Joe Burkhardt and his 7-year-old German shepherd take off from the Marshall Gulch picnic area in Summerhaven in July.

 Rebecca Sasnett, Arizona Daily Star

An aspirational trail plan envisions more trails and better facilities for mountain bikers, equestrians and people with limited mobility in Tucson’s Santa Catalina mountains.

The draft Santa Catalina trail plan suggests more trails for the 250-mile trail system on the Forest Service’s Santa Catalina Ranger District but also some lesser-used, fire-damaged trails removed from its system (and thus from maintenance). The district encompasses the Santa Catalina and Rincon mountains northeast of Tucson enfolding Saguaro National Park (removed from national forest in 1933).

β€œThat’s the tension of the plan,” said Adam Milnor, recreation staff officer on the Coronado National Forest and leader of the forest-district planning team. β€œMany people want so much from these trails. We heard lots of requests for more trails.” No one likes to see trails removed from the map, but the overall aim is to β€œmeet several needs and give us the biggest bang for the buck.”

The draft plan proposes adjusting the trail system over 15 years for a 10% net gain β€” up to 275 miles of trail. This includes:

Building almost 24 miles of new trail.

Adopting almost 23 miles of existing but β€œunauthorized” trails created by people, livestock or wildlife.

Rerouting 18 miles of trail.

Closing about 21 miles of trail.

Environmental analyses would be required for any new trail construction, and non-system trails proposed for adoption offer legal, access and mixed ownership challenges.

Max Miller, a mason from Michigan, moves, sets and taps in rocks for check dams in Saguaro National Park.

This is the first overall plan for the sprawling trail system which evolved from trails used by Native Americans and wildlife and later improved by Civilian Conservation Corps and the Forest Service. It responds to evolving trail use patterns, and addresses parking needs, user conflicts and trail degradation worsened by the Bighorn Fire of 2020, while protecting wildlife and other resources.

The current system β€œhas a lopsided range of trail difficulty, offering an abundance of higher difficulty trails with steep grades and rough tread services” with few trails for beginners, the plan states. Only 20% is usable by mountain bikes; 47% of the district is within the Pusch Ridge Wilderness and closed to mechanized use.

The plan, online at bit.ly/3sPYKmR, offers details on trail issues, status, use and proposals. The final plan could be released next March with priority projects underway by next fall β€” depending on what people want.

β€œWe are relying on our partners and the public for help with priorities,” Milnor said. β€œDo people want visible results, early wins or longer-term projects?” He hopes to see specific comments on what people like, don’t like and want done.

Send written comments via email to sm.fs.scrd@usda.gov by Dec. 2. Non-internet users can request a printed copy of the draft plan by calling 520-388-8300 and can submit written comments to Adam Milnor c/o Forest Supervisor’s Office, Coronado National Forest, 300 W. Congress St., Tucson, AZ 85701.

A map set at tucne.ws/1lxx shows all proposed trail and other facility projects.

New trails for all

The 8.5-mile Tucson Vista Trail, envisioned as a gentle multi-use trail with signs in English and Spanish, would link Rose Canyon with several trailheads along Santa Catalina Highway.

It might also be the new bike route for Arizona National Scenic Trail (commonly known as AZT). The current β€œbypass route” (for cyclists not allowed where the trail crosses Pusch Ridge Wilderness) follows steep road and trail sections, some not bike-friendly and unsafe for horses. Brannon Mamula, Tucson Off-Road Cyclists and Activists (TORCA) president, calls a set of eroded high wooden bars (dams to divert water) on Bug Spring Trail: β€œBike-A-Hike.”

Evan Piling, a trail builder with American Conservation Experience, said Vista Trail would be logistically reasonable to build as it uses existing roadbeds and moderate terrain β€” rare in the steep rocky Catalinas. Piling did feasibility scouting for proposed trails.

Max Miller, a mason from Michigan, works on a trail in Saguaro National Park, part of the Santa Catalina Ranger District, which is the focus of a proposed trail plan.

New mileage for bikers

In addition to the multi-use trail, the growing population of mountain bikers may gain new mileage if the Forest Service builds some bike-specific trails and β€œadopts” other existing ones.

The proposed β€œBug Junior” Trail would parallel Bug Spring Trail as a downhill only mountain bike route β€” the first β€œdirectional mountain bike trail” on the Coronado. A proposed β€œfuel break” (strip of land where vegetation is reduced for fire control) on Mt. Bigelow could be a downhill mountain bike trail. TORCA’s Mamula also cited proposed connector trails for more loop trips.

The plan proposes adopting 21 miles of β€œunauthorized” trails, existing trails created by users. It estimates 240 miles of such routes with 40 miles regularly used. Key prospects are Milagrosa Trail near Reddington Pass and the β€œGolder Ranch” system, 17 miles of multi-use trails on national forest along Golder Ranch Road in the western Catalina Foothills.

Milagrosa, which connects private and Pima County land to Bellota/AZT east of Molino Basin, would require work with Pima County for permanent legal access for the trail.

β€œGolder Ranch” area between Golder Ranch Road and Catalina State Park hosts a network of routes around the 50-Year Trail between the park and forest. This 7.3-mile trail is on state trust lands protected by a 50-year lease agreement between Arizona State Parks and Trails and the Arizona State Land Department. Land could be sold for development when the lease expires in 2038. Adoption would require purchasing lands or an easement for permanent public access.

