Arizona Adventures: Bowen Homestead in Tucson Mountain Park

Hey everyone! I hope that you're all doing well and thank you so much for joining me again. I'm excited to share another hiking adventire here in Tucson. My friend and I both really wanted to get outside for a hike so we decided to meet up to hike to the Bowen Homestead in Tucson Mountain Park. Tucson Mountain Park is a beautiful park that is pretty dense with Saguaro cacti in many places. I haven't been there too many times but always intended to get back there to explore more. Once the weather cools down it is definitely on my list of places to check out more. 

We met up pretty early as it was already getting to be pretty hot during the day when we went (this was at the end of April). It was already rattlesnake season (I had spotted my first rattlesnake since moving to Arizona that week in my apartment complex parking lot) and once the sun started beating down it got really hot.

As you can see, the moon was still out when we started out hike. It was so pretty and so peaceful. I hiked with one of my favorite people and was so happy to be outside.

The moon looks so good in this picture! And you can see how dense the Saguaros are in this area. The novelty has not worn off that I get to see these beautiful cacti every single day.

Scenes from the trail.

I believe it was about 1.5 miles to the house and then the same distance back. We ended up doing a little over 5 miles because we went on a little side adventure.

My friend told me that there was a cave in the area with some really cool petroglyphs. We decided to try and find it. This took us off trail a bit. Please do not do what I do! You should always stay on trail. I was very aware that we were off trail during rattlesnake season but we just remained hyper aware of our surroundings and where we were stepping.

This was about as far as we got off trail. We did not find the cave but I'm pretty sure that we got very close to it. Next time!

We also saw these beautiful blossoms. I love seeing the desert bloom.

We had to pass the homestead to get to the cave and on the way back we checked out the ruins and took some pictures. This picture is the quintessential Bowen Homestead photo.

The homestead was built by Sherry and Ruby Bowen in a remote area of what is now Tucson Mountain Park. They eventually left and all that remains of the structure are the walls and foundation.

You know I'm a sucker for some sun flare.

It was a beautiful day! The sky was so blue and it only started getting really hot toward the end of the hike.

Here you can see the stone structure that remains. It was such a fun little hike and the surrounding area is fun to explore as well. This hike is part of a longer trail so you can continue on if you choose.

I definitely recommend a fun trip to the Bowen Homestead and spending some time in the beautiful Tucson Mountain Park. I would recommend going in the cooler months and spending some time exploring the beautiful desert landscape. 

That's all I have for you today! I hope you enjoyed scenes from this beautiful hike and I look forward to sharing more adventures with you soon!