Ventana Canyon Trailhead — Attraction in Arizona

This is one of my favorite trails. The first portion of the hike you follow a fence next to an apartment complex. Don't pay attention to that. Instead recognize the beautiful arrangements of rocks and plants. Much like a natural garden where every feature was hand placed by the wood fairies of ol' and allowed to settle into an Arizona eden. Make sure to go all the way to the waterfalls, pools, and huge water carved granite slabs. You'll know when you're there. For the strong of will who have brought plenty of water you can go the whole 7 miles uphill to, The Window. An epic rock formation that is, as implied by the name, a huge window through the granite cliff face. From in the window you can catch awe inspiring Vistas of the canyon below. The luckiest travelers are greeted by hawks and falcons playing in the updrafts. Truly a...

First hike since I moved to Tucson. I would also say it is moderate like a previous reviewer. I'd recommend hiking boots, but you could get by without them. There are a number of rocky stretches that will test your ankles. Parking is easy at the back of the Lowes employee lot behind the fence. From the lot, the first small stretch is behind the nearby apartments, then the trail heads straight into the canyons crisscrossing the "river" which is mostly dry. I got about 1.75 miles in before heading back (pressed for time and wasn't carrying water on me). The trail can get pretty steep and rocky in some places, but the views are nice and the shaded parts are pleasantly cool in the morning. I'll most likely come back and aim for the pools at 2.4 miles in and eventually for the window itself, about 5.0 miles in for which the...

This hike (to the Window via Ventana trail) kicked my butt. According to the map at the trailhead it is 12.4 miles roundtrip to the window. I did it in 7 hours with an hour and a half of rest included so 5 to 6 hours of hiking. Stunning views of course but what i loved about this trail was that it was a good mix of very steep and relatively smooth. There is more breathing room on this trail than finger rock. Its comparable to Pima Canyon. I dont understand why some people say its poorly maintained.... The trail is fine and if some bushes poking at you bothers you then you should not be hiking into a federally designated wilderness area. And yes its very rocky but seeing as its a granite mountain your walking up thats to be expected. Really enjoyed the experience but wont be doing...