Butterfly Trail: Laze in the shade of a cool fir forest. Spread a trailside picnic in a wild garden of ferns. Spot a songbird, pause beside a spring, marvel at the shapely beauty of a yellow columbine bloom — and have a look at the wreckage of a jet that crashed more than half a century ago.
It’s all possible along the Butterfly Trail high in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. The 5.7-mile route connects two trailheads along the Catalina Highway and winds through pine forests. Take the Catalina Highway past milepost 19 to a parking area and trailhead on the right.
A second trailhead is on the right between mileposts 22 and 23. This trail offers gentle walking in some stretches and fairly steep trekking in others. Elevations along the way range from 6,700 feet at Novio Spring to 8,300 feet near Mount Bigelow.
