This month I have decided to describe a hike on the west side of the Santa Rita Mountains. West side trails are more heavily used than east side trails probably because they are closer to Tucson and 90% of the trails can be reached on paved roads with a standard passenger car. Unfortunately, the west side trails are farther from Patagonia and Sonoita. Because most of the west side trails are within the Coronado National Forest-Madera Canyon Recreation Area hikers have to pay an entrance fee to access these trails. However, Senior and National Interagency Passes, such as America the Beautiful are honored.
The Dutch John Spring Trail is one of the shortest trails in the Santa Rita Mountains; however, it is by no means the easiest. There is a nearly 1,000-foot elevation change from the trailhead to upper Dutch John Spring in approximately one mile of walking. The trail is not well defined in several places and paying careful attention to cairns is necessary. Although this is a popular trail for hikers and birders, you can still enjoy solitude during quieter times of the year.
After significant research, I cannot state conclusively who Dutch John Spring was named after—the answer has eluded historians, hikers, poets, magicians, shamans, kindergarten teachers and a slew of writers through the years. Some folks think Dutch John Spring was named after a German American named John Tannenbaum who moved to the Patagonia area in the early 1920s. Tannenbaum was known locally as The Dutchman and made a living working primarily as a cook on cattle ranches in and around the Santa Rita Mountains…