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Tucson's top trails

Interstate 10 won't do it. Speedway - no way. Not even a bumpy back road will get you there. Only one form of passage can take you off the wheel-worn track and into the heart of the country: a trail. Luckily for us, few places in the nation are more lavishly laced with trails than Southern Arizona. We've got desert trails slicing through sun-kissed landscapes of towering cacti and versicolor wildflowers. We've got pine-needle-padded paths meandering through shady fir forests. We've got urban recreation trails, bird-watching trails, canyon trails, summit trails and trails so stupendously steep you finally have to stop walking and start climbing hand-over-hand. As part of our Absolutely Arizona series - a subjective compilation of 100 of the most remarkable people, places and things in Southern Arizona - we've identified 10 top trails. Our goal was to include a mix of routes - some short and some long, some easy and some challenging, some reposing on flat deserts and others climbing to airy mountaintops. You might agree with our selections - or tell us to take a hike. We'd be happy to oblige. HUGH NORRIS TRAIL (pictured above)

Walk this way: Ascending a comely, cactus-studded ridge in Saguaro National Park West, the 4.9-mile Hugh Norris Trail is a self-guided tour of the pure essence of a desert mountain range. The moderate-to-strenuous route leads to the summit of 4,687-foot Wasson Peak, the highest point in the Tucson Mountains. The summit view is a 360-degree panorama taking in the Tucson Valley, distant mountain ranges and sprawling deserts. You'll gain 2,087 vertical feet if you stick it out all the way from the 2,600-foot trailhead to Wasson's summit. Trail log: "The excellent thing about the Hugh Norris Trail is that it gains its elevation quickly right at the beginning of the hike and then follows a high ridge almost all the way from there," says Chip Littlefield, a Saguaro Park ranger. "I like the rock formations along the trail and the desert vegetation. . . . The spot I like best is when you reach an intersection with the Sendero Esperanza Trail. When you cross over to the south side of the range, you get a really nice wilderness type of view. You feel like you've gotten into the heart of the park - and you have."

To the trailhead: Take Ajo Way west to Kinney Road, turn right onto Kinney and follow it northwest to Saguaro National Park. From the Red Hills Visitor Center at the park, follow Kinney Road northwest to Hohokam Road. Turn right, east, on Hohokam Road and proceed about a mile to the trailhead and parking lot. Park admission is $10 per vehicle. ASPEN DRAW TRAIL

Walk this way: Perched at about 8,500 feet in the Catalina Mountains near Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, the 1.7-mile Aspen Draw Trail is a haven of woodland splendor even on the hottest days of summer. The trail, especially its lower reaches, escaped the worst of the 2003 Aspen Fire that ravaged nearby parts of the forest. A 3.4-mile round-trip hike on the trail, which gains about 700 vertical feet, can be a soothing walk in the woods or a brief, vigorous workout depending on how fast you travel. Trail log: Sheer contrast is what makes the Aspen Draw Trail so attractive to many Tucsonans. An hour's drive from blistering desert terrain where thorny things rule, the trail is a ferny, green refuge shaded by venerable Douglas firs and white-trunked aspens. In the summer, brilliant yellow columbines and other wildflowers grace the route. In autumn, the leaves of aspens and big-tooth maple trees dapple the forest in hues of red and gold. Winter brings a blanket of deep and silencing snow. To the trailhead: Take Tanque Verde Road to the Catalina Highway and follow the highway to Mount Lemmon Ski Valley. Walk about 20 yards down the south side of the highway from the ski area parking lot and watch for a trail leading downhill. Follow it down the side of the hill and across a small watercourse to the signed start of the Aspen Draw Trail. BIRDING TRAIL

Walk this way: The milelong Birding Trail may be easy on the legs and lungs, but the loop route at Catalina State Park offers rewards all out of proportion to the effort it requires. Even if your bird-identification skills are limited to the robin and the fried chicken, you'll hardly be able to avoid spotting winged things of interest on the Birding Trail. Species from cactus wrens and Gila woodpeckers to Phainopepla and Pyrrhuloxia occupy varied terrain - ranging from mesquite thickets to stream-side habitat. Trail log: "The trail is very 'birdy' at various times of the year, and one of the advantages is that it's not too long," says Darlene Smyth, field trip coordinator for the Tucson Audubon Society. "You can go out and take a walk by yourself, or take your family there and not overwhelm a young child with a long hike. "You get beautiful views while you're birding," Smyth says. "The trail has a nice hill to climb. You literally have a bird's-eye view up there." Among the birds Smyth enjoys spotting along the trail: the black-throated sparrow. To the trailhead: Go north on Oracle Road, which becomes Arizona 77. You'll come to the Catalina State Park entrance just after crossing the Cañada del Oro Wash. Drive to a parking area at the end of the main park road. The trailhead is across the road from the parking area. Park admission is $6 per vehicle. VENTANA CANYON TRAIL

