On Sunday Alison and I headed to the Prison Camp area (officially the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Area; once a nice free developed camping area – now $10 per vehicle to camp (parking for hiking/climbing is still free)). After following Alison up a few climbs we headed down Soldier Canyon – below the climbing area the carved granite, shallow sandy pools and nice views make for enjoyable hiking. For a long day of fun you can hike Soldier Canyon all the way down to Hairpin Turn (the first tight turn heading up the Catalina Highway) – for a much more mellow adventure keep your eye out for the cairns marking the first intersection of the Canyon and Soldier Trail. Soldier Trail will take you back to the parking area. Map.
Enjoy!
CM
Filed under: Hiking, Santa Catalinas | Tagged: Santa Catalinas, soldier canyon
Thank you for your info.
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[...] called ‘Prison Camp’) where, just as in past hikes to this area (same hike Jan. 2006, partial version of this hike 2007), we parked in one of the pull outs along the loop at the end of the [...]