We last did the Blackett’s Ridge hike on March 29, 2008, so I decided a seven year hiatus was long enough and it was finally time to get out, put boot leather to the trail, and hike this picturesque piece of the Santa Catalina’s once again. Ted placed my hike description on the Arizona Trailblazers website for all to see. In short order a flood of hikers signed up and today we have 18 anxious Trailblazers ready to tackle Blackett’s Ridge, most for the very first time.

We still have a way to go before reaching
the Blackett’s Ridge Trail. [photo by Quy]

These hikers didn’t drive all the way down to Tucson for a short and easy hike. Instead, they are ready for a major hiking challenge and are prepared to hit the trail running. So let’s move out, Trailblazers!

The time is 9:30 AM as we exit the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center parking lot through a set of tall stone pillars representing the Bear Canyon Trailhead. As the sign indicates, we have to hike 0.8 miles before even reaching the Phoneline Trail, which in turn will connect us with the Blackett’s Ridge Trail. The temperature is a very pleasant 65 degrees under bright blue, partly cloudy skies as we make quick work of the wide and relatively flat stretch of Bear Canyon Trail that connects us to the Phoneline Trail. The easy part of the hike is over and the more challenging part lies ahead.

We begin a gradual but steady climb along the 0.4 mile stretch of the Phoneline Trail as it continues winding its way uphill to connect with the Blackett’s Ridge Trail. For the more curious among us who may wonder about the origins of the name Phoneline Trail, the answer is quite simple. This trail follows the original route of an old phone line to the top of Mount Lemmon.

I had mentioned earlier that the first mile of the Blackett’s Ridge Trail would be the toughest part of the hike for us today, but some of our hikers mistakenly assume this to be Blackett’s Ridge already. In fact, the Phoneline Trail is merely a warm-up for what lies ahead.

Betty Leavengood describes the Blackett’s Ridge Trail as “one of the best little hikes in the Tucson area” in her Tucson Hiking Guide. Later, after finally reaching the top of Blackett’s Ridge, I think many of us would take exception to the word “little”.

It’s certainly not hiking to the top of Mt. Humphreys, but this hike is not exactly a cake walk either. Instead, it’s more of a major cardio workout all the way to the top of the ridge from the Phoneline Junction.

Just as he named Hutch’s Pool after one of his students, as well as a number of other prominent Tucson area landmarks, teacher Don Everett of the Southern Arizona School for Boys also named Blackett’s Ridge after one of his students. In 1937 Everett made the first known ascent of this ridge on horseback with Bill Blackett, one of his young students from Illinois. The name stuck, and over 75 years later this unique little slice of the Catalina’s is still known as Blackett’s Ridge.

We finally come to the junction with the Blackett’s Ridge Trail and hang a right here. The Phoneline Trail continues heading northeast up Sabino Canyon until it becomes the Sabino Canyon Trail after several miles. Straight ahead and high above us sits Blackett’s Ridge. At this point more than a few of us are probably wondering to ourselves “Is that where we’re actually heading? Surely not. This must be something else. Then where the heck is Blackett’s Ridge?”

But this is the genuine article all right, and we still have some serious elevation gain ahead of us before reaching the top of this ridge at 4,4410 feet. We soon hit a series of switchbacks that carry us higher and higher up the ridge. Once beyond the 3500-foot level, a steady cool breeze blows up and across the ridge and provides welcome relief from the intense sun. Hopefully this breeze will stay with us all the way to the top.

The higher we hike the more wildflowers we begin to encounter – hundreds of brittlebush and creosote in full bloom, blooming ocotillos, pincushion and prickly pear cactus, fairy dusters, Gold poppies, blue lupine, penstemon, foxglove, globemallow, and desert chicory to name a few. Evidently the increased rainfall at these higher elevations, combined with warm daytime temperatures, are creating an explosion of wildflowers across the Catalinas.

The switchbacks eventually become shorter and steeper as the trail continues to claw its way up Blackett’s Ridge. The trail levels off briefly from time to time and gives us just enough time to catch our breath and admire the surrounding scenery, before continuing its relentless switchbacking to the top — each set of switchbacks just a little steeper than the previous one. We see the tram slowly making its way up Sabino Canyon Road far below and also enjoy panoramic views of Sabino Creek flowing peacefully through the canyon.

In the 1930s a consortium of private companies and government agencies lobbied long and hard to dam parts of Sabino Canyon to provide water and electricity for the growing city of Tucson. Thankfully, those efforts eventually failed and today millions of visitors continue to enjoy this unique part of Arizona with its many pristine canyons and million-dollar unspoiled views. A vision of water skiers and jet boaters buzzing around a large man-made lake in Sabino Canyon just doesn’t seem quite appropriate here.

As we get higher and higher, we come to several excellent lookout points along the way providing panoramic views of Tucson, Sabino Canyon, and the Santa Catalina Range. Then we come to the first of several false summits where we’re convinced that we’ve finally reached the top of Blackett’s Ridge, only to discover the trail just keeps going on and on. For those of us who are veterans of Mt. Humphreys, this is an all-too-familiar scenario since Arizona’s highest mountain peak also teases its hikers with three false summits before finally offering up the true peak.

When we finally top the genuine summit, the real Blackett’s Ridge, the trail comes to an abrupt end and we come face to face with a trail sign that reads “END OF THE BLACKETT’S RIDGE TRAIL”. There’s no question now. We know that we’ve arrived at last. It’s possible, but not advisable, to go beyond this point. One careless step or an uncontrolled slide on loose gravel at the top of this ridge could result in a 400-foot plunge straight to the bottom of Sabino Canyon. Something to definitely keep in mind, but we also don’t want to become paranoid. Just prudent and cautious.

From this 4,410-foot vantage point we enjoy sweeping 360 degree views of Tucson’s four surrounding mountain ranges, Sabino and Bear Canyons, and straight ahead a bird’s-eye view of Thimble Peak, at 5,323 feet the highest point in the immediate area.

A cooling breeze continues to blow across the ridge, so we each pull up a handy boulder and sit down to a well-deserved lunch break with a million-dollar view.

Before we leave this lofty perch behind we have one more item on the agenda — a discussion of dinner options for later in the day. What can I say? We hikers work up quite an appetite.

Nancy, who lived in Tucson for several years, suggests El Charro’s, which is on our way back to Phoenix, and actually manages to call in a dinner reservation for us from the top of Blackett’s Ridge. Twenty years ago who would have thought that possible?

After lunch we gather our gear and start the long trek back down the ridge to the Visitor Center and parking lot. By 3:00 PM twelve famished Arizona Trailblazers are sitting down to a delicious Mexican dinner at El Charro’s on the SW corner of Kolb & Sunrise Drive. Great suggestion, Nancy!

Wildflower photos by Quy: