My New Project and Linda Vista Trail

I'm back!

The other day I turned to my husband. "Husband," I said, "I want to go hiking once a week."

"That's a pretty lofty goal." I'm not sure why he said this. Maybe it was because at this point I can't even get it together to wash the dishes once a week?

At any rate, this morning I packed up my two little gremlins and hauled them off to the trail.

You see, the other day I made a list of trails in my area that are under 3 miles round trip and by Jove I'm going to hike every one of them with these kiddlets. And you're coming with me because you deserve to know where the kid friendly trails in Tucson are.

...because you're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggonit, people like you.

Today we explored...

Linda Vista Loop Trail

*choir of angels*

How to get there

This trail head is just off Oracle Rd/Hwy 77. Put into your GPS "Pusch Ridge Estates, Oro Valley, AZ." (Maybe it's cheating, but we all know that's the easiest way to find stuff these days.) After you turn onto Linda Vista Blvd you will see a small parking lot on the right-hand side (it is just past a baseball field. If you've actually entered into Pusch Ridge Estates you've gone too far.) The trail head is on the south side of this parking lot.

The Trail

I picked this trail not knowing very much about it. It was under three miles and was "loopy" so I thought it would be toddler friendly. Well, not really.

Every once and awhile I let go of my daughter's hood so that I could snap a shot of the trail for you. You're welcome.

The trail was pretty narrow, probably 2-2 1/2 ft wide in most places. And as you can see the cactus is very dense. It comes right up to the edge of the trail. My daughter is pretty good at staying away from this stuff, but she's still finding her feet, so to speak. One wrong step and she could barrel right into one of that cacti head first. (Incidentally, did you know that cacti, cactus, and cactuses are all grammatically correct plurals of cactus. I will be using them interchangeably.) Naturally I was experiencing hypertension during this entire hike.

We kept going because we were there already and I was hoping the cactus would clear out a little. It never did. The trail climbed in elevation mildly. Then it got rocky.

Then it got steep. (for a toddler)

Here is where I gave up :D

If there were less cactus, or the trail was wider, or if I hadn't had some newborn strapped to my front we probably would have kept going to finish off the loop. But we didn't. I wasn't sure how long it was going to keep climbing before it started back down hill so we just turned back.

The yellow represents about what we did.

 I would not recommend this trail for small children, but I would recommend it for yourself, or if you have older children. It was gorgeous and I plan to go back with my husband and do a little exploring some time. As you can see you can hike just about as much or as little as you please in this area.

Linda Vista Loop (1 mi)-- NOT toddler approved.

Freeman Homestead Nature Trail (1 mi, 143 ft)

Agua Caliente Regional Park (3 mi, 5 ft)

Loma Verde Wash (1.7 mi, 7 ft)

Sabino Dam (3 mi, 10 ft)

Javelina Rocks (1 mi, 40 ft)

Loma Verde Trail (2.3 mi, 50 ft)

Mica View (2 mi, 50 ft)

Vanover Trail (1.6 mi, 92 ft)

Monument Wash (2.3. 108 ft)

Baja Wash (1 mi, 136 ft)

Camero Loop Trail (2.1 mi, 168 ft)

Honey Bee Canyon Loop Trail (1.6, 200 ft)

Romero Canyon Loop Trail (2.3 mi, 210 ft)

Gould Mine Trail Loop (2.5 mi, 400 ft elevation gain) 

Foothills Loop Trail -- Kartchner Caverns (3 mi, 478 ft)