TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN9) — The Chuck Huckelberry Loop is ranked number one in the country, according to USA today. It made the top spot in their “10 best readers’ choice” travel award for best recreational trail.
“I can get a couple mile in without hearing traffic, and its amazing,” said runner Hannah Barney.
Local runners like Barney say the Chuck Huckelberry loop is one of our areas best kept secrets.
"If you get down to the south it runs next to the mountains and its really pretty,” she said. “There’s a bunch of parks I take my son in a jogging stroller and we go sometimes and stop along the parks.”
Well, the secret is officially out. The Loop was nominated by a panel of experts from USA Today, the 10Best.com, expert contributors and other media sources, but it was ultimately crowned the winner, thanks to members of the public who selected it as the Best Trail during a four-week online voting contest.
“It’s such a great amenity for our community, and we’ve known its unique and now the rest of the world knows it too,” said Pima County Communications Specialist Marcia Zamorano.
The Loop first began as a way to protect areas after the massive flooding in 1983.
“Number one was making sure we are protecting these areas from flooding like that happening again, and from there it built out to what we have today.”
In January 2018, the county connected the Santa Cruz River Park to other rivers and washes to form a complete 54-mile circuit.
If you haven’t been, you should try it. But Barney is asking you try not to tell too many people about it.
"Actually, I don’t want to put it on the map, because it's a best kept secret,” she said.
