Hiking at Sweetwater Preserve, 12/05/2019

Always looking for dog-friendly hikes in the area, we found Sweetwater Preserve on line. The property was homesteaded and owned by Joseph Conrad Fraps from 1927 until his death in 1963. Today, it is an 880+ acre preserve that protects the east-to-west Saltwater Wash wildlife corridor that runs through it. 

It is located in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains west of the town of Tucson and about .5 mile from the Saguaro National Park (West). The trailhead is well marked.  

There is an abundance of saguaros here; and, we always enjoy their interesting shapes and stages of growth. It’s apparent that the one below is older, as his skeleton is starting to show. 

Check out this crested (cristate) saguaro. This unusual mutation is caused by cells in the growing stem dividing outward rather than in the normal circular pattern. A fan-shaped crest at the growing tip of the main stem forms.

Below is a view to the east towards Tucson from the trail. This preserve seems very remote, but it is actually quite close to the city.

Our sweet girl, Sadie, had a great time on this hike! As usual, she gets ahead of us and then turns as if to say, “hurry up guys.” She knows to stay on the trail!

During our hike we saw the plant life of the Sonoran desert that we have come to love: barrel cactus, staghorns, prickly pear, palo verde trees, and, of course, saguaros of all sizes. 

The views of the Tucson Mountains from the ridges of the preserve are beautiful. 

We will definitely hike this trail again when we are next in Tucson. Because we visited during a weekday, there was virtually no one there (just the way we like it!). Mountain biking is also popular at Sweetwater Preserve, but we did not see any bicyclists during our hike. 

 

Google Sweetwater Preserve Trailhead to find directions to the parking area.