Italian Spring Trail
(Trailhead to Park Tank turnoff)

The Rincons from the first part of the trail.

This trail segment is a closed jeep trail, so it is pretty easy to follow.

From the wash the trail heads southeast uphill through grasslands sprinkled with mesquite trees. This area is rolling hills, and you can see the Rincons rising up ahead of you. As you climb higher there are more trees, and occasional manzanita show up. Following the trail here is easy, since not too long ago it was a jeep trail.

After about 40 minutes you reach a junction with a faint trail which comes in from the left. This side trail to the left goes a short distance to Park Tank. There is an iron sign to the right on the Italian Ranch Trail which says "Trail" and which points to the right. Follow the sign. A little bit beyond this sign there is a post for one of those engraved aluminum signs, but the sign is missing.

Italian Spring Trail
(Park Tank turnoff to Italian Spring)

Looking to the east from the lower part of the trail.

Rock formation area in the middle section of the trail.

Another rock formation.

Rock formations to the west.

Getting up into the ponderosas.

Stone stairs in the burned area.

View of burned hills.

Burned tree trunk.

After the turnoff to Park Tank the trail is mostly level as it goes through grassland with mesquites, oaks, and junipers. There are more trees than at the beginning of the trail, and the trail is still in an area of rolling hills.

About 30 minutes after the Park Tank turnoff the trail crosses a streambed which was dry in June but which has water in the winter. At this crossing there is a barbed wire fence crossing the streambed, and a sign on the opposite bank which says that the Italian Spring Trail continues ahead, and the "NPS" (National Park Service) boundary is 2.3 miles ahead. At this point go through a flexible gate in the barbed wire fence to the left.

At this point the trail turns from a jeep trail into a footpath and starts to climb up into the Rincons. About 15 minutes after the gate the trail starts into an area of large rock formations as it climbs. The trees are closer together here, and pine trees and alligator junipers start to show up. The trail is marked with orange metal disks, about 2 inches in diameter, which have been stuck into the trees. This part of the trail is extremely overgrown, and it seems like no one has cut it back in the last 5 years.

As the trail climbs higher the rock formations get bigger and more impressive and trees get more dense, until you are in forest about an hour and 15 minutes after the gate. Around this time the trail reaches the boundary of Saguaro National Park though the boundary sign still says "Saguaro National Monument." There is a sign-in log here, and when I was last here it only had 19 entries for the previous six months. There is also a metal pipe across the trail about a foot off the ground which seems designed to trip you.

After the boundary the trail is much better maintained, and you are no longer fighting the underbrush. The trail climbs steeply as it contours towards the east up the slope, and the first ponderosas start to show up. You pass through some nice ponderosa stands which look like they were scorched, but not killed, by some recent fire.

About 30 minutes in from the park boundary the trail enters an area where fire has killed all of the trees. Even though all of the trees are dead, this area is still green due to all of the thick underbrush which has grown up since the fire. In this burned area the National Park Service has done an incredible amount of trail maintenance, putting in an intricate series of step risers made with carefully notched logs, and, in some places, made with rocks which have been cut into perfect blocks with blasting. In some stretches the steps continue for long distances turning the trail into a staircase. This part of the trail looks like one of those half mile nature trails you find next to visitors centers, and not at all like a remote trail only visited by 2 or 3 people a month.

At one point in this section you have views to the southeast where you can see miles of burned forest where all of the trees have been killed. It does not look too desolate, however, because of all the green underbrush.

After this point the trail curves to the west and continues through burned areas until you reach Italian Spring about an hour after the park boundary. There is a metal sign here letting you know you are at Italian Spring. The spring itself is just an unimpressive circular pool, about 2 feet across. When I was last there the forest floor in this area was covered with a thick blanket of tall ferns.

Italian Spring is the junction of the Italian Spring Trail (the way you came) and the North Slope Trail which goes both to the west (parallel to the slope) and to the south (uphill). There is a sign here that says that the Cowhead Saddle Trail is 2.4 miles down the west branch of the North Slope Trail, and that the Fire Loop Trail is 0.6 miles up the south branch of the North Slope Trail. This sign also says that the Italian Spring Trailhead is 4.8 miles away, which only gets you to the Park Tank turnoff. The actual mileage to the trailhead is 6.4.

