I began my hike on the Bursera Canyon Trail at 3:48 PM, when it was 101 degrees. It took me 22 minutes to reach the Connector Trail junction and then head up Bursera Canyon. That was 1 mile. Then I reached the Bursera Trail junction 19 minutes later. Next was the Gila Trail junction. That took 16 minutes. From there I followed the Bursera Trail back to the trailhead. My loop hike was 3.3 miles, and it took me 1 hour and 33 minutes.
The trail is named after the Bursera Tree (
Bursera microphylla) commonly know as the elephant tree. It grows on the rugged south-facing slopes of South Mountain Park. They are a protected native plant in Arizona.
