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| Hiking | 16.31 Miles |
5,168 AEG |
| | Hiking | 16.31 Miles | 6 Hrs 44 Mns | | 2.65 mph |
| 5,168 ft AEG | 35 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Rincon Peak is another one I'd had on my list for a long time, and since I was staying in Tucson for a few days, the drive was much shorter. The road into Miller Creek Trailhead was in good shape--just a few very shallow puddles, but your grandpa's Malibu could've made it just fine. The parking area was empty as I set out ~7:30AM.
I'd never hiked any of the route before, so it was all new scenery. Lots of elevation gain through the boulder fields after crossing the Saguaro NP boundary--the terrain in that area reminded me of a steeper Ballantine, with nice views of the Little Rincons and the ranch down below.
The middle part of the route after the Heartbreak Ridge intersection had more shade and a flatter grade than I expected. There was a comfortable breeze much of the way, a nice change after yesterday's Catalina sweat-fest with warmer temps on more exposed trails. The trails here were a little overgrown in places, but not bad and nothing too sharp or thorny. I could hear wind up in the treetops and assumed it might be very windy at the peak.
The last ~ half mile up to the peak was very steep and almost slick in places with leaves and pine needles covering the trail. Like Tanque Verde Peak, the NPS has a register pedestal/box below the summit...seems like Saguaro NP is a big fan of the not-quite-summit register. Someone had added some small notebooks earlier this month, and there were a few entries throughout October.
As expected, very windy at the summit...I guess that explains the need for a windbreak on top. Nice views overlooking Tucson and of Mica Mountain, but it was a very hazy day, and it looked like some wildfire smoke off to the east through the haze. The topo shows a benchmark, but I didn't find one in my brief search...maybe under the windbreak? With the extreme wind, I didn't spend much time on top and waited until I was off the summit and past the steepest descent before taking a longer break.
The hike out was straightforward and quicker with almost all downhill, and I was back at Miller Creek TH ~2PM. I didn't see any people all day and not much wildlife, just some cows near the trailhead at the end. Since it was still early, I made a quick stop at Happy Valley Falls on the drive out to see how little water was flowing. Overall, very enjoyable day--good to finally hike this one, and though Rincon is lower than Mica Mountain, it's a much more scenic and interesting hike. |
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