Walk this way: Someday you might wake up in the morning and think: I'm really in the mood to walk 12.8 miles round-trip and ascend 4,000 vertical feet so I can gaze out of a window made of stone. When, or if, that mood strikes, it's time to trek the Ventana Canyon Trail, north of Tucson. The 6.4-mile route is one of the toughest and most rewarding day hikes in the Tucson area. The trail - nature's answer to the Stairmaster - takes determined hikers from saguaro desert terrain to a zone of ponderosa pine forest. Your destination, a weather-carved stone arch that's about 25 feet wide and 15 feet high, is worth every thigh-busting step. Trail log: "Ventana is a gorgeous getaway, tucked above the city as it is," says Tucson hiker Terri Gay. "I've got photos from a hike up Ventana hanging on the wall over my desk - a window to the world, a reminder of why we live here, why we live to hike. Low morning sun glowing on the cliffs, ocotillo blooming in fat, red clusters, house-sized chunks of granite at the bottom of the canyon. Always awesome." To the trailhead: Drive to Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, 7500 N. Resort Drive. It's off North Kolb Road north of East Sunrise Drive. Follow signs to a parking lot for the trailhead. PICACHO PEAK TRAIL

Walk this way: If you've driven to Phoenix, you've probably peered up at the handsome little summit of Picacho Peak on the west side of Interstate 10 about 45 miles northwest of Tucson. Though it's only 3,374 feet high, Picacho has a pointy, Matterhorn-like demeanor when viewed from some angles. It fairly cries out to be climbed and, thanks to some steel cables anchored to the rock, even hikers without rock-climbing experience can make it to the summit via the 2.1-mile Hunter Trail. But it's important to take great care when ascending the cables, and you might want to forgo an ascent if you're seriously troubled by heights. Trail log: Never mind the fact that you hike through lush desert vegetation on your way to Picacho Peak. Never mind the thrill of moving up steep sections of rock while holding onto a well-anchored cable. The unique pleasure of standing on this summit is that from your airy aerie, you look down not only on an interstate highway, but also an ostrich ranch. Alas, the owner of the ostrich ranch recently announced that it may have to be closed for economic reasons. But take heart. Red-tailed hawks in the area could fill the need for winged scenery. To the trailhead: Follow I-10 West about 45 miles from Tucson to the well-marked exit for Picacho Peak State Park. A park road leads to the trailhead. RINCON PEAK TRAIL

Walk this way: Rincon Peak - that knobby summit near the southern end of the Rincon Mountains east of Tucson - looks innocent enough. But getting to the top of the 8,482-foot peak might be considered the "graduate school" of Tucson-area day hiking. We're talking about a round-trip trek of 16.2 miles and a vertical elevation gain of 4,300 feet. Not to mention a fairly long drive to reach the trailhead on the eastern side of the Rincon range. Unless you're a member of an avian species, there's no easy way to get to Rincon's summit. But the halfway-to-heaven views from the top, and the rich mix of vegetation and terrain along the trail, make it irresistible to high-octane hikers. Trail log: "It's definitely a difficult, rugged hike, especially if you do it as a day hike," says hiker Chris Hunnicutt. "But the view is well worth the hike, once you get up there. And what I like is that it's different than the Catalinas, where a lot of folks will drive up Mount Lemmon. I never get a sense of a true summit on Mount Lemmon, but you really do get that sense on Rincon Peak." To the trailhead: Take I-10 East from Tucson to the Mescal Exit. Then drive generally north 16 miles on unpaved roads to the Miller Creek trailhead. RILLITO RIVER PARK TRAIL

Walk this way: It will take you to no cloud-shrouded summits or hidden desert canyons, but the Rillito River Park Trail offers one magnificent advantage: It's convenient. Tracing the route of the usually dry Rillito across the northern end of the Tucson Valley, the River Park Trail is a godsend for self-powered commuters, exercisers and folks who just want to take a leisurely walk near home. The 11-mile trail, which follows the river course from North Craycroft Road nearly to Interstate 10, attracts walkers, runners, cyclists, equestrians and in-line skaters. Work that's under way on a section of the trail between North Alvernon Way and North Campbell Avenue will make the route continuous from end to end. Trail log: "It can be used for passive recreation - as a place for peace of mind or gathering your thoughts," says Sherrie Barfield, river parks manager for Pima County. "But it's also used by many people for an everyday fitness regimen." Barfield, who uses the trail in commuting to work on her bike, notes that it's also a good place to see native vegetation and wildlife. "It gives you a touch of nature without having to drive very far." To the trailhead: Access is available at numerous points along the trail. One spot with plenty of parking is at North Swan Road and the Rillito. BLACKETT'S RIDGE TRAIL

