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Coronado Hiking Trails |
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Walker Basin Trail #136
This is a little-used trail that offers access to the more
remote southeastern slopes and foothills of the Santa
Rita Mountains. It climbs out of cool, green Walker Basin to a junction
with the Gardner
Trail #143 about a quarter of the distance between that
trail’s
inception and its intersection with the Super Trail #134
high on the slopes of Mt. Wrightson. Along the way, the Walker Basin
Trail offers
views off to the east down Big Casa Blanca Canyon and
west to the summits of Mt. Josephine and Mt. Wrightson. Part of the
trail in this area
follows an old ditch, so the path is about as level as
you will find.
Hikers and horsebackers use the Walker Basin Trail to provide
alternate access into Gardner Canyon. It is also used
as part of a couple of long and interesting trail loops. One of those
loops starts out on
the Walker Basin Trail, then follows portions of the
Gardner Trail #143 and the Super Trail #134 to get to Josephine Saddle.
It then follows
the Temporal Gulch Trail #595 and the road between the
Temporal Gulch and Walker Basin trailheads back to the starting point.
For an extremely
long day, or even a two or three day trip, you might
consider a route up and out of Madera Canyon via Old Baldy #372 or
Super Trail #134 and
the loop described above. Another interesting loop that
tours several old water developments used when this area was heavily
mined incorporates
the Walker Basin Trail, FR 785, the Chinaman Trail #137
and part of Big Casa Blanca Canyon.
Attractions:
Remote country/lightly-used trail
Access to southeastern slopes of Santa Ritas
Historic mining works
Number of loop possibilities
Season: Spring, summer, fall
Length: 2.6 miles
Elevation: 5,720'-6,920'
Rating: More difficult
Use: Light
USGS Map(s): Mt. Wrightson
Access: Drive north out of Patagonia on 1st Avenue
and continue 2.5 miles to the National Forest
boundary. At this point
the road becomes FR 72. Follow FR
72 for 4 or 5 miles depending on the condition of the road. (Usually
this route is passable by passenger cars to the
FR 72/FR72A junction.) A 4-wheel drive vehicle
is recommended from the FR 72/FR72A junction to the trailhead
at the end of the road.
This trail is also accessible from Gardner Trail
#143.
Notes:
1.6 miles of this trail are within
the Mt. Wrightson Wilderness.
Motorized and mechanized vehicles
and equipment, including mountain
bikes, are not permitted
in Wilderness. See the Wilderness section of this guide
for more
wilderness rules and ethics.
Before visiting this trail, call the Nogales Ranger
District for current trail conditions which can vary
with season,
weather and maintenance
status.
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