What to See and Do
Hiking and Biking
Green Mountain Trail
This beautiful trail, located near Mount Lemmon, offers incredible views and is a great way to explore the area’s forested environment.
Length: 8.8 miles
Intensity: Difficult
Bassett Peak via East Divide Trail #287
This trail, located in the Galiuro Wilderness, is excellent for hiking and offers great bird-watching opportunities.
Length: 10.7 miles
Intensity: Moderate
Mount Graham Trail
Located in the Coronado National Forest, this trail provides views of the area’s gorgeous scenery and is particularly lovely when the foliage changes in the fall.
Length: 8.7 miles
Intensity: Moderate
Frye Mesa Reservoir Trail
This trail offers spectacular views of the desert landscape and the reservoir, and it provides access to several beaches.
Length: 0.9 miles
Intensity: Easy
Ash Creek Falls
This trail can be rocky, steep, and difficult to follow in some places, making it a good challenge for experienced hikers, but it offers beautiful views of the falls.
Length: 4.7 miles
Intensity: Difficult
Fishing and Boating
Silverbell Lake in Tucson is scenic and peaceful, and anglers can usually catch carp, trout, sunfish, catfish, and crappie. Nearby Kennedy Lake is also a fantastic spot for fishing, and it’s perfect for small boats or paddling with canoes or kayaks.
Climbing
There are many excellent options for climbing near the Redfield Canyon Wilderness, including the nearby Tanque Verde Canyon, which offers 16 sport routes of varying difficulties. The Mount Lemmon area offers almost 3,000 different traditional, sport, top-rope, aid, and alpine climbs, plus many bouldering opportunities. There are also nearly 200 bouldering options throughout the Tucson area, including great climbs at Panther Peak and Gate’s Pass.
Wildlife Viewing
Some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities can be found right in the Redfield Canyon Wilderness, but the Coronado National Forest, Saguaro National Park, and Galiuro Wilderness are also excellent for wildlife viewing and photography. Native species include hawks, eagles, ravens, roadrunners, quail, rabbits, coyotes, squirrels, bobcats, mule deer, and the occasional mountain lion. The area is also home to many lizard and snake species, including rattlesnakes, bull snakes, and king snakes.
Picnicking
The Mica View Picnic Area offers easy access to the Mica View Trail. There are several picnic tables and grills available. The Overlook Picnic Area near Tucson provides beautiful views and many hiking options. There are shaded picnic tables, grills, and restrooms.
Horseback Riding
Many trails in the area, particularly off-roading trails such as the Redington OHV Trail, are ideal for horseback riding. Horseback riding is also very popular in the Redfield Canyon Wilderness itself. You can check each trail for its equestrian suitability before you head out.