β€œWe’re thrilled,” said Bev Showalter from the equestrian County Line Riders of Catalina and Pima Trails Association, who has worked decades for legal public access to Golder Ranch trails.

Expanded hiking options

The proposed Mt. Lemmon Interpretive Trail would be a paved route for first-time visitors and those with limited mobility, featuring bilingual interpretive signs on the Indigenous and historical context of the Santa Catalinas, designed with help of Native tribes who first used the area.

Proposed connectors include a trail in Molino Canyon; access trail from Rose Canyon; a trail between Marshall Gulch and Summerhaven, and a trail linking routes to upper and lower Tanque Verde Falls east of Reddington Pass Road. This trail is already being built.

Front range trails such as Pima Canyon, Finger Rock, Ventana, Esperero and the remote crest trail between Pima and West Fork Sabino canyons would see small reroutes and new connectors including a 1.7-mile trail linking Finger Rock and Pontatoc trails for a day-hiking loop trip.

New trail hubs and vehicle/horse trailer parking could result from repurposing the old Palisades Ranger Station as a visitor center and reconfiguring Gordon Hirabayashi recreation site.

Trail reroutes: The Arizona Trail

The Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) from Mexico to Utah runs 53 miles and another 22 miles of bypass route in the Catalinas. The long-term goal is to remove the trail from roads where possible. The draft plan envisions rerouting 8 miles of AZT from Oracle Ridge. Matthew Nelson, executive director of Arizona National Scenic Trail Association, said this route is eroded and no longer safe; further it parallels a dirt road now used by heavy equipment for mineral development on adjacent private property.

User conflicts and safety issues

In Aspen Draw, a trail near Summerhaven with mountain bike-hiker use conflict, the Forest Service would try a yearlong test trail user allocation system where the trail would be open either to bikers or hikers on odd or even weekend days and open to all users on weekdays.

Better access and safety for rock climbers could occur from maintaining trails to rock climbing areas. First proposed is Crags Against Humanity, a low elevation climb near Catalina Highway.

Proposed trail β€˜removals’

Several trails could be β€œremoved” from the Catalina system β€” they would no longer be maintained and not shown on new maps. This could include lower Brush Corral and Evans Mountain near Reddington Pass, and the brushy lower end of Box Camp Trail. These trails are remote with less use or are redundant with other trails, Milnor said. For example, Palisades Trails parallels Box Camp connecting the highway to East Fork Sabino Trail (AZT route).

On the westside, Sutherland and Canada del Oro (CDO) trails β€” badly damaged by Bighorn Fire β€” might be removed. Forest officials want to rebuild Samaniego Trail. It parallels CDO to Mt. Lemmon and could link to Sun Corridor Trail, an ambitious multi-use trail project linking Las Vegas, Kingman, Flagstaff, Prescott, Phoenix and Tucson.

Romero Canyon Trail, which links Catalina State Park to Mt. Lemmon trails and the AZT, is being rebuilt after major damage from Bighorn Fire. Milnor said the $40,000 cost has come from emergency post-fire funds and National Forest Foundation grants.

Trail funding boost

The Coronado plan for boosting the trail system is timely β€” funds from recent legislation more than tripled the forest’s trail maintenance funds over the past two years and offers hope of continued trail funding (subject to yearly Congressional approval) through 2027.

The Great American Outdoors Act of 2020 directs revenues from energy development for up to $1.9 billion a year maintenance for infrastructure on national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, recreation areas and Bureau of Indian Education schools over five years.

Coronado’s yearly trail budget is only $50,000 forest-wide but the Great American Outdoors Act funding added $325,000 over past two years, Milnor said. Trail maintenance costs $5,000 to $8,000 per mile. New trail construction costs $25,000 to $75,000 per mile, but projects like the Vista Trail may cost less by re-using old roads and utilizing planning/construction work help from partner groups.

Trail users also benefit indirectly from two big Outdoors Act projects β€” $2.2 million to repave Sabino Canyon and $2.4 million to enlarge and improve parking for Marshall Gulch.

β€œWe have more daily use in Sabino than on the rest of the mountain,” Milnor said.

Increased usage

An Arizona State survey last year found that 63% of Pima County residents reported using the Santa Catalina trail system at least once in the year, Milnor said. Tourism data also showed that some people visit trails from up to 500 miles away.

Milnor said there is also a shift from backcountry to front range use for hikers and trail joggers.

β€œDaily trail use has become part of people’s lives,” he said. That use grew during peak of the pandemic reflected by counters maintained by Pima County at Pima and Finger Rock canyons.

Monthly visitors during prime hiking season from January to March this year averaged 10,000 to 12,000 in Pima Canyon. For the same period in 2015 to 2017, about 4,000 visited. In Finger Rock, 12,000 to 14,000 monthly visitors came January to March; but fewer than 4,000 came in 2015 to 2017.

Interestingly, Catalina Highway use has not grown as much as nonmotorized use. Pima County Department of Transportation data indicates traffic use has only increased slightly since 1990 while the county population has increased by 382,000, according to the draft plan.

The Santa Catalina Trail planning process began after the Bighorn Fire of 2020 damaged more than half of Santa Catalina trails and officials saw the need to review the entire system.

One year after the Bighorn Fire, the scars are still easy to see at Catalina State Park, but so are the signs of recovery. Video by Henry Brean/Arizona Daily Star

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