Cody Trail #9
Cody Trail #9 is a short connector segment of the Arizona National Scenic Trail in the Santa Catalina Mountains, within Coronado National Forest. It functions as a link between the Oracle area and the Oracle Ridge Trail #1, keeping you on designated trail rather than stitching local roads.
The mapped segment is about 5.16 km (around 2 miles) on a foot route surfaced as unpaved. Expect a light-footing hike with excellent route visibility along the line of travel.
In practice, this is a trail-to-trail transition hike: you use Cody Trail #9 to reach the Oracle Ridge Trail alignment, then continue from there. Treat it as an in-and-out segment rather than a full day’s objective.
Access centers on the Old Mt. Lemmon Road / Control Road (Forest Road 38) area near a corral. From Oracle, the route to the trailhead follows AZ-77 south to American Avenue, then continues along Old Mt. Lemmon Road to the trailhead location.
Because this route is managed within Coronado National Forest, plan around forest-level closures and fire restrictions during active wildfire periods. The local Cody Fire closures and road closures have affected visitor access in this part of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
Seasonally, the route drops into lower ground/“flats” as you progress, which can make heat a significant factor depending on month and time of day—come prepared with water and sun protection.
Cody Trail #9 is commonly used by hiking, backpacking, and equestrian parties on the same corridor, so you may share trail with stock users even though the segment itself is short.
Route marker for planning: ref 9 ties to this specific Cody Trail segment, which also intersects the Oracle Ridge Trail #1 for onward navigation.
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