Tortolita Mountain loop hike

Distance Round Trip : 11.75 miles
Trailhead Elevation: 2,675 feet
Elevation Gain: 1,390 feet
Hiking time: around 6 hours with three water/snack breaks

For my last hike of winter break I opted to hike a long loop in a low-elevation and small mountain range northwest of Tucson, the Tortolita Mountains. I had never been here before and wanted to see something new. Sadie and Minnie went with me. The predicted high was to be 68F. I dressed in my jeans from yesterday but wore day hikers (no boots). I'm not sure it hit that high although I removed my fleece sweater soon after starting the hike. A storm front was to roll through in the late afternoon, but instead the front seemed to have come through earlier; the sky cleared up by 3:30pm.

The drive was over two hours long but the trailhead was easy to get to: turn off on Exit 240 off I-10 and go north on Twin Peaks road. This road turns into Dove Mountain road. The resort is in a very upscale part of Marana. Drive it to the end where the huge Ritz-Carlton resort area is.

The Tortolita Mountains are north of Marana. They are a small range of desert hills no taller than 4800', that just a few decades ago was still cattle ranchland. Saguaros, chollas, palo verde and prickly pear grow here in abundance. The rare crested saguaro can be found here, although I saw none. Wild horses reportedly also still roam here.

We arrived at the Ritz-Carlton gate and were welcomed by an elderly gentleman, Leigh. I told him we were here to hike the trail. He cheerfully (no kidding!) handed me a trail map and we were off. "Third right" said Leigh as he waved us off with another smile. The dogs couldn't wait to get out of the van; they were hard to leash up after that long drive.

The trail head parking lot for the Wild Burro and loop hikes off it starts on the south side of the parking lot, an expansive lot that could hold over 30 cars. It's away from the Ritz and hikers don't mingle with resort guests and golfers unless they walk the 1/4 mile to the main building, the club house. The trail head is self-sufficient: Maps are available at the trail head and a bathroom and water spigot are here as well. A bench overlooking the south vista is at the parking lot, next to a trash can. Dogs must be leashed and MuttMitts are available. There is no parking fee or other permits needed. The lot is well-lighted at night. Most visitors to this resort seem to prefer the shorter loop trail around Dove mountain. Only the well-conditioned go higher into this range.

I opted for a 12-mile loop hike that consisted of several trails of the higher ridges. I started with the Wild Burro trail that begins in a flat wash. We hiked it northbound, meandering around palo verde, mesquites, cottonwoods, yuccas and prickly pear. Just 1.5 miles later and meandering uphill, I hit the Wild Mustang Trail, a much more rocky trail with vistas in all directions. The highest points of this loop hike are on this trail. The trails are well-marked and color-coordinated, which makes this easy to follow. The trails on the map are the same color as on the trail markers. I had to get around Dove mountain before I lost the view of the resort and its rather large green golf courses. Once I passed the resort I finally felt in the wilderness. The views to the north and south kept getting better the higher and longer I hiked.

My initial reaction to this range was rather hohum. The flora looked grey and uninviting. This was not like the Superstitions; I was not surrounded by tall buttes. There were plenty of dead saguaro, too. Although live ones are impressive, these cacti are more impressive even in death, often resembling Kokopellis in motion. Had a fire swept through here to kill so many? The colors were mostly black, grey, brown and sandy red. I didn't see much green until my return hike. But perhaps the grey skies hampered the beauty. This would be a great hike in the early spring after some rain. The sky was grey overcast for most of the hike but at least the clouds kept the heat and shadows down. And yet the dogs were thirsty. I rationed the water right away.

The dogs were onleash until I hit the Wild Mustang trail. This ridge trail travels northbound and offers impressive views to the south, east and north. It goes uphill for the first three miles, along rocky terrain and around cholla and barrel cacti. Minnie learned fast to keep her nose away from cholla cactus. Those thorns are thin and pierce deeply, keeping a strong hold on the skin.

I met a few groups of people today. I quickly passed three older people at the start. They were staying at the resort. Later I passed a lone cyclist, a couple with their dog Junior, and six young hikers coming down the Wild Burro Trail. The dogs took to Junior, a German shepherd-Golden Retriever right away. I chatted with the couple who seem to hike this trail often.

"Watch out for the three bulls on the trail!" said the man.

I saw all these people in the first half of the hike. My second half was solitary. Minnie didn't bark like she used to, which is good, but I always leashed her around people anyway. Sadie just wanted to sniff them.

The most scenic part of the hike is at the half-way mark, at the "lunch overlook" with slot canyon and views to the south. An abandoned line shack is here, as well as a bench. This would be a more beautiful place if water ran in the creek. The huge boulders invite hikers to relax and eat, perhaps resting on warm rock. That's what we did before we resumed our hike uphill on the Alamo Springs trail at 2:10pm. We could have stayed in the lower creek bed along the Wild Burro trail, but with no water there I saw no use for that. I wanted that two extra miles for challenge. When we hit the high ridge here we could see into Wild Burro Canyon.

This trail was steep and meandered up slick switchbacks reinforced by native rock slabs. And then we came upon the three bulls I was warned about: three big black angus that were relaxing near some saguaros. The bulls were perhaps as startled as we were. The dogs didn't bark, they just froze. They were smart to do that, because the one standing bull had an erection and the last thing I want is to be chased by an aroused bull. Not funny.

The sky cleared out by 3:30pm, with just two hours left of sunlight. We were now descending, with views of the south vallies once again. Chollas glistened in the sunlight. Saguaros were outlined in light. Rock outcroppings (there were plenty here) shined red in the waning sunlight. Everything looked greener and healthier than on the other ridge. I was glad for the change in sky, but I also knew that had the sky been open earlier, this would have been a much hotter hike. I can just imagine how many snakes would be out here, too. We finished most of the water on this hike, each dog drinking 1.5 liters.

By now the dogs were at a steady pace. Minnie was no longer running ahead, but rather staying by Sadie's side. When she does this she reminds me of a mother-daughter pack. Sadie and Minnie get along so well on the trail.

The last 1.5 mile back into Wild Burro Canyon was steep and risky, hiking the same flat wash trail to the finish. Perhaps it was my fatigue, but I was glad I wasn't doing this trail the other way. Had there at least been any water for the dogs in the creekbed, this would have been more enjoyable for them as well. We could hear people chatting and kids yelling, but we saw no one. The dogs were too tired to care.

We arrived back at the van at 4:46pm. I didn't want to stay for sunset, although from the parking lot the sunset must be pretty impressive. I got to see it go down low enough driving south on Dove Mountain road. Once I hit the interstate again, I was relieved to have the setting sun behind me.

We got home shortly after 7pm. Kevin had a chicken dinner wrapped up for me in the frig. I gobbled that one down and gave the bones to Sadie and Minnie.

I'm not ready to go back to work.