Sweetwater Wetlands Loop

After spending a month hiking through the dry desert, I was craving some water. There has been almost no rainfall in the area this year, so there isn't a lot to be found on the trails. There is, however, a hidden gem just of I-10 in Tucson.

According to the City of Tucson website, the Sweetwater Wetlands was created to "refine the effluent" (I'll let you look that word up on your own...yuck) from the county's wastewater treatment plant. They have since built a new facility that can provide "Class A" reclaimed water for irrigation, making the wetlands no longer necessary. But, since the area serves as a habitat for diverse wildlife, the Tucson Audubon Society became a steward, keeping the wetlands alive for all of us to enjoy. And, let me tell you, there are a LOT of people taking advantage of this little oasis. We encountered no fewer than a dozen people walking around carrying binoculars or cameras with giant lenses, whispering to each other and trying to capture the perfect shot.

We arrived at the park mid-morning and the little parking lot was almost full. My research told me that this was a water reclamation area, so I didn't really know what to expect other than a bunch of little gnats flying around. Several swarms did buzz around our heads as we started our walk, but they disappeared once we were on the path. We saw a couple of bunnies hiding in the bushes, there were lots of birds flitting between the branches in the trees, and as soon as we reached the water, we saw several different types of waterfowl. Further down the path, we caught a surprise glimpse of a bobcat that one gentleman was photographing as the kitty trotted into the bushes. It was pretty neat.

The path winds around two ponds, each surrounded by a wide, flat trail of decomposed granite. It is in the shape of a figure eight, so you can choose to walk the entire mile, or cut it in half if that suits you better. There were a couple of short piers to walk out on, benches strategically placed in shaded areas, and even a gazebo to relax and take in the view. Although the park is relatively close to the freeway, I didn't hear any traffic noise, just the sounds of the birds and the breeze blowing through the trees.

And the trees...you know I love trees. I was shocked to see so many different types. I have no idea what most of them were; one looked like a birch tree, but we aren't in the right climate for that, and there were several palm trees, probably the result of bird droppings. What stole the show, though, were the giant mesquite trees. One massive mesquite greeted us in the parking lot, others had trunks growing along the ground with branches shooting toward the sky, and still others formed tunnels perfect for hiding in. All of them had an intricate network of hundreds of tiny branches shooting off of the larger ones. It was mesmerizing.

As we meandered around the water, we took in the diverse plant life growing on each side of the ponds and on the islands in the middle. Some of the trees, especially the ones on the islands, looked as if they had survived a fire. The odd thing is that only a few of the trees on the path had been burned, and the blackened trunks always faced the water. We decided, with no attempt at doing research, that they must have done a controlled burn on the islands that possibly made it to the edges. Makes sense to us, so we'll just stick with that story.

This was a surprisingly enjoyable outing. Who knew that you could have so much fun at a wastewater treatment plant? The planners did a great job creating this little oasis that provides shade and benches for the humans while also giving a home to native plants and wildlife. If we go back, I think I'll arrive earlier to try and catch some of the animals, and I'll definitely bring my binoculars to see if I can spy more critters that live on the islands. If you're driving through Tucson, you should definitely stop to stretch your legs.