Turn left (south) on the trail which heads uphill. The sign says that the Fire Loop Trail is 0.6 miles down this trail.

North Slope Trail
(Italian Spring to Fire Loop Trail)

From Italian Spring you hike up and to the south through thick fern beds. In places it is hard to see the trail because it is overgrown with ferns. The trail is steep for the first 15 minutes, but then it levels out in open pine forest as you reach the top of the Rincons.

A couple of minutes after hitting the level section you come to a signed trail junction with the Fire Loop Trail. As is typical in Saguaro National Park, the sign doesn't tell you that you have intersected the Fire Loop Trail. The sign is oriented so that when you are reading it you are looking north down the trail you came in on, the North Slope Trail. The sign reads:

North Slope Trail
Bonita Tr. 0.2 mi (left)
Mica Mountain Tr. 0.3 mi. (left)
East Slope Tr. 0.3 mi (right)
Italian Spring Tr. 0.6 mi (straight ahead)

Notice that the sign doesn't mention the Fire Loop Trail, the other trail at this junction. I have noticed this at other trail junctions in the Rincons; they will name one of the trails that make up the junction, but not the other. I guess you are supposed to remember that back at Italian Spring the sign said that the Fire Loop Trail was .6 miles up the trail you just took.

Turn right (west) on the Fire Loop Trail. The sign says that the Bonita Trail and the Mica Mountain Trail are in this direction.

Fire Loop Trail
(North Slope Trail to Bonita Trail)

Meadow up on top of the Rincons.

From the intersection with the North Slope Trail head west through open pine forest until you reach a signed intersection with the Bonita Trail. The sign is oriented so that you are facing down the Bonita Trail when you read it, and reads:

Bonita Trail
Mica Mountain Tr. 0.1 mi. (right)
North Slope Tr. 0.3 mi. (left)
Fire Loop Tr. South 0.8 mi. (straight ahead)

Continue straight (west) on the trail you came in on. The sign says that the Mica Mountain Trail is in this directions.

Fire Loop Trail
(Bonita Trail to Mica Mountain Trail)

From the intersection with the Bonita Trail head southwest a short distance to the signed intersection with the Mica Mountain Trail. This sign is oriented so that you are facing down the Mica Mountain Trail when you read it, and reads as follows:

Mica Mountain Trail
Mica Mountain 0.1 mi. (right)
Bonita Tr. 0.1 mi. (left)
Spud Rock 0.6 mi. (right)
Mica Meadow Trail 0.8 mi. (straight ahead)

Continue straight (west) on the trail you came in on. The sign says that Mica Mountain and Spud Rock are in this direction.

Fire Loop Trail
(Mica Mountain Trail to Spud Rock)

Hedgehog cactus in bloom on Spud Rock.

Typical forest on top of the Rincons.

On top of Spud Rock.

From the intersection with the Mica Mountain Trail head west and uphill. After a few minutes you come to the signed "peak" of Mica Mountain. This isn't much of a peak since it looks mostly level and is in the middle of the forest. The sign says the elevation is 8,666 feet. There are four concrete footings from where the fire tower used to be. There is also an odd grave shaped pile of rocks among some pine trees. I have been told that at one time there was a sign with a picture of a horse, and some writing in arabic, on this pile of rocks.

After passing Mica Mountain continue west until you come to the signed intersection with the Spud Rock Trail, which comes in from the left (south). This sign is oriented so that you are looking down the Spud Rock Trail when you read it, and reads as follows:

Spud Rock Trail
Spud Rock 0.2 mi (right)
Mica Mountain Tr. North 0.4 mi. (left)
Mica Mountain Tr. South 0.5 mi. (straight ahead)
Cowhead Saddle Tr. 1 mi. (right).

Note that the distance of 0.4 miles back to the Mica Mountain Trail North doesn't match the distance of 0.6 mi. given on all of the maps I have.

Around here there is a sign on the right hand side of the trail which says "Spud Rock." Climb up the rock on the right of the trail to get to the top of Spud Rock. There are great views in all directions from up here, and even though it is lower than Mica Mountain, it is a much more satisfying peak.

There is a survey marker up here which says that Spud Rock is at 8590 feet. This disagrees with my maps, which both say 8613.

To return, just go back the way you came.