Tucson Arizona Hiking
Coronado Hiking Trails
Green Mountain Trail #21
Shortcut Trail #21A
Maverick Spring Trail #704

The Green Mountain Trail leads from a trailhead at the San Pedro Vista on the Catalina Highway to the General Hitchcock Campground. Good views start as soon as you step out of your car here where the Galiuro Mountains, Mount Graham and the wide San Pedro River Valley are framed by the pines and firs that cling to the slope below the overlook.

The trail is located on the east side of the parking area behind a metal trailhead sign. Finding it can be a bit tough due to the large number of well-worn pathways that radiate from the parking area, but if you follow a line of rough rock steps up the slope you’ll find that all the routes rejoin in a short distance into a well defined trail that turns toward the panorama. Good views continue for some time as the trail bends around an exposed point.

About a third of a mile from the trailhead, the Brush Corral Trail #19 branches off on its 3,200 foot dive down the mountain’s east side. The Green Mountain Trail drops gradually through thick forests out and around a major ridge to a junction with the Shortcut Trail, which provides a little used and hard to follow connecting route to the Brush Corral Trail. From this point the Green Mountain Trail climbs up and over Bear Saddle at the head of Bear Canyon, but not before passing another junction with another side trail, the Maverick Spring Trail, which leads less than half a mile to a picturesque natural seep. This spring usually has water in it and is located in an area that is quite lush.

From Bear Saddle, the trail drops down into Bear Canyon through forests of ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir and Arizona cypress. After crossing usually dry Bear Creek a number of times it ends in the General Hitchcock campground at the parking lot.

Attractions:
  Views of wide valleys and distant mountains
  Connecting trails
  Campground access
  Scenic trailhead

Season: Summer
Length: 3.6 miles (#21), 0.9 mile (#21A), East side trail 0.4 mile (#704)
Elevation: 6,000'-7,300'
Rating: More difficult
Use: Moderate
USGS Map(s): Mt. Bigelow

Click for Map

Access: Drive up the Catalina Highway either to the General Hitchcock Campground trailhead or to the San Pedro Vista Point trailhead. Both are clearly marked.

Notes:
Maverick Spring usually has water and Bear Creek has water during the wettest months of the year. Purification of water is recommended prior to use.

When hiking in remote areas, go with a companion whenever possible. Always tell someone where you’ve gone and when you expect to return.

Before using this trail, call the *Santa Catalina Ranger District for current trail conditions which can vary with season, weather and maintenance status:
*Santa Catalina Ranger District
5700 N. Sabino Canyon Rd
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 749-8700
(520) 749-8700 TTY
(520) 749-7723 FAX