On October 14, I became the new Regional Steward for passages 4-6 in the Santa Rita Foothills. The passages total almost 50 miles of trail between Casa Blanca Canyon trailhead (just off of Hwy 82 near Patagonia) and Lakes Road (west of Hwy 83 near milepost 51.4).
These passages are composed of 12 segments:
- 4a Casa Blanca Canyon trailhead, Highway 82 to Forest Boundary, 1.4 miles
- 4b Forest Boundary to Temporal Gulch Connector Trail Jct, 5.9 miles
- 4c Temporal Gulch Connector Trail Jct to Rollover at Wood Canyon, 6.9 miles
- 4d Rollover at Wood Canyon to El Pilar Tank, 3.8 miles
- 4e El Pilar Tank to FR785, 4.5 miles
- 4f FR785 to Apache Springs Trailhead, 2.4 miles
- 5 Gardner Canyon Road to Oak Tree Canyon, 13.8 miles
- 6a Oak Tree Canyon to FR 4062, 5.7 miles
- 6b FR 4062 to Lakes Rd, 7.4 miles
The most important piece of the Regional Steward’s job is to work with ATA staff to help us keep a good idea of conditions on the ground and the engagement of stewards in the area. They also help to coordinate communications between staff, stewards and Land Managers.
I’ve not yet hiked all the trails in Passages 4-6, but have done at least half. Here are a few photos from the sections I’ve hiked and have worked on:
