Piety Hill - Catalinas, AZ

Overview
Piety Hill is a remote hill that is accessible from Redington road, roughly 15 miles from the end of the paved road in northeast Tucson. There is no trail, but the brush is relatively open, so I'd classify this as an open country hike, rather than a bushwhack. There's a solar-powered antenna at the top of the mountain and a relatively flat summit.


Hike
Start by heading northwest to the highest point you can see. You'll need to walk around some ocotillo and some prickly pear at the lower elevation. Cattle sometimes roam this area and can probably make it all the way up to the top, which makes for an easier hike for us. When in doubt, just follow the cattle trails up.After hiking roughly 1,000 feet, you'll need to hike further north to cross over to the main ridge leading to the top. There will be sections that get a bit rocky. Just hike around those sections and you'll eventually see ways to go around the rock. Stay on the middle of the ridgeline and you should eventually make it to the top. If you're lucky, you may see a few pincushion cacti along the way. These are the low-flat ones that you can almost step on by accident.

Once you reach the top, you'll notice a solar-powered antenna. There's also a rock pile to the west with a registry, which is new as of January 2023. You'll see a survey marker that was placed in 1937. From the top, you'll have some nice views of Mica Mountain to the south which may be snow-capped in the Winter. To the northeast, you'll see the Galiuro Mountains, and looking west/northwest are the Catalinas.

2023-01-31 Mike_W