The 7 Cataracts Journey Hike: A Mountain Sliding, Canyoneering Exploration Into Willow Canyon
Arizona is an incredibly magnificent, wildly various state with topography ranging from low degree desert landscapes, to significant mountain peaks and alpine forest ranges. Additional than any other geologic characteristic nevertheless, Arizona is greatly renowned for its a lot of attractive and distant rock canyons, deep slot gorges, water falls and pools which are scattered throughout the state. Nonetheless, what I uncover even far more awesome, is that numerous of these backcountry wilderness canyons can be accessed as a result of “non-complex” canyon mountaineering routes which really don’t call for ropes and are literally within just a single day’s trip from both Phoenix or Tucson. For an outstanding late summer months to early slide day excursion and hike, if you’re up for much more of an interesting challenge and an incredible and scenic day journey, then get a mountain sliding, canyoneering climbing journey to 7 Cataracts, and explore Willow Canyon, Tucson, Arizona.
It was the Labor Day holiday getaway and early on Sunday early morning that I remaining Phoenix, about 6am, heading out of town on I-10 East and arrived in Tucson by 7:30am. At the Ina Highway exit, I swung off the freeway and took a remaining, heading east 8 miles, and achieved up with the TLC Mountaineering Team, led and structured by Eric Kinneman, at the Westin La Paloma Vacation resort and arrived by 8am. For the reason that the parking was mentioned to be minimal at the trailhead for this hike, we carpooled it collectively and established out for the day’s hike and journey heading east on Sunrise Blvd. by 8:25am.
The gorgeous drive on Sunrise Blvd across the northern stretches of Tucson and by way of the rolling foothills of the magnificent Santa Catalina mountains has constantly been a beloved of mine. The Santa Catalina Mountains are Tucson’s best mountain assortment achieving all the way up to 9157 ft in elevation at its extremely top rated, Mount Lemmon. To get there and to get to the trailhead for our hike, we zig zagged it across Tucson, driving east on Sunrise Blvd to Swan Highway, turned appropriate (south), to River Street, turned left (east), then a appropriate on to Sabino Canyon Road, remaining onto Tanque Verde Road and headed east on Tanque Verde Highway until we arrived at the Catalina Freeway, aka the “Mount Lemmon Scenic Byway”, and then turned left again.
It was about 4 miles or so after earning the left convert onto the Catalina Freeway that you enter the Coronado Countrywide Forest and begin the winding ascent up into the rugged Santa Catalina mountains. Despite the fact that it really is been a long time considering that I was previous there, I was however impressed at just how attractive and gorgeous this generate seriously is. Immediately as you head on up in elevation starting at 3000 toes, the views are totally amazing with just about every switchback and hairpin curve offering a new and wonderful rock formation or lovely canyon vista off to the distance. If you like to halt and get a good deal of photos, as I often like to do, you have a lot of chance to do so due to the fact this push provides a number of vista points to enjoy together the way. Having said that, at about mile marker 5, just past the Molino Canyon Forget, there is a pay station where you will have to order a $5 Coronado Countrywide Forest day use recreation move if you might be scheduling on stopping everywhere even further alongside the travel. We obtained the day use passes, a person just about every per auto and journeyed on for 3 extra miles until eventually we attained the Seven Cataracts Vista Point, just past Thimble Peak Vista and around at about mile marker 8 and about 1/3 of the way up to Mount Lemmon.
We pulled into the 7 Cataracts Vista stage, and our trailhead, parked and started out out on our day’s hiking and canyoneering experience by 9am. The perspective looking down into Willow Canyon down below was certainly stunning, but also very steep as well! Quickly, ideal from the beginning, the drop off into Willow Canyon on this “working day use” trail was rigorous, to say the pretty minimum. Estimated to be about about a 1000-1300 ft descent straight down with a 60% grade on all loose filth, gravel and rocks, just about every one particular of us experienced to literally drop down to the floor on our “butts” and from portion to segment, slide it on down for about a complete of a ¼ of a mile right until we experienced designed down to the base. What a internet site it was to see also, actually fascinating and a large amount of exciting! Having said that, this “non-official” path, generally utilized by skilled canyoneers, is rated extremely tricky, some even say treacherous or unsafe, so I would not recommend carrying out this hike on your individual unless you are an professional canyon hiker or have an expert canyon mountaineering guide with you.
