Proctor Parking and Trailhead

A short distance from the parking area during the rainy season there is a beautiful loud running water fall and clear creek. We also see lots of wildlife in the area like deer. Definitely worth a visit! Only negative is the day fee of $8 or week fee of $12 at this time.

Why I love this trail: I have older friends who want to hike in the canyon, and this trail is a nice easy one, but also offers a little off the beaten path hiking as well. Take the whole family kind of trail. It starts out on a paved walkway and from there offers seating, water features, dirt roads, and mountain paths. Great for elders and kiddos. And, in my most recent trip: introducing hikes to my puppy!

Well kept trail going up from Madera Canyon into the mountain towards Mount Wrightson. Great views of the valley along the way and plenty of trees for shade. The saddle has the memorial sign for the scouts that passed up on the mountain. There is a trail as you get to the first saddle if you continue straight instead of up the peak that takes you to a view from the other side of the mountain (pictured)! Rain was forecast, but we got lucky and didn't get rained on, just cool weather!

Accessible paved trail, great for wheelchairs, strollers, walkers, small children, and dogs on a leash. This is a beautiful 1.5 mile loop around the creek with picturesque wooden bridges crossing and huge granite boulders next to giant oaks and sycamores. There’s a little bit of color in the fall, but summer monsoons and spring snow melt are the best times for the creek to run (and there’s even a little waterfall not far off the trail). There’s a ruin of the old “white house” store and some native metates in the rocks along the trail. Some winters it will snow this far down and the road may be closed as low as the Continental school. The views from the parking lot alone are spectacular. Baboquivari across the valley stands out, sacred and proud. Cattle roam the grass land around the canyon. Mule deer and wild turkeys are often seen out in the open here. There are also small plaques identifying the flora and fauna. (Do watch out for poison ivy and rattle snakes when the weather warms up!)

Fun hike. Beautiful views. Costs a few dollars to park - $5. Most of trail was paved. Nearly all of path was flat and easy to walk. If looking for harder walk, park up near picnic areas a little higher up.