Walk this way: If there were an award for "best trail for a great workout with drop-dead views," Blackett's Ridge would almost certainly win it. A hike up the ridge covers 6.2 miles round-trip - including an approach walk from Sabino Canyon - and gains nearly 1,700 feet in elevation. Take a slow amble, with plenty of rest stops, up the trail's steep switchbacks and you'll win hawk's-eye views of Sabino Canyon and high reaches of the Catalina Mountains. Zip up the route as fast as possible three times a week and you'll be well on your way to becoming a mountain goat. Trail log: "You might think that climbing Blackett's week after week would become boring, but it never does," says Claudia Weaver, secretary of the Southern Arizona Hiking Club. "The smells and views of the trail change with the seasons. Wildflowers come and go. Sunrises, clouds and shadows vary by day. Around any switchback may lurk a surprising critter - spiders, snakes, Gila monsters, bunnies, javelina or deer. "The views of Bear Canyon, Sabino Canyon Road and the Phoneline Trail are always awe-inspiring - 'Look, Ma, how high I am!' " Weaver says. "And Blackett's is easily accessible, like a wonderful mountain playground in our back yard." To the trailhead: Take Sabino Canyon Road to the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. From the east end of the parking lot, follow a broad, flat path that leads to a road. Where the path ends, turn right onto the road and follow it across a bridge to the signed start of the Phoneline Trail. Hike up the Phoneline trail about half a mile to a signed turnoff for Blackett's Ridge. BABOQUIVARI PEAK TRAIL

Walk this way: Jabbing into the sky on the edge of the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, the stone obelisk of Baboquivari Peak is one of the few mountains in Southeastern Arizona that can't be climbed just by walking steeply uphill. You'll need to do some hand-over-hand climbing, with protection from a rope and experienced climbing partners, to complete the "hike" up 7,730-foot Babo - even by its easiest route. You will hike nearly five miles and climb three rock pitches to reach the summit via the Forbes Route, which is approached from the eastern flanks of the mountain. Highly skilled climbers often opt for more difficult routes to the peak. Trail log: Many climbers savor the pure tactile pleasure of moving gracefully up Baboquivari's good solid rock, but some pay little heed to the metaphysics of the mountain. Basic courtesy calls for keeping in mind that the peak is held sacred by the Tohono O'odham Nation, whose members view it as the home of a deity known as I'itoi. Even some of us who aren't members of the tribe have come down from Babo's heights with a sense of powerful forces beyond the realm of rock, wind and storm.

To the trailhead: Drive southwest from Tucson on Arizona 86 and south on Arizona 286 to a turnoff for Thomas Canyon. It's a little tricky getting to the trailhead, but you can get guidance from the experienced climbers in your party who have been there before. OLD BALDY TRAIL

Walk this way: First, the bad news: The challenging, enormously popular 5.4-mile Old Baldy Trail in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson is closed temporarily because of damage from a wildfire this summer. Forest Service District Ranger Keith Graves estimates it could be next summer before the trail is reopened to hiking. But here's the thing: The Old Baldy Trail is worth the wait. Even with many of its tall pines ravaged by fire, the trail will still take you to the 9,453-foot summit of Mount Wrightson. That treeless, rocky, "bald" summit, sometimes known as Old Baldy, led to the trail's name. Rewards for the ascent, which involves 4,000 vertical feet of climbing, include a physical workout your muscles will remember and views stretching into Mexico. Trail log: "I'm a summit person, one who feels a little cheated if I can't get to the top," says hiker Terri Gay. "So every time I tag the top of Old Baldy, it's a thrill. I love the fact that people have been coming to this place for decades, that ladybugs are there at the right time of year, and that the monsoon will often thwart my summit attempt and chase me back down the hill with thunderclaps. I appreciate clear days at the top when I can see mountain ranges nearly 100 miles away and in turn recall trips to the tops of them." To the trailhead: Take Interstate 19 South to the Continental Exit and then continue 13 miles southeast to Madera Canyon. The trailhead is at the end of the canyon road, but it remains closed until fire damage is repaired.