My original plan was to summit Mt. Kimball from Pima Canyon, but a missed turn in the trail cut this hike several hundred feet short. Read on to find where I missed the trail so you won’t.

Two rabbits and three quail greeted me just before reaching the parking lot at 5:30 AM. They were the only signs of life, as no one else was in the parking lot. Within minutes of parking, however, a woman parked next to me, rushed from her car with a red walking stick, and disappeared up the trail without so much as a wave. As it turned out, this was the only person I saw on the trail all day.

After applying a coat of sunscreen and situating my pack, it was time to try Pima Canyon. Hiking just over five minutes, I came upon a white sign denoting Kimball Peak, trail number 62, as being 7 miles away. The first 15 minutes of the trail has private property fencing within 10 feet of the trail on both sides. The result of very little rain over the past year, puckered prickly pear cactus (attempting to bear fruit) lined the trail for the first hour.

A book I’d read described disappointment at finding a lot of garbage on this hike. After just 10 minutes, I noticed a white plastic garbage bag, 20 feet to the right of the trail, caught in a desert bush. Having adopted the habit of not only leaving with all the garbage I pack in, but with at least one piece I find on the trail, I decided to not only grab the bag, but use it for other garbage found along the way. Luckily, I didn’t experience the rash of garbage the author saw. I did, however, pick up 9 small items including 5 cigarette butts carelessly discarded. With each butt found, I was thankful none of them had scarred this beautiful desert canyon with fire.

About a mile down the trail I met the woman, who had started before me returning from her destination. She warned me of a sleeping snake just ahead in the middle of the trail. She also declared, “I see them all the time here.” I proceeded cautiously as I approached the snake. After careful examination, I began to suspect the woman must be a direct descendant of Mr. Magoo as this “snake” ended up being a tree root!

The first 3 to 3.5 miles of the hike is relatively flat, meandering back and forth across a wash. After about 1 mile I spotted a cardinal in a small tree 15 feet to my left. Its singing was being answered by two other cardinals that were nearby but obscured by the brush. I was elated to see this bird, but disappointed at the same time because my 35mm camera had been dropped two weeks prior rendering it temporarily out of commission. I missed a great picture of a gorgeous bird - but I do have the memory. A bit before the 2-mile point, I spooked 2 quail from a tree. I flinched as the combined sound of their wings had the intensity of a helicopter.

At the 2-mile point, I took a short water break. The canyon was beginning to show its depth ahead as the view of Tucson behind me narrowed. The saguaros climb each side of the canyon here until reaching the base of a long cliff lining the rim. The sheer vertical rock forming the cliff has an interesting yellow-green hue mixed in with the typical Arizona shades of orange and red. Just past the 2-mile point is a grove of ocotillo. With the upper reaches of the canyon providing the backdrop, they would make a quite a picture when in bloom!

With each crossing of the wash from this point, cairns are used to help spot the trail on the other side. At about 3 miles into the hike, I found four rounded holes in a large flat rock within the wash. I surmised Native Americans once ground their grain or perhaps acorns from the scrub oak found further up the trail. Two of the holes were deep enough to convince me someone had used this spot for quite a long time.

After two more crossings of the wash taking me past the 3-mile point, the trail began to steepen. For the most part, the ascent from here is on a trail full of small boulders.

When crossing the wash at approximately the 4-mile point, a small rock dam can be seen just upstream. Below the dam were a few small murky pools of water. Just beyond this point, I took another water break and discovered a good spot to cache a liter for the return trip. After a few more minutes of hiking, the trail became quite steep and the rising sun began to heat the trail. A little before the 5-mile point, the trail found the shade of small trees. Beyond here, some very small ferns grow alongside the trail. Around this same area is a large concrete structure to the left of the trail that appears to have once been used as a water basin. Just past this point, the trail momentarily leaves the trees allowing a view of Kitt Peak back down the canyon.

