Guindani Trail #398

Sunday April 5, 2020 10:00am

Kartchner Caverns State Park

2980 Arizona 90, Benson, Arizona 85602

This winter, on three separate occasions, I have “snowbirded” in Benson, Arizona. Each time I visited I was encouraged to check out the caves at Kartchner Caverns State Park. So on my latest visit I decided it was time to check it out. Disappointedly, due to the shelter in place orders caused by the COVID19 (Wuhan Virus) the caverns were closed. The good news though was that all the trails were still open and it is prime time to see song birds.

After consulting with my Audubon Bird App, I noticed that several good birds had been sighted along the Guindani Trail so I thought I would check it out. The Guindani Loop Trail is a 4.2 mile loop trail that starts within the State Park boundary (Near Campground) but exits the park where it enters the Coronado National Forest. Per the trail map provided by the ranger station, “the trail starts easy then begins a moderately difficult incline with a strenuous finish to the top.” Since I was birdwatching I was not too concerned with the difficulty of the hike as I tend to move very slow and make many long stops.

After reviewing the map at the trailhead, I decided to hike the trail in a counter-clockwise direction. My reasoning was based the fact that northern portion followed a creek up the Guindani Canyon where I assumed would attract more birds. As is often the case, once I reached the trail split I had a “squirrel” moment (like Dug in the movie UP) and was distracted and went left at the fork and a clockwise approach to the loop. Although it was still a great hike it was probably a mistake for birding.

After the split the trail was well established and wiggled its way through Mesquite trees and cactus before reaching a series of switchbacks.

The initial switchbacks were quite steep which allowed me to gain elevation in a relatively short period of time. Since my hike started at 10:00am the temperatures were mild, the sun was low on the horizon and there was an awesome breeze. It was an ideal hiking day!

Once at the top of the switchbacks the trail leveled off and followed the contour along the side of the mountain. The views in this section were incredible and I could see for miles in three directions.

I have completed over a 100 miles on the Appalachian Trail (AT) and I have enjoyed every step, but you just don’t get the constant views that you get when hiking out west. On the AT you can hike 3, 4 or more miles through the forest passing tree after tree only to get a small window in the vegetation to see a great vista. Both have there advantage I suppose but for this blog I digress.

At the end of this level section there are a couple more switchbacks that lead to the highest point of the loop. From this point the trail begins steady downhill trek until reaching the parking lot. Unlike the first half of the trail the second half is full of larger trees such as Oaks, Cedars, and Fir Trees. This steep decent continued with several switchbacks until it intersects with the stream and the trailhead to Cottonwood Saddle.

Cottonwood Saddle trail is approximately 3.4 miles (up) and will place you between Cottonwood Peak and East Peak. I contemplated adding it to my day but didn’t know the distance at the time and decided to check it out on my next visit.

After the Cottonwood Saddle intersection the Guindai Trail follows the creek down stream for a couple of miles. There are several small stream crossing and tons of little pools and tiny waterfalls.

It is through this section that the trail really came to life. The Penstemon was dense on the canyon walls and provided a spectacular cascading sea of red. Along the stream were what appeared to be Yellow Monkey flower.

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Approximately halfway down the canyon I started to see an increase in bird activity. Birds such as the sassy Rufous-capped Warbler, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, the brilliant Vermilion Flycatcher and three Hummingbird species; Anna’s, Black-chinned and the Rufous Hummingbird.

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As I suspected this canyon portion of the hike was the best for birding. The southern portion was not absent of birds but limited in the number of species. Some of the birds seen along this stretch included Cactus Wren, Black-throated Sparrow and my first ever Ash-throated Flycatcher. All in all the trail gave me 20 different species and in my book that is a good day.

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Once at the Botton of the canyon it was a short flat walk through the Mesquite forest to the Trailhead.

This is a great hike and I would recommend it for anyone looking for awesome scenery, cascading streams or just place to exercise. My suggestion would be to hike this trail counter clockwise. It is much more scenic and enjoyable. Although I prefer loop hikes, I think if I did it again I would lengthen the hike by taking the trail to Cottonwood Saddle. It is less established and would extend you time in the canyon. Plus I bet the view from the saddle are spectacular.

If you are ever in Benson, Arizona and need a medium length hike to lose track of time then check out Kartcher Caverns State Park. Hopefully, you can visit when the caverns are open and can get the full effect!

Explore a trail and be amazed!

~Slow-LEE Hiking