As soon as we had all safely slid our way down and reached the bottom and right after a quick team picture, Eric commenced foremost our team on our canyoneering exploration further down into Willow Canyon, scrambling, boulder hopping and class 3 climbing via partly functioning drinking water falls. Really stunning and magnificent scenery all the way down too! We ongoing on for about a ¼ mile where by we had achieved a genuinely nice operating falls and relished the possibility to interesting off, rest and love the tranquil tranquility and elegance of this distant and lesser recognised wilderness canyon. In the meantime, Eric, together with various other adventurous members, journeyed on for an additional 1/3 to ¼ mile, and right after additional scrambling, boulder hopping and class 3-4 climbing, achieved a lovely 100 foot drinking water slide and a greater swimming hole deep adequate he mentioned that even with a soar off a 10 foot cliff, they could not strike base! Astounding!
After about an hour or so split, we decided it was time to start out building our way back. Now it was time for the most tough portion of our canyoneering adventure, creating it back! So we started our trek back again by way of Willow Canyon the identical way we came, scrambling, boulder hopping, wading by way of the swimming pools, then climbing it again up by means of the water slide. It only took a small time however and within minutes we experienced all made it properly back up and to the base of the side of the hill we experienced at first “slid” down on earlier. It was listed here that we fulfilled back up with Eric then broke up into two teams. You could make your mind up to either make the ascent in the very same put you came down with the 60% quality on all free dust and gravel, exactly where Eric mentioned it was for each and every 3 techniques up, a slide of a person or two back again. Or my mate Dan made a decision it looked like if you took it up a tiny even further down to the remaining, you could additional conveniently climb it straight up the rocks and cliff and up to the top. So myself, alongside with several other users adopted Dan’s lead and hand over foot, we slowly and thoroughly climbed it, portion by section until eventually we properly achieved it back up to the top. Wow, for me and an individual who’s worried of heights, and not knowledgeable at rock climbing, it was challenging but a good deal of enjoyable and remarkable exercise routine too!
At the time back at the best and at the 7 Cataracts Vista parking large amount, we waited for the ultimate associates to safely and securely return, then by 12:15pm we acquired again into our autos to drive the relaxation of the way up to Mount Lemmon for lunch at the Iron Door Restaurant. The sights together the way ended up yet again, stunning as you make your way from elevation 5000 feet on up to the Mount Lemmon Sky Valley, elevation approximately about 8200 ft. Though the indications of the devastating 2003 Aspen fireplace were being visible, it was even now very gorgeous and the temperatures by this time of day, low to mid 80’s and extremely great and refreshing.
However, with the 2.5 hour wait at the cafe, due to it getting a weekend and also a getaway, we decided it was ideal to turn all over and head back as a substitute.
We arrived back in Tucson at about 2pm and after an excellent lunch at a minimal restaurant known as Renee’s Natural Oven on Tanque Verde Road, we arrived back at the Westin La Paloma Vacation resort by 4pm, exactly where those of us who had just arrived down for the day, headed back again to Phoenix from there to return house all over again by about 6pm.
In all, it was truly an remarkable canyoneering exploration and waterfall mountaineering journey with the TLC Hiking Team, meticulously investigated, very well prepared and imagined by to the very last element by Eric Kinneman himself. Seriously experienced it all, surprisingly attractive, fascinating, but also really demanding. I assume that this hike is greatest summed up though in Eric Kinneman’s personal text in which he quotes, “The Seven Cataracts Waterfall Adventure Hike is an awesome hike that I really endorse men and women taking. It will check your fears, give you an outstanding exercise and acquire you by means of some spectacular canyons, and a 100 foot waterfall and swimming gap, seldom seen by everyone. What much more could any one inquire for!”