Okay, a confession. Until this trip, I have never hiked to
seven falls. I know, it seems ridiculous, as this is one of the most popular
hikes in Southern Arizona. Why haven't I? Well, a bunch of excuses really. It is far
from where I live, crowded, and not very steep. The deep water crossings were
likely a deterrent (just kind of a pain).
We decided to stop being lame and do it. If, for nothing else, so that
we could answer “yes” to the question “Have you done seven falls?”
Here is the thing that can't be overstated about popular hikes: they are popular for
a reason. The hike starts off not all that different from many Catalina Mountain canyon hikes. About 3 miles in, the trail takes you high up the eastern side
of Bear Canyon with nice views up, down, above, and below. Then, the seven falls are
visible on the western side of the canyon.
The seven falls drop from an impressively tall granite chute on the western side of Bear Canyon. There are multiple tiered water falls with pools below each. The trail to the seven falls diverges from the bear canyon trail here
to cross over to the other side of the canyon, at the foot of the falls. You
can climb as high up as you feel comfortable I think (we climbed up to the
third one and called it good). The falls were really amazing and definitely way larger and more impressive than what I had expected. The light was incredible, and the air was considerably cooler near the water. The water crossings weren’t too bad either. It was totally worth dealing with the crowds.
You climb about 800 feet over a little over 4 miles. Classic Sonoran desert hike.
 |
| Seven Falls |
 |
| Seven Falls |
Just in case you are like me and haven't gotten around to checking it out, here is how to get there: Park at the Sabino Canyon Trailhead and follow the bear canyon trail (#29). It follows a road east for a while, then enters and ascends Bear Canyon, the next canyon east of Sabino Canyon. The trail has several water crossings which were passable without the removal of shoes thanks to stepping stones, but I would imagine would be more difficult in higher flow times. The trial feels similar to the first half of Pima Canyon, climbing a slight but steady grade along the canyon. At 3.8 miles, the falls become apparent; you won't miss them on the left.
Every time I have hiked to Seven Falls I have been caught in a freak hail storm.
ReplyDeleteWierd. That is how summer in the Sierras and the Canadian Rockies was for me, although think they get more hail than Tucson. That is not a place I would want to see during weather. I hear if a microburst hits the ridge above there can be intense flooding, even if it does not rain at all in the lower part of Bear Canyon.
ReplyDelete