Avid hiker Erika Hartz plopped down for a rest atop the Blackett's Ridge Trail one day recently and proclaimed it "a good workout."
Carrie Harris, a hiking guide for the Canyon Ranch Spa, perched on a ridge-top rock and said the same thing.
You'd be wise to plumb the precise meaning of their words before starting up the trail high above Sabino Canyon northeast of Tucson.
That's because the term "good workout" can be a kind of hikers' code. Deciphered, it means "seriously steep."
Well, the Blackett's Ridge Trail is steep — breathtakingly steep in places — but it's also blissfully beautiful and rousingly rewarding for those who trek to the top.
The route — beginning at the Sabino Canyon visitor center and climaxing on an airy spine of stone separating Sabino and Bear canyons — is only 3.1 miles long. But after a flat, leisurely start, the trail makes up for its moderate length by gaining nearly 1,700 vertical feet — with much of that gain coming in a nasty little series of absurdly steep switchbacks.
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"By my calculations, I burned 1,639 calories getting up here," said hiker Marc Stanley of Dallas as he kicked back for a rest on the top of the ridge. "Worth every bit of it."
Get to the ridge
Take Tanque Verde Road to Sabino Canyon Road and drive north to the canyon entrance. You'll pay a $5 parking fee.
Start at the east end of the parking lot and follow a broad, flat path 0.4 of a mile to a road. Turn right on the road and follow it 0.4 of a mile, across a bridge, to the signed start of the Phoneline Trail. Hike 0.6 of a mile on the Phoneline Trail to a junction with the Blackett's Ridge Trail. From there, it's 1.7 miles to trail's end at the top of the ridge.
Sights along the way
Watch for:
● Water flowing in a creek when you cross a bridge on the lower part of the hike.
● Views of Tucson as you stop to catch your breath on the steep switchbacks.
● Sweeping vistas of Sabino Canyon and the heights of the Catalina Mountains from the aerie-like spot where the trail ends.
Precautions
● Get a very early start to beat the worst of the heat if you hike the trail now or in the coming hot-weather months.
● Carry plenty of water — two quarts or more per person.
● Be careful negotiating steep sections of the trail and use extreme caution on the summit ridge. You'll be near sheer, dangerous drop-offs. Keep a close watch over young hikers in your party.
