Southern Arizona isn’t known for rain forests, but a trek in the monsoon-washed high country of the Catalina Mountains might make you think you were somewhere in the lush, green Pacific Northwest.
Verdant fir forests, fields of ferns, trickling streams, cool mountain air and countless colorful wildflowers can all but erase memories of the sun-baked deserts of Tucson a vertical mile below.
A drive on upper reaches of the 25-mile Catalina Highway northeast of Tucson takes motorists through some of the green, blooming terrain.
But for a more intimate look, consider a hike on trails such as the Aspen-Marshall Gulch Loop south of the village of Summerhaven or the Aspen Draw Trail beginning near the base of Mount Lemmon Ski Valley.
