Bear Canyon

Described as one of the best hiking tracks that South East Arizona has to offer, Bear Canyon combines the desert experience, with great hiking trails and magnificent surroundings. If you are a nature lover and enjoy the outdoor experience with your friends, this is one track that you should definitely consider! The trail described as stony but not particularly difficult will lead to the Bear Canyon beloved attractions like Seven Falls and Thimble Peak.

Bear Canyon is located in the Sabino Canyon recreation area, parallel to the Sabino Canyon, in the Coronado National Forest, near Tucson, Arizona. This great canyon with a suggestive name offers spectacular views of its steep, jagged sides but also of the Santa Catalina Mountains on the North. Hiking on the Bear Canyon trails you can study and identify the metamorphic rocks from which it is formed and also the desert adapted, unique plants like the ocotillo, the saguaro or the cholla that beautify it.

Hiking on the Bear Canyon trails will take about 4 or 4 and a half hour, the most preferred trails are close to 7 miles length. Even though the elevation gain is minimal, it is important that you are prepared and well equipped no matter the season you are taking this nature journey. It is recommended that you don’t hike alone, that you wear shoes that don’t get wet and which can adapt to the stony trail and also that you wear a hat, have sunscreen with and lots of water.

If you don’t feel like hiking but still care to explore the natural beauty of Bear Canyon, you can hop on the Bear Canyon Trail tram leaving from the Sabino Canyon Visitor’s Center. The tram leaves from the visitor’s center every hour and it has three stops along the way during which the hikers can pick their trails. At the end of the tram line you encounter the picturesque views of Seven Falls. These 7 waterfalls in the middle of the desert are a great spot to relax by, take photos of and even to cool off during the hot summer days. The highest elevation point in the Seven Falls area is 3,250 feet and it is best that you visit this wonderful, peaceful sight during spring or summer.

Bear Canyon is a journey in nature which everyone willing to connect with the outdoors can easily take. Whether you are a hiking enthusiast, care to climb the South Catalina Mountains and their landmark Thimble Peak or just take the accessible tram to the Seven Falls, Bear Canyon is one of Arizona’s most appealing places. Enjoy a desert hiking experience like never before in the simply beautiful and natural environment that Bear Canyon has to offer.