late spring, and yellowing cottonwood leaves in

late autumn.  Some Tucsonans make this hike weekly to enjoy the diurnal and seasonal changes in flora, fauna and weather.

The Sabino Canyon Road is a spectacular hike that is flexible enough to suit the likings and abilities of a wide range of hikers.​