Enjoyed a recent backpacking excursion into Aravaipa Canyon, and was told by some Tucson locals that their area is pretty amazing. Anyone have any gems to share? I'm interested in heading back there next year for some more hiking/backpacking/peakbagging, and would be extremely grateful for any recommendations.

Best peaks in the area (my opinion): Wrightson, Wasson & Rincon.

The Rincon Mountains (Saguaro National Park) have miles of great trails. Mica Peak is the highest point but not terribly interesting.

The Catalina Mountains also have wonderful trails and destinations: rocks, pinnacles, forests, waterfalls, etc.

Just pick a direction and you can't go wrong. Some areas are better at certain times of the year. Many of the peaks are listed here at SP.

If you can get up to the Observatory, consider it!

Where to hike depends strongly on the time of year.

There are a lot of listings at hikearizona.com (including some fairly obscure routes) and there is a book called "Tucson Hiking Guide" which has detailed descriptions of a number of the closer-to-Tucson popular day hikes.