July Art Hike Recap - Bear Wallow, Mt Lemmon, AZ

This month's Art Hike took us to one of my favorite areas of the Catalinas: Bear Wallow. I love this trail because it's fairly flat so it's accessible to most people and you get a lot of "bang for your buck" in terms of beauty. Gorgeous aspens, conifers, ferns and wildflowers can be found along this trail. And in the fall you can find bold yellows, oranges and reds.

We met at the Sunset Trail parking lot and headed east going up Bear Wallow. This trail isn't an official trail, it's not technically marked on maps but it's been used for decades by hikers and mountain bikers so the trail is very easy to follow. It's close to the highway too so know that you will still get some traffic sounds. After about half a mile you cross under Catalina Highway and the sounds dissipate.

.  

Our group had a great time meandering through the pine trees, finding mushrooms and wildflowers. We even found some wild raspberries and we couldn't help but partake. They were sweet and tart and made for a perfect trail snack.

.  

We took a break at the old campground area, a large open area that currently doesn't allow for camping due to over use. Check out all of our creations!

. 

If you'd like to join a future Art Hike check out the Art Hikes & Workshops page of my website!

Bear Wallow Trail, Mount Lemmon, AZ

Date hiked: July 24, 2022

Total miles: 2 mile out and back

Elevation gain: +/- 215 feet

Total time: 3 hours

Land acknowledgement: Ancestral lands of the Tohono O'odham and Yaqui