Trekking to a spring can be a beautiful thing.
A hike to Bog Springs in Madera Canyon will prove the point.
Birds, butterflies and big sycamores wearing lush, green leaves grace a glade around the site in the canyon south of Tucson.
Even after a spells of dry weather, a catchment at the spring can be overflowing with water. The natural oasis in an otherwise arid landscape attracts wildlife and offers human visitors a shady respite in an enchanting woodland setting.
WALK TO THE WATER
A 1.7-mile trail to Bog Springs invites a short, easy round-trip hike of 3.4 miles.
If you’ve got the time and energy for a longer trek, you might continue from Bog Springs on a loop route that takes you past Kent Spring and another spring site before returning to the starting point.
You’ll cover about six miles if you hike the loop at elevations ranging from 4,850 to 6,700 feet.
Be sure to boil or chemically treat water from the springs if you intend to drink it.
BEAUTY IN THE DETAILS
A hike to the springs is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of those little pinpoints of beauty you might otherwise overlook.
One example: Tiny, flowerlike plants grow from crevices in boulders at some shady spots beside the trail.
Other sights include colorful butterflies, hovering hummingbirds and the towering rocky summit of 9,453-foot Mount Wrightson — the high point of the Santa Rita Mountains.
GET TO THE TRAILHEAD
From Tucson, go south on Interstate 19 to Green Valley, take the Continental Exit and continue southeast about 13 miles to Madera Canyon ($5 fee). Start the hike at the Madera Trailhead, just past an entrance road for the Bog Springs Campground.
