Review
Between Tucson and Nogales, Arizona, the Santa Rita Mountains preserve an environment and a history unique to the Southwest. Patagonia, Sonoita, Canoa, Sahuarita - the surrounding communities echo images of a not-so-distant past, when Apaches, Mexican campesinos, and Anglo ranchers, miners, and loggers, mission dwellers, and cavalrymen all laid claim to (and fought for) a piece of the Santa Ritas. These days, we are privileged to hike through this haunted range unthreatened except by nature's own surprises - the disturbed rattler, the unexpected storm, the flash flood. Leavengood & Liebert have collaborated to write an authoritative and prosaic hiking guide to the Santa Ritas. 37 hikes are detailed in text, maps, and photos. Each hike description is embellished with tales, anecdotes, historical footnotes, and explanations enough to satisfy the most curious modern explorer. Each hike is introduced by a general description of the terrain, followed by essential facts like trail length, elevation gain, best time of year to go, approach routes, and vehicle recommendations. -- Midwest Book Review
