Hike on catalina state park loop Trail

Catalina state park is in Oro Valley, Az just north of Tucson.

It was a beautiful day when we hiked on this trail. The temperature was in the mid 70's and with a light breeze blowing and it was a beautiful partly cloudy day. The whole trail gains about a two hundred and fifty feet all in the first part of the trail, so we stopped several times to catch our breath. We completed the loop in about an hour. It's about a 2.5 mile loop, and you cross the arroyo three times, which is either a non-event or more exciting depending on which season and how recent there has been precipitation in it's various forms. When we went there trail was dry, so it was a non-event.

The main idea is to get fresh air, good exercise that is a good experience and is good for me, and is a pleasant pastime. In Arizona in the winter most years, the temperatures are quite pleasant for outside exercise, including hiking, walks, bicycling, backpacking, etc.

The trail is a dirt trail mostly, but it was rock and sand part of the way. Mostly it was not steep, but there were a few spots where it was steep for a few feet, but not bad. The scenery was "high desert" and rocky, and quite beautiful. If you look up there is the western facade of the Santa catalina mountains in all of it's glory, including the Romero Canyon, and the rest of it. Needless to say it is very scenic

We took sandwiches when we went on the hike. We ate half of a sandwich before the hike to raise our blood sugar without having to exercise on a full stomach, and then we ate the other half after we got back to the car. If you take this hike, don't forget to bring plenty of water, because the high desert is dry and you'll need at least 16 ounces of water, and probably more per person. It is not unusual to see people on horses on this trail, so be prepared to move over so they can share the trail. This is a good way to get some exercise, fresh air and sun on one of many beautiful days in Tucson in the winter.