At about the 6-mile point, a sign indicates the way to Pima Saddle. The problem with the placement of this sign is that it distracted me 20 feet past the hard right turn the trail takes to Kimball Peak. After the sign, the trail to Pima Saddle steepens until the saddle is reached 5 minutes later. At the saddle I found some camping gear stashed in a tree. This appears to be a rather popular camping area, as evidenced by remnants of fire pits all around. Not realizing I had missed the actual trail to Mt. Kimball, I assumed the trail to Mt. Kimball would head south from the saddle. After circling the saddle a couple of times, I found a small trail which headed around the west side of an extremely large boulder south of the saddle. After following this trail for perhaps 10 minutes, it disappeared abruptly. I tried to find where it might continue, but after having my right ear cut in three places by a jab from a small but vicious tree limb, I figured this trail was trying to tell me something. Returning to the saddle, I felt a little disappointment not being able to find the summit trail, but took consolation with the splendid view from a small peak to the north. From here, I had an impressive view over the back side of the mountain I’d been climbing. Mt. Lemmon showed itself to the northeast, the Biosphere to the north. I decided this was to be my summit today, and sat for an hour-long break of water and snacks.

As I passed the Pima Saddle sign on the way down, I noticed the trail I had previously missed that leads to Mt. Kimball. Looking at my watch (10:00 AM) I thought I may be able to salvage the summit. I proceeded on this trail for 5 minutes but began to have second thoughts. I knew the summit was at least 30 minutes away (and since then has been described to me by Tom Mongan as closer to 2 hours away), and that this part of the trail was supposed to be tough going. If I went to the summit, that would mean I would be ending the hike around 3:00 PM in the desert heat. I thought it a better idea to be satisfied with the hike I’d taken so far, turn around and save the summit for another day.

The trip down Pima Canyon brought one surprise, and one nice encounter. The surprise came about 30 minutes from the Pima Saddle sign as a snake (a real one this time) literally took flight from the trail flailing down the mountainside as I startled it. Even if I were good at identifying snakes, which I am not, I wouldn’t have had the time as this one took its escape seriously.

The other encounter came nearly an hour later, when I had the pleasure of seeing a hawk riding the thermals on the north side of the canyon. He seemed to relish the way his screeching resounded within the canyon as he spent nearly 10 minutes letting it be known he was around. As I took a break to enjoy this bird, he swooped within 30 feet of me to show off his creamy white underside with dime-sized brown spots.

The rest of the trip was spent feeling the temperature rise as the bottom of the canyon approached. On the way, I disturbed several lizards with black and yellow stripes down the length of their bodies sunbathing on the trail. At about 11:40, I found the cached liter of water, so I knew there were about 2 hours remaining, as the hike was rather flat from there to the parking lot. This was a very hot 2 hours. I had packed 6 liters of water for this hike, and by the time I reached the car, I had consumed 5 1/2 of them. On long day hikes I make it a habit to pack 2 liters more than I think I will need and cache a couple on the way up. This time I was glad I had put up with that extra weight. As I approached the car, hot and tired, I was also glad I had decided to save the peak of Mt. Kimball for another day.

Getting there:: From I-10, turn east on Ina Road. Turn north on Oracle Road, then right on Magee Road. Follow Magee Road to its end. The trailhead is in the northeast corner of the parking lot. A drinking fountain (which I didn’t try) is at the trailhead.

Tips: No fee is required during park hours. A trailhead sign defines park hours as 5AM - 9 PM. There is a entrance gate at the parking lot entrance that could be locked outside of these hours. It is possible to leave the park after closing as the exit stays open, but prevents entry with tire puncture spikes. If you are going to hike in the summer, be prepared to start early, and to have enough water for the last couple hours as they are HOT, HOT, HOT.

Stats: Approximately 12.4 miles round-trip with an ascent of 3750 feet.

Thanks to John Piersa for proofreading and editing suggestions of this journal.