Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ally dry Bajada Wash, and in another 0.1 mile you come to a junction where six trails
converge.
Here there are three signs, so check them all to make sure you continue on the
Garwood Trail, which soon swings around to the southwest. After 0.4 mile, cross an-
other dry wash, this one remarkable for the cristate saguaro growing next to it. Soon
the trail follows a couple of gentle switchbacks, taking you to a minor ridge where
you intersect the Carrillo Trail, named after Emilio Carrillo, who built his Buena Vista
Ranch in 1868 on what later became the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch (see Nearby At-
tractions). Take this trail to the left, going briefly east and then swinging south and
southeast and climbing around the back of the minor ridge.
About 0.3 mile along the Carrillo Trail, you'll reach the substantial Garwood
Dam on your right. It was built by Nelson Garwood, who bought 480 acres in the area
in 1945. To reach the property, he constructed a rudimentary road by dragging rail-
road ties behind his jeep along what is now the Garwood Trail, though it's hard to see
signs of that today. In 1948 he began building the dam and a ranch house, although he
never introduced cattle onto his property. The dam was intended to supply permanent
water for the house, and he lived there with his family for some years while selling
segments of his property. In 1959 he sold everything, and the house stood empty for
years. Vandals burned it in the early 1970s, and the National Park Service took over
the property soon after.
There may be pools of water behind the dam, and you'll enjoy good views from
here of the Tucson valley and the Tucson Mountains beyond. It's a good spot for wild-
flowers in spring, and the smooth rocks behind the dam invite you to sit and have a
snack. While the dam looks sturdy, it's dangerous to walk across.
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