July 2026 News
Be Monsoon Aware!
July 27, 2026
Respect the Canyon - Hiking
July 20, 2026
The first in a new series of videos is “Respect the Canyon – Hiking”. This short video has captions in both English and in Spanish. It is the first video the Friends of Madera Canyon has done in Spanish. The videos can be seen on our Respect the Canyon page
Josephine Fire
July 15, 2026
Josephine Fire, near Josephine peak in the Santa Rita Mts. started last night. It is now 100% contained and burned 0.25 acres.
Photo from Coronado National Forest Facebook page
Hiker rescued in Madera Canyon
July 3
Santa Rita Fire District crews rescued a hiker having a medical emergency Friday morning in Madera Canyon. Firefighters were called just before 9 a.m. and hiked about two-thirds of a mile up Bog Spring Trail to reach the hiker. The person was taken off the trail in a Stokes basket. The patient was taken in stable condition to a local hospital for further evaluation. No other information was available.
Juvenile Western Lyresnake
July 27, 2026
Monsoon humidity stirs Madera Canyon wildlife into activity & creates opportunity to possibly encounter “seldom seen” wildlife- particularly reptiles & amphibians. https://www.facebook.com/friendsofmaderacanyon
Giant Mesquite Bugs - Thasus neocalifornicus
July 20, 2026
Giant mesquite bugs were seen in large masses in a mesquite tree at Proctor parking area on July 20.
Respect the Canyon
July 15, 2026
The Friends of Madera Canyon are pleased to announce a new effort directed toward Respecting the Canyon. See the new web page https://friendsofmaderacanyon.org/respect-the-canyon/
With this, the FOMC also introduces Protect Their PeaceTM. It is time to step up our stewardship- not just to protect the land & habitat, but to safeguard the peace of the plants & animals who call it home.
Nature Trail and Whitehouse Trail
July 7
The Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area has a good video about the Nature Trail in Madera Canyon including information about accessibility. See more on our hiking page, or check it out here: santacruzheritage.org/madera-canyon
Potable water temporarily unavailable at Madera Canyon, Nogales Ranger District
July 27, 2026
Starting this afternoon, Monday, 7/27/2026, there will be no reliable drinking water from the spigots at Madera Canyon as our team works to identify a leak somewhere from the Bog Spring Campground to the forest boundary. Visitors are asked to please bring all the water they will need while visiting the canyon. There is currently no estimate for the repair time.
Madera Canyon Water Update
July 27, 2026
The water in the main holding tank for Madera Canyon Recreation Area continued to drop over the weekend, so there will continue to be no water available at Proctor parking area, the Visitors Information Station, and some cattle drinkers further down the canyon. The Forest Service did not mention next steps but will keep us updated.
Restoration Project along Old Baldy Trail in Madera Canyon
July 15, 2026
A crew of 7 volunteers from Friends of Madera Canyon planted “seed balls” along the first section of the Old Baldy Trail as part of an ongoing restoration project.
Black Bear at Santa Rita Lodge
July 13
Black bear at Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon drinking sugar water from hummingbird feeder. Photo by Jackie Smith