Arizona Trail Passage 4 Day Hikes - February 2013
Day 1

Added 2 December 2016

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Sunday, May 12, 2013, Arizona Trail Passage 4: Temporal Gulch - Patagonia to Gardner Canyon Road

We started our day with a fairly stiff climb up to Walker Basin and got some beautiful views along the way, especially south towards Patagonia. We eventually climbed up into pine forest, then transitioned back to mostly oak woodland after going from the road to a single track trail.


A very sturdy sign on AZT Passage 4. Cheetah and Jerry hiking along AZT Passage 4. View along Arizona Trail Passage 4.

Shaun hiking along AZT Passage 4. View along AZT Passage 4. View along Arizona Trail Passage 4.

View along Arizona Trail Passage 4. Cheetah hiking along AZT Passage 4. Walker Basin Trailhead

The dam at Walker Basin Trailhead. An unknown plant on AZT Passage 4. An unknown plant on AZT Passage 4.

View along Arizona Trail Passage 4. Cheetah hiking along AZT Passage 4. Jerry hiking along AZT Passage 4.

View along Arizona Trail Passage 4. Cheetah and Shaun hiking along AZT Passage 4. Jerry hiking along AZT Passage 4.

A Scarlet Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus coccineus) in bloom. Along the descent down the eastern flank of the Santa Rita Mountains, Jerry and I stopped to wait for the others at the trail junction to Bear Spring. I decided to go and check it out while we waited and I'm glad I did. It was one of the neatest improved springs I've ever seen. The holding tank for the spring was made of wood and was constructed like a barrel. Sign for Bear Spring on AZT Passage 4. Mineral deposits had formed on the downstream side of the tank, giving the whole affair a half constructed, half organic earthen quality. shortly after I returned to the trail junction Cheetah arrived and she and Jerry went to check out Bear Spring while I kept watch for Shaun.A mineral encrusted wooden holding tank at Bear Spring. When he arrived he decided not to add more steps to the hike and stayed put at the junction.

As we continued on from Bear Spring, we passed by other water sources as well, some of which appeared as though they would stay wet until the monsoon season kicked in. As I have been before on other passages, I was surprised by how much water was available on this passage. It's not there in vast quantities, but it's definitely there. That's why James Stetson and his partners formed the Santa Rita Water and Mining Company and in 1904 built one of the features that this portion of the passage follows, namely an aqueduct intended to supply water from the Santa Rita Mountains down to mining operations below in Kentucky Camp. It was neat to see the tunnels and other engineering works that he made to move water from one watershed to another.


Water in the creek near Bear Spring. Jerry and Shaun at the creek near Bear Spring. An Arizona Rainbow Cactus (Echinocereus rigidissimus) in bloom.

Jerry hiking along AZT Passage 4. Cheetah passing under some massive boulders along AZT Passage 4. View along Arizona Trail Passage 4.

View along Arizona Trail Passage 4. View along Arizona Trail Passage 4. View along Arizona Trail Passage 4.

Informational sign on AZT Passage 4. A tunnel used to transport water for use in hydraulic mining for gold in the early 20th century. A tunnel used to transport water for use in hydraulic mining for gold in the early 20th century.

A tunnel used to transport water for use in hydraulic mining for gold in the early 20th century. A water trough on AZT Passage 4. A gate along AZT Passage 4.

A trick tank along AZT Passage 4. Jerry and Cheetah cross a small stream along AZT Passage 4. A small stream along AZT Passage 4.

As we neared the car we hiked through a burned area. Fortunately, it was a fairly small fire.


Informational sign on AZT Passage 4. A tunnel used to transport water for use in hydraulic mining for gold in the early 20th century. A yucca struggling to survive after a wildfire.

Cheetah hiking along AZT Passage 4. Cheetah, Jerry, Shaun and Brian after finishing Arizona Trail Passage 4. It was a bit toasty by the time we got to my car, so I moved it to a shadier spot and we relaxed a bit there before heading back to Patagonia to pick the other vehicles up. There was no need for me to go back up to Jerry's truck, so in Patagonia, everyone else transferred to Shaun's car and they completed the shuttle while I drove home. Thus ended another successful and highly enjoyable AZT passage.

 We hiked 15.3 miles today.

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