Tucson Mountain Park Hikes
Tucson Mountain Park is adjacent to Saguaro National Park West. It has a number of outstanding hikes that compare favorably with those in the National Park (minus the crowds and fees). It is characterized by easy access, plentiful cacti, long views, and lightly traveled trails.
The hikes include “social trails” that Tucson Mountain Park prefer that you not use. Only frequently traveled social trails were used. Please stay off smaller way trails as it can take decades to recover from damage.
Enjoy – Doug and Liz
With hike selector you can see hikes (all in off mode – click on “eye” to see). Note: click layer button to see layers.
Note: not recommended for phones.
Tucson Mountain Park Hikes
(click “hike name” for further info, maps and directions to trailhead)
Starting at the foot of Brown Mountain, the 2.5 mi walk takes you through a cholla forest and then travels along a wash that provides close up views of ancient (150+ years old) saguaro cacti. The number and diversity among these behemoths is truly stunning.
Before it became Tucson Mountain Park people used to drive vehicles in the area. Someone abandoned a car (apparently blue at one time) in a wash and thus the “blue car wash” hike (4 mi – 360 ft gain).
Brown Mountain, on the far western edge of Tucson Mountain Park, is basically a long ridge that undulates between some similar height summits. The 4.1 mi hike can be done as either a loop (680 ft gain) or an out and back (930 ft gain). The loop provides the long views of the ridge with an intimate walk through the desert with views of Brown Mountain.
This hike combines four different trails in a loop around Bobcat Ridge (4.6 mi – 400 ft gain) starting from the Sarasota Trailhead. The northern part of the loop is quite secluded and you can hike for a couple of miles without seeing much evidence of civilization.
A nice ridge walk (3.6 mi – 630 ft gain) that provides views of Tucson Estates to the southwest and long views of Tucson Mountain Park to the northeast.
This hike (2.5 mi, 390 ft or 5.1 mi, 620 ft) combines the Chaparral, Yetman and Golden Gate trails with a nice walk in a wash up to the Gates Scenic Pass Trailhead. Liz named it for the shards of the broken bottles in the wash that reflect the sun.
Travel around Bren (3.7 mi – 800 ft gain from Gates Pass Scenic Lookout). Starts on Yetman Trail and then branches off on a back county social trail. Steep in places with loose rock. Alternatively, do the summit as an out and back (4.2 mi, 1200 ft) or as part of the loop.
Bren – Ringtail Ridge Traverse
A mostly backcountry solitary hike (6.5 mi – 1380 ft gain) with numerous great views. Steep in places with loose rock. For experienced hikers only.
This loop (3.1 mi – 250 ft gain) combines parts of the Rock Wren, Yetman and Starr Pass trails for an easy hike.
Golden Gate is the highest point (4,265 ft) in Tucson Mountain Park (2.3 mi, 1,300 ft gain). There are many nice close up views of desert plants on the way up. Note that the trail is quite steep with a great deal of loose scree on the trail. Poles are recommended. The social trail to the top is very well marked with cairns.
