Aravaipa Canyon Hiking | Just Roughin' It

Aravaipa Canyon Backpacking Trips

Aravaipa Canyon is a backpacker's dream - a desert environment like none other. You will be within the Sonoran Desert - one of the most diverse areas in the world, but hiking through a lush, riparian area along the perennial Aravaipa Creek. This is a great trip for a beginner backpacker or an adventurer looking for seclusion, diversity and amazingness (not sure that is a word - but it should be)!

Our Aravaipa Canyon trips enter via the east side of the canyon. This area is a bit more secluded. Only 20 people are permitted into this side per day and requires an off road vehicle to access the area as the road is not regularly maintained. The east side is also managed and protected by the Nature Conservancy and when you get there, you will see why. The area is accessible year-round but the best times to visit are Spring through early Summer (June) and then again from late September through November.

Tips for Packing Your Backpack

Too often, we see people on multiple day backpacking trips that, aside from looking like they are packed for a 3 week excursion, their packs are obviously packed improperly - gear strapped in on every possible place outside the pack and nothing packed inside; 5 lb tent packed on one side, pots and pans dangling on the other side, clanking with every step. You name it - we have seen it!

So to save your back and yourself from several days of torture, here are some tips (and a super cool graphic) on how to properly pack your backpack.

Reservation for chelsea rusing

Reservation for test test

Aravaipa Canyon Gear Checklist

Aravaipa Canyon Backpacking Trip Information

19 Tips to Staying Warm While Sleeping in Cold Weather

Regardless of what season you decide to venture out into the wilderness for a few nights, you are likely to encounter some cold temperatures - temperatures in Grand Canyon in the winter months can drop below freezing, and this applies also to summer hikes in the High Sierras in Yosemite.

Reservation for Cori Haala

Aravaipa Canyon

If you're looking for a true wilderness backpacking adventure, Aravaipa Canyon is the destination for you. Only 50 people are permitted to enter the 19,000 acre wilderness daily, so seclusion is not a problem; having to leave after a day or even three days is. Much of this guided hiking tour is in Aravaipa Creek, so be ready to get your feet wet. This is also a great trip for beginning backpackers looking for an easy hike.

Aravaipa Canyon Backpacking