Birding the Arizona Trail: Molino Basin

Trip Difficulty: Moderate. Rocky trail and some elevation changes. Walking distance Approx 2 miles. Duration 2.5 hours. National Park pit toilets available at trailhead. Drivers need to display a National Park pass.

Join the Arizona Trail Association and Tucson Audubon Society for a morning of birding on the Arizona Trail. The 2.5 hour walk will start at Molino Basin Trailhead off the Catalina Highway at 8:30am. Molina Basin is a well developed Oak-Grassland biome at around 4700′ elevation. Patches of inland chaparral are scattered across the landscape. This habitat is good for desert grassland species as well as birds favoring oak habitat. We’ll look for woodpeckers, jays, bushtit, gnatcatchers and returning orioles, among others.

Offering views of the San Pedro River Valley, Sabino Canyon, and the Rincon Mountains this excursion will take place on passage 10 of the Arizona National Scenic. Walk a 160 miles to the south and you will find yourself in Mexico!

There is ample parking at the Molino Trailhead. Optional carpooling will be available from Le Buzz 9121 E Tanque Verde Rd at 8am.

This trip is cosponsored by the Arizona Trail Association. For more information, visit their website at aztrail.org.

Leader: Christina Klock