Backpacking Santa Catalina Range - Palisades, Butterfly Ridge and the Wilderness of Rock 4 Day Loop

I have returned!

This was a 4 day trip in May of 2023 starting & ending at the Gordon Hirabayashi Trailhead sitting at middle elevation in the Santa Catalina Range near Tucson, AZ. This route uses the Arizona Trail as the southern leg of the loop. From the AZT I headed down into the East Fork Sabino Creek (dry), and then made the arduous 3500 ft. climb up the Palisade ridge. Camped out in an intense thunderstorm on night 1. On the second day I kept heading upward into the pines. Cresting over Mt. Bigelow, I hiked the Butterfly Trail along the north side of the range. BIG views. Grand scenery. Eventually I was able to connect to Marshall Gulch; a seemingly perennial flowing creek. I followed it to the Wilderness of Rock where I camped night 2. This campsite was off-trail, and probably in my top 10 campsites for the views alone - I've stayed at that same spot 3 times now. I made my way down back into the desert by following the AZT to Romero pass (more big views) and camped at Hutch's Pool - another place I've camped a bunch of times. Frankly it's the only place to find water out here below 5000 ft. for much of the year. Besides the lightning on the first night it was a great trip out.

I'm trying to get back into editing after about a year off. I've been on again off again working on 4 videos (including this one) from the last year. Call it burnout, or just a change in priorities. I had some injuries that kept me from doing more of what I'd call "epic" trips in the latter half of 2023 - except for a nice 5 day fall color loop of the Gila West & Middle Forks (not filmed). I'm getting back into it, and I'm filming as well. Summer 2024 has a lot in store and I expect to release videos regularly again for the foreseeable future. Thank for Watching!

Timestamps:
(0:00) Intro
(1:43) Gordon Hirabayashi Trailhead
(11:23 ) East Fork Sabino Descent
(14:50) Palisades Climb
(31:25) Day 2 Palisades
(39:16) Butterfly
(45:31) Novio Spring... I think...?
(49:29) Map
(50:06) Sunset / Marshall Gulch
(57:07) My favorite campsite in the Catalinas
(1:00:25) Day 3 Wilderness of Rock to Romero Pass
(1:14:26) Romero Pass to Hutch's Pool