West Divide #289

The Galiuro Mountains grace the southeast Arizona landscape as a pair of ridges split by a north/south canyon complex. Two main ridges enclose this canyon duet made up of Rattlesnake Canyon flowing north and Redfield Canyon flowing south. Though the West Divide Trail is named for the westernmost of these two ridges, the trail actually starts in one of the canyons. The only point on the West Divide Trail accessible by vehicle is at Jackson Cabin at the southern Forest boundary of the Galiuros in a side drainage off Redfield Canyon. The trail follows this drainage to the main canyon and then winds upstream for several miles through the stacked block pinnacles and steep rocky bluffs that make this gorge one of the most spectacular in the Southwest. West Divide Trail eventually leaves Redfield Canyon and winds across the high rolling country that separates it from Rattlesnake Canyon. Along the way, it passes the old mine and cabin where the pioneer Power family was involved in a shootout that became part of the mythos of the wild west. The trail then ascends Grassy Ridge where the views are big, bold and unobstructed. To the east, north and south, the major peaks of the Galiuro Range are visible, including Kennedy, Kielberg, Bassett and Biscuit. To the west, the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson stand massive and tall, rising abruptly from the broad, flat San Pedro Valley. Within that valley lies the copper mining town of San Manuel, once the home of one of the largest open pit copper mines in the world. The trail ends at Maverick Peak, one of the higher points in the Galiuros and one of the major features in the visual smorgasbord you’ll be enjoying as you trek across the ridgetops.

At a Glance