March 18 - 20, 2011

Happy Valley, on the other side of the Rincon Mountains, is really only a few miles from Tucson, but seems a world away once you're out there. Please join me for a two-night backpack in Tucson's backyard.

The Plan

We'll drive around to the east side of the Rincon Mountains early on Friday morning, March 18th. Leaving our vehicles at the Miller Creek trailhead, we'll hike up to Happy Valley Campground and set up camp. Depending on the amount of energy we have, we may hike to Happy Valley Lookout before dinner.

On Saturday, we'll leave our camp and head up to Rincon Peak. That's a six-point-four-mile round-trip hike to the summit of that mighty mountain. We'll have lunch on the peak before we head back to camp.

The HUGE cairn on Rincon Peak After spending one last night in camp on Saturday, we'll have a leisurely Sunday morning breakfast then pack up and head back to Tucson. If we haven't hiked up to Happy Valley Lookout by this point, we will tackle that little peak on Sunday morning.

This trip is planned for up to eight people, and I have reserved two of the three available campsites. The National Park Service charges $6.00 per night per campsite, so the total charges are $24.00 for the group.

You'll need food for two dinners, two breakfasts, and two lunches.

Water and Weather

There should be water at Happy Valley, but that really depends on the amount of rain and snow the mountains received over the winter.

The weather at Happy Valley in mid-March can be very nice. Daytime highs will be in the 60s with lows in the upper 30s. Remember that the campground is at 6,100 feet, so it's a bit cooler than Tucson. Perhaps by as much as 10 degrees or more. You will need a colder weather sleeping bag.

One nice thing is that we are allowed to have a fire at Happy Valley. That makes the evenings a bit more special. Perhaps we'll have s'mores!

The Hike

day miles elev gain destination
Friday 0.0 / 0.0 0 ft / 0 ft Miller Creek Trailhead
Friday 1.5 / 1.5 400 ft / 400 ft Park Boundary
Friday 2.9 / 4.4 1600 ft / 2000 ft Heartbreak Ridge Trl Jct
Friday 0.6 / 5.0 400 ft / 2400 ft Happy Valley Campground
Friday 3.6 / 8.6 1200 ft / 3600 ft Happy Valley Lookout RT
Saturday 3.3 / 11.9 2100 ft / 5700 ft Rincon Peak
Saturday 3.3 / 15.2 400 ft / 6100 ft Return to Campground
Sunday 0.6 / 15.8 400 ft / 6400 ft Miller Creek Trail Jct
Sunday 2.9 / 18.7 200 ft / 6600 ft Park Boundary
Sunday 1.5 / 20.2 200 ft / 6800 ft Miller Creek Trailhead