An hour south of where we are staying in Tucson (Justin’s Diamond J RV Park) is Madera Canyon. It is part of the Coronado National Forest with the Bog Springs Campground (13 sites/no hookups), picnic areas, and hiking trails. It ranges from the cactus-covered desert to aspen and pine forest on Mt. Wrightson.
Rated the 3rd best birding destination in the United States, over 250 bird species including 15 hummingbirds and 16 species of bats have been seen here. The canyon has three lodging facilities (Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Kubo B&B and Chuparosa Inn) where there are feeders, bird walks and information on recent sightings.
Our first stop was at Santa Rita Lodge where there are many birdfeeders and a lovely gift shop. It’s a great spot to snap a few photos of some of the birds that make Madera Canyon their home. Mostly, we saw hummingbirds and woodpeckers here.
This coatimundi stopped by to try to snatch some of the bird food that had fallen to the ground. Apparently, he is a regular visitor.
We parked near the Nature Trail and Amphitheater to do some hiking.
The round-trip hike is 2.7 miles on the Nature Trail. We crossed the bridge over Madera Creek to reach the Amphitheater where educational programs are held.
The trail climbed to a higher altitude. Several small animal caves used by rodents can be seen along this part of the hike.
Leashed pets are permitted, so our sweet girl, Sadie, was in heaven.
The large tree in the first photo is an alligator juniper. When you see the bark, the name makes sense. It grows at 4,000’ and lives to be around 400 years old. When burned, the wood gives off a pleasant order and little smoke.
This Is one of several Mexican jays we saw along the trail.
Stunning views of the Santa Rita Mountains can be seen along this well-marked trail as well as many interesting rock formations.
Madera Canyon Road leads to the Mt Wrightson trailheads and picnic area. When we visited here in 2014, we did some hiking there on the Old Baldy Trail.
For additional information about Madera Canyon, go to www.friendsofmaderacanyon.org and/orwww.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coronado/recarea/?recid=25760.
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