Tucson No. 2 city for hiking in the U.S.

My city has just been rated 

No. 2 in the country for hiking!!!

1. Portland, Oregon
2. Tucson, Arizona
3. Phoenix, Arizona
4. Colorado Springs, Colorado
5. Oakland, California
6. Salt Lake City, Utah
7. Los Angeles, California
8. Boise, Idaho
9. Las Vegas, Nevada
10. San Diego, California

Of these, I've hiked in Portland, Colorado Springs, Los Angeles, San Diego and Tucson and I think Tucson is tops! 

The ratings are by LawnStarter, a lawn care service that ranks cities in the U.S. for all sorts of things like the best biking cities, the best cities for new moms and the best cities for urban gardening. The best hiking ratings took into account weather and safety as well as the trails themselves.

To celebrate, I'm showing you a tiny sampling of the thousands of hiking pictures I've taken since I moved to Tucson two years ago. There are so many trails I have yet to explore. A lot are too strenuous right now, but maybe someday I'll work myself up to the challenge. 

With Beth and Barb at the top of Tanque Verde Canyon Trail. I met them on a Meetup hike seven months after I moved here and we've been hiking together almost every week ever since.

We call ourselves the Shady Ladies because we wear big shade hats to protect us from the desert sun. (That's Tere on the left, but she dropped out. Note that we all have the same hats but in different colors.) 

Why do we have big packs for short day hikes? Because they're hydration packs. They have a big sack of water inside with a tube leading out to the front so you can suck up water while you're hiking. You can never bring too much water in the desert!

In February, the Feet & Forks from Gig Harbor, WA, visited and we hiked my favorite, Canyon Loop at Catalina State Park. Nancy had so much fun that she and her husband decided to move down here and they closed on their new house on Friday!!!

Looking at the Tucson Mountains from the ruins of an old homestead.

Beth and Barb with petroglyphs at either Honeybee Canyon or King's Canyon.

Hiking along a dry wash that runs with water during the summer monsoon.

My nieces from Illinois at Mt. Lemmon, above, and Catalina State Park.

Barb's daughter visited from Colorado and walked the labyrinth at Sanctuary Cove.

Cool tile mosaic at Catalina State Park.

Pusch Ridge, above, which I can see from my house. I've hiked its lower area but not to the top!

Tom hikes through golden grasses in Catalina that grew during last summer's record monsoon rainfall.

Sabino Canyon is one of the most popular hiking spots in Tucson, in part due to its paved road. But I like it for its trails off the road that lead to the water. Hikers picnic, swim and sunbath at the pools.

Barb takes a break by the Sabino pools.

My son, Keith, visited from Madison, WI, and we hiked Sabino.

A palm oasis at Agua Caliente Park provides a different type of hiking and is popular with birders.

The Sonoran Desert here is the most lush desert in the world due to its twice-a-year rainy periods. Visitors are always astounded by the green!

These three photos are from Mt. Lemmon, at an altitude of almost 9,000 feet and 20 degrees cooler than the desert floor. Locals make the trek up here in the summer to cool off, although the altitude makes hiking literally "breathtaking."

With Beth on Mt. Lemmon's Meadow Loop Trail. 

Wild Burro Trail is in the Tortolita Mountains north of Tucson. Lost Arrow Trail is in the Tucson Mountains west of town. We also have the Santa Catalinas, Santa Ritas and Rincon mountains, all filled with hiking trails. Basically, Tucson is completely surrounded by mountains!

Saguaro cacti are the hallmark of the Sonoran Desert, which is the only place they grow naturally. This desert covers southern Arizona, adjoining northern Mexico, and a tiny bit of California to the west.

Petroglyphs in Catalina State Park are a reminder that humans have been enjoying these areas for thousands of years. This rock is near a little stream with lots of shade. I discovered it when I retreated to its shade on a hot day. It's nice to think that others were doing the same thing in the same spot a thousand years ago.

Happy Trails