Abundant winter rain, runoff from melting mountain snow and warming weather have turned Catalina State Park into a scenic wonderland of late-winter wildflowers and flowing streams.
“Above average rainfall this fall and winter has turned the park green, lush and alive,” said Steven Haas, manager of the park north of Tucson.
“It is currently shaping up to be an amazing wildflower season with — already — fields of poppies, owls clover, and lupine scattering the hillsides,” Haas said. “Come prepared to get your feet wet since the Sutherland Wash is flowing strong.”
SEE THE SIGHTS
Go almost anywhere in the park, at 11570 N. Oracle Road, and you’ll likely find some scenic splendor — from wildflowers to flowing water, cactus forests and rugged ridges of the Catalina Mountains.
Here are some sites worthy of a look:
- Soon after passing the park entrance station and paying a $7 per vehicle fee, turn left onto a side road leading to the Equestrian Center. Vast expanses of gold poppies in bloom grow along the left side of the road as you approach the Equestrian Center.
- Farther along the park’s main road, watch for a sign and parking area for the Romero Ruins Trail. The route leads toward a site of old ruins and along the way crosses the Sutherland Wash. It was flowing this week at a depth that — as park manager Haas noted — would get your feet wet if you chose to cross. Those who do make the crossing are likely to find wildflowers on a hillside near the ruins.
- From a trailhead at the end of the main road, a hike on the 2.3-mile Canyon Loop offers views of wildflowers and flowing water.
- A stretch of the Sutherland Trail, extending from a point along the Canyon Loop, is often lined with poppies and other wildflowers in late winter and spring.
- The Romero Canyon Trail — which can be reached from the trailhead at the end of the main road — leads to a beautiful and popular site called Romero Pools.
The pools are often at their watery best after winter rains and snowmelt from the mountains.
