The Front Range's Best Hiking Weeks Fall Between Halloween and New Year's

"This is an outstanding improvement for visitors and for the canyon itself," District Ranger Donato DelMastro said in a Tucson Electric Power release this spring. He was talking about the four quiet electric shuttles now running up Bear Canyon. Those shuttles are one piece of a bigger point. The trails above the Catalina Foothills come with a calendar, and several of its edges fall within a few weeks of each other. Sabino's night rides end Saturday, October 31. A construction order on Mount Lemmon runs through December 17. On January 1, lambing-season rules start in the Pusch Ridge country. That leaves November and December as the open stretch, and it pays to know which dates hold it in place.

Saturday, October 31 Is the Last Night Ride

The Sabino Canyon Crawler's narrated Saturday night rides opened July 4, and the 2026 season ends October 31, according to the Crawler's own 2026 season announcement. The Crawler homepage still lists an older season ending October 25, so go by the dated release. The round trip covers 7.4 miles and costs $15 for adults. Tucson.com lists $8 for ages 3 to 12, and children under 3 ride free. Departure times vary from week to week, and weather can cancel a ride. Check the evening's schedule before you drive to 5700 N. Sabino Canyon Road.

The Crawler's release lists October's full moon, the Hunter's Moon, on Sunday, October 25, six days before the final ride. After Halloween night, riding the canyon after dark is done until the next season is announced.

The Daytime Shuttles Keep Running

The daytime system is where most of the change happened this year. Since May 1, four 23-passenger MotoEV electric shuttles have run the 1.9-mile Bear Canyon route to Bear Canyon Overlook and the Seven Falls Trailhead. The 62-passenger Crawler still covers the 3.7-mile main Sabino route. TEP donated $2.5 million toward the electric fleet. The shuttles carried more than 95,000 passengers last year.

Here is the daytime setup, from the Crawler FAQ and the Forest Service visitor center page:

• Sabino Canyon route: hourly, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adults 13 and up pay $15, ages 3 to 12 pay $8, and children under 3 seated with a guardian ride free.
• Bear Canyon route: hourly, 9:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Adults pay $8, ages 3 to 12 pay $5, and children under 3 ride free.
• Vehicle pass: $8 a day or $10 a week, charged separately from any shuttle ticket.

The Bear Canyon fare is barely half the Sabino fare, and the ride drops you at the Seven Falls Trailhead. That makes it the cheapest way to cut the walk-in short on a November morning. If you're out more than once a week, the $10 weekly pass costs just $2 more than a single day.

November and December Have a Guided Calendar

The Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists run Friday hikes through the cool season. Their 2026–2027 schedule shows where the next two months go. It works its way across the whole front range, from the Pima Canyon end near Oracle Road to Ventana Canyon off Kolb:

1. October 30, Old Ski Run from Sunset Trailhead. Meet by 7:45 a.m. at the Sunset Trailhead lot near milepost 22.9 on the Catalina Highway. Carpools leave at 7 a.m. from the lot near the McDonald's at Tanque Verde and Catalina Highway. It's about 3 miles and 300 feet of gain, past aspens in fall color and a historic dam.
2. November 6, Pima Canyon. Sign-up is at 7 a.m. at the Iris Dewhirst Pima Canyon Trailhead at the east end of Magee Road, and the hike starts at 7:15. It's about 6.5 miles round trip with roughly 1,000 feet of gain to a slickrock natural dam. The trailhead has no restrooms.
3. November 20, Bird Canyon Loop. Meet at the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center at 6:45 a.m., with the hike starting at 7. It covers about 5.5 miles and 750 feet of gain, with views of Thimble Peak.
4. December 4, Tanque Verde Falls Rim Trail. Meet at 7:45 a.m. at the middle Tanque Verde Trail lot on Reddington Road. It's about 3.7 miles with 660 feet of gain.
5. December 18, Ventana Canyon to Maiden Pools. Meet at 7:45 a.m. at the Ventana Canyon Trailhead lot near Loews Ventana Canyon Resort on Kolb Road, and park toward the back. It's about 5.5 miles and 1,300 feet of gain on the Ventana Trail #98. The trailhead has no restroom.

The first hike on the list leads into the Mount Lemmon dates, and the Pima Canyon hike leads into the January rules. Both are covered below.

Mount Lemmon's Northern Trails Open Fridays Through Sundays Until December 17

The October 30 Old Ski Run hike falls on a Friday, and that matters. The Marshall Gulch picnic area and trailhead near Summerhaven are under reconstruction. Under Coronado National Forest order 03-05-05-26-009, the Arizona Trail, Marshall Gulch Trail #3, Aspen Trail #93 and Sunset Trail #90 are open to pedestrians only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays. The whole area closes Monday through Thursday while crews work. The order runs from July 30 through December 17, 2026.

The Forest Service expects the longer project to finish in December. The picnic and restroom facilities stay closed during construction. Through-hikers on the Arizona Trail use Mint Springs Trail #20 as the bypass, as the Tucson Sentinel reported. If you work weekdays, the schedule may suit you fine. If you were counting on a quiet Tuesday under the aspens, plan for a Friday, a weekend, or Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, which are both federal holidays.

January 1 Brings Lambing Rules to the Front Range

Bighorn sheep lambing season starts January 1. On the Forest Service page for Pontatoc Trail #410, which starts from the Finger Rock Trailhead, traveling more than 400 feet off the system trail is prohibited from January 1 through April 30. The same page lists a second rule that applies all year. No animal, dogs included, may be brought into the restricted area at any time.

So for anyone who likes scrambling to a boulder for lunch or wandering off-route to a viewpoint above Finger Rock or Pima Canyon, November and December are the last open months before four months of stay-on-trail rules. Dog owners face the same rule in every season, so those trailheads stay off the list year-round. Read the Forest Service page for the trail you plan to use before you go. This is general information, and the agency's posted rules are the ones that count.

A Note on Finger Rock

Finger Rock had a summer interruption. AZPM reported that the lightning-caused Finger Ridge Fire ignited at 10:33 p.m. on August 7 near Finger Rock Canyon. KGUN 9 reported in an August 10 update that Finger Rock Trail had reopened. That was the status in August. Before a first cool-season climb, check Coronado National Forest alerts for the trail's current status.

Putting the Dates in Order

The front range calendar for the rest of 2026 is short:

• October 30: guided Old Ski Run hike, on a Friday when the Marshall Gulch area is open.
• October 31: the last Sabino night ride.
• November 6 to December 18: four naturalist-led Friday hikes from Pima Canyon to Ventana Canyon.
• December 17: the Marshall Gulch Friday-through-Sunday order ends.
• January 1: the 400-foot off-trail limit begins in the lambing area.

The daytime shuttles keep their hourly schedule through all of it. The Bear Canyon shuttle drops you at the Seven Falls Trailhead for $8 an adult.

If you're planning your fall around Bear Canyon and Pima Canyon mornings, I'd love to hear which trailhead you end up starting from most. When you want to know what your home near one of these trailheads is worth, Urban Oak Partners can put together a free home valuation, built around the details of your street.