Saguaro National Park is divided in to two distinct areas, one east and one west of Tucson. I drove to the west unit and the Painted Hills visitor center via Gates Pass and Kinney Road.
My first stop was at the trailhead for the Hugh Norris Trail.
The Hugh Norris Trail climbs to the top of a ridge utilizing a series of switchbacks and well made stair steps gaining over 800 feet in the first half of a mile.
The steep climb through a wilderness of rocks and cactus eventually provides you with nice views to the west.
At the first saddle the view to the north opens up.
Over twenty miles away you can see the observatories on Kitt Peak and Baboquivari Peak another fifteen miles to the south of that.
Past the saddle the trail continues climbing the ridge after a brief descent as it follows the north face of an impressive cliff face.
The trail is very well made. There’s over one thousand steps like these on the first mile as it gains most of the elevation on the way to the Sendero-Esperanza Trail junction.
After the climb the Hugh Laurie Trail flattens out a little as it follows near the top of the ridge towards Wasson Peak, the highest point on the west unit of Saguaro National Park at a little over 4600 feet above sea level. Hardly a sky island but it is a very achievable goal for a hike.
The Hugh Norris Trail mostly stays on the north side of the ridge but a a few saddles they’re awesome views to the south. Here you can see the Santa Rita Mountains forty miles away with Mount Wrightson at 9,453 feet above sea level being the highest point visible from the Tucson area. Madera Canyon is at the base of that mountain.
At the point I decided to turn around I could clearly see the trail as it continued to climb towards the summit of Wasson Peak.
At the saddle I enjoyed the view of some of the Tucson Mountains much of which are in Pima County’s Tucson Mountain Park and saw the path of the Sendero-Esperanza Trail heading south towards the Kings Canyon Trailhead.
The view towards the north featured Prophecy Wash and the Pictured Rocks area.
On the way up I had a feeling I was being watched. Turned out it was a cactus wearing sunglasses with a flattop and big ears.
So I returned the way I came stopping at this pretty pile of rocks and then counted the one thousand steps back to the parking lot.
A few days later I returned to the west unit of Saguaro National Park to check out the trails out of the Kings Canyon Trailhead. I started out on the Kings Canyon Trail which appeared to be an old road servicing the mines that used to dot the area. This trail paralleled and climbed above the wash.
About a mile in the trail descended to the dry wash and presented me with choices. I could continue on the Kings Canyon Trail towards Wasson Peak or I could turn left on the Sendero-Esperanza Trail. I choose the latter.
Another half mile in I saw the tailings pile for the Gould Mine.
Other than the mine shaft and tailings pile this was the only manmade structure left at the old mine site.
The shaft was covered by a stout barricade to prevent carless hikers from plummeting to their death. I dropped a couple of small rocks through the mess and would guess they dropped at least thirty feet before hitting anything.
Beyond the mine the trail started climbing up the ridge in earnest. I noticed a couple of other tailing piles well off the trail and at this black rock the road ended and the trail continued on a single track and started switch backing up to the top of the ridge.
When I reached the top of the ridge the view looked awfully familiar. Here the Sendero-Esperanza Trail crossed the Hugh Norris Trail close to where I had turned around a few days previously.
I followed the trail east to my previous hikes end point and looked back towards Wasson Peak. Some other time. I noticed that the yucca type plants only grew on the north side of the ridge top. I guess they need a little shade.
Here I killed half an hour enjoying the view in solitude. On the way back at the intersection of the two trails I met a nice group of hikers from Wisconsin and we traded information on other local hiking spots. Sometimes you meet the nicest folks on the trail. I hiked this trail based on a recommendation from a couple of hikers I talked to at Sabino Canyon.
On the hike back down I took time to appreciate the small views. Due to the extreme drought in the Tucson area very few plants are flowering. These Ocotillos are the exception.
At the mine site I took the alternative route to the trailhead via the Gould Mine Trail. It quickly descended below the old mine site and this was the view looking back.
Near the trailhead the trail crossed the dry wash a final time.
These two hikes to the same ridge were a great way to start exploring the west side of Saguaro National Park. Between the two I covered about ten miles and gained over one thousand feet twice. It was a decent workout. Next time, if there is one, I’ll focus on making it to the top of Wasson Peak.
