Bear Canyon Trailhead

My son and I, vacationing in Tucson, decided to hike the Bear Canyon trailhead to the Seven Falls. It had good reviews on the AllTrails app and Google, and was one of the top five things to do on TripAdvisor. This was the longest hike my son had attempted—7.4 miles round trip, taking us about three hours at a slow pace. Unfortunately, parking at the trailhead is limited and fills up quickly, so we had to park a quarter mile away. The day was pleasant, and we were well-equipped with snacks and two bottles of water each. We targeted to start the hike at around 8:30 am in the morning, before it got too hot. The trail is rocky and sandy as the water has dried out in places. At times, the markings were unclear, causing us to veer off course briefly. Despite this, the vistas along the trail and at the end were fantastic. Although there wasn't much of a waterfall, there was a pool of water that was quite enjoyable. We were very happy when we finished and treated ourselves to a hearty lunch afterward. For a beautiful hiking experience with great views and close encounters with cacti, this trail is highly recommended. It truly deserves its spot as one of the top five things to do in Tucson.

Hiked up to Seven Falls from here. Really cool hike up through the canyon. We started early and had shade most of the way up once we were in the canyon. River wasn’t flowing but there was still water in the pools.

This could be a 5-star with flowing water. There was just a bit of standing water after a good soaking overnight rain. Enough to make the rocks slick. The standard recommendation is to get there early but I found that the lighting was quite flat with the early sun below the adjacent peaks. The scale and depth of the canyon and falls were not vivid in the shadows and I was disappointed with the pictures. The flip side is that I parked easily at 7am but the 15 car lot was jammed when I got back at 0920. The first mile is very dull, the second mile is nice, and the final mile is spectacular. The trail is quite rocky but generally not steep.

Great hike, was able to complete with my baby☺️👍

Wonderful trail for hiking or trail running, absolutely magical and serene!