Soldier Camp Loop Santa Catalina Mountains Tucson, Arizona Distance: 9 miles Type: mixed trail, loop Time: 2-5 hours Season: Summer-Fall Elevation Range: 6400-7700 ft Permit Required: Catalina Mountains or Madera Canyon pass Quick Rating: half technical Trail Map (220 Kb JPG) About the map and trail profile Updated 6/6/03

Description

If you're not sure if you're ready for 7 miles of out and back fun on the Crystal Spring Trail, this loop is a good ride. You'll have pavement at first to warm up, a fast and sometimes slippery downhill on the fire control road, and 4 miles of scenic and challenging singletrack ending with a mile-long climb. You can take the loop the other way but the long grind of a climb up the fire control road may make you wonder if the singletrack was worth it.

Rating

This trail will challenge you without driving you into the ground. At least not until you get to the last mile or so where you'll climb the Butterfly Trail almost 700 feet. The trail is typical Mt. Lemmon singletrack; thin, soft, steep, and perched on the side of a steep slope with plenty of rocks and roots to slide you off the mountain.

How to get there

Take the Mt. Lemmon Highway to the Soldier Camp trailhead (mile x.x). Ride the highway up to the fire control road and take it down to the Crystal Spring Trail. The trail is easy to miss so use the trail map to keep track of the switchbacks on your descent. After about 3 miles the Crystal Spring Trail ends at the Butterfly Trail. Hang a right when you get there and enjoy the climb to the trailhead.

If you don't have a Forest Service pass, pick one up at the Texaco station on the south side of Tanque Verde Road just shy of the Mt. Lemmon Highway Intersection. If you forget, the pass station above the Molino overlook may be open. You can pick up day passes from a self service station at Molino Basin.

Trail Log

0.0	Soldier Camp Trailhead parking lot. Head back out and ride up the highway.
1.9	Fire control road on right - take it.
4.8	Crystal Spring Trail on right. It's easy to miss so watch for it. The only marker is a waist-high trail marker.
7.75	Crystal Spring Trail ends at Butterfly Trail - ride right up the long climb.
9.0	If you aren't tired and worn out, ride the loop backwards.

Notes

Watch out for hikers and yield the trail, smile, and wave. In most cases they will encourage you to pass, possibly thinking that anyone crazy enough to try and ride this trail needs all the help they can get.

Watch weather conditions. After a heavy rain the trail gets soft and seemingly dry roots and rocks will send you sliding down the hill before you know it. One of our riders (Pete) likes a wet trail for soil traction despite the rock/root hazard. I don't because slips and falls cause more trail damage. But then Pete rides the trail and I usually fall on it.

Variations

Crystal Spring Trail