Tucson AccessTrails

Sabino Canyon Recreation Area
Phoneline Trail

Trail Facts at a Glance

Name: Phoneline Trail,

in Sabino Canyon Recreation Area

Parks agency: Santa Catalina Ranger District,

Coronado National Forest

Contact: 520-749-8700 or sm.fs.scrd@usda.gov

Location: 5700 N. Sabino Canyon Road

The southern trailhead is most easily accessed by walking 0.75 miles from the parking lot, along Lower Sabino Canyon Road, to the sign marking the beginning of the Phoneline Trail.

The northern trailhead is most easily accessed by taking the Sabino Canyon Shuttle from the Visitor Center to Stop #9 (3.7 miles) and following signs to the Phoneline Trail

Parking fee: Day-use fee $8/day and $10/week or free with Interagency, Military and Coronado passes

Trail hours:

Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, open 24h/day 7days/week

Sabino Canyon and Bear Canyon Shuttles

(“The Crawler”), 7 days/week

(closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and 3 days for maintenance)

May 1 to Dec 14, 9am to 4pm, departures every hour

Dec 15 to April 30, 9am to 4pm, departures every half hour

Visitor Center hours: Open 7days/week, 8am to 4:30pm

(closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas)

Transit: None

Length:

Four routes are recommended:

South-to-North-to-South Loop: 4.4 miles (least difficult)

North-to-South Route: 4.4 miles

End-to-End One-Way Route: 5.4 miles

End-to-End Round-Trip Route: 10.8 miles (most difficult)

How difficult we consider it:

Very difficult. Expect steep switchbacks, a challenging trail surface, narrow sections, vertical drop-offs, and stream crossings

Date of last visit: December 3, 2024

Photo Tours by Topic

Description:

The Phoneline Trail in Sabino Canyon has all the best aspects of hiking in Tucson. It provides spectacular up-close views of the Santa Catalina Mountains and panoramic vistas of the city of Tucson. The trail is lined with wildflowers in Spring, cactus flowers in Summer, and golden cottonwood leaves in Autumn; hikers share the trail with white-tail deer and Gila monsters; and the hike passes through colorful rock formations formed in an uplift millions of years ago.

The trail is also uniquely situated to offer what few other trails in Tucson can: shade. The trail is cut along a west-facing cliff. So, an early morning hike is in full shade for 50-70% of its length, depending on the season.

However, the Phoneline Trail also has all the worst aspects of Tucson hiking. The trail traverses steep rock faces with lengthy switchbacks; the hiking surface is a stumblefest of boulders, sand, gravel and rock staircases; and at times, the path narrows to a body width next to a vertical 100’ drop-off. After a storm, hikers can expect precarious stream crossings.

Those difficulties are somewhat offset by the trail’s flexibility. The Phoneline Trail stretches the length of the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area and runs parallel to Upper Sabino Canyon Road