Spencer Peak 8206 - Catalinas, AZ

Overview
Spencer Peak, at 8,206 feet elevation is a short and steep hike but there is no official trail. Probably the easiest way to summit is from Spencer Campground. But, if you want a more challenging option, the hike from the trailhead for Sunset Trail #90 to Spencer Peak is a great option. It also has a lot of shade and was comfortable for me, even on the hottest days of the summer in July.


Hike
From the Sunset Trailhead, hike south and you will see a trail that curves around and goes downhill. You will cross a bridge going over a stream, then turn left. Within a short distance, you will see a steep trail leading up to the right side. This trail seems to disappear after about 20 feet but you are headed in the correct direction (up). At times you may see green square markers or pink ribbons on trees, which are good to follow as long as they go up. You may also see some faint animal trails leading up which I found useful. Almost my entire route from the bottom to the peak was shaded.After hiking about 0.6 miles, you might reach a high point that is surrounded by Gambel oak and not see anything higher in all directions. You might feel like you are at the peak, but you are not quite there. The peak is about 500 feet to the south and only about 25 feet higher than where you are. You'll need to drop down a bit a go around some brush including a dense field of ferns.

When you are at the peak, you will see a few pines and a fire ring made of rocks. You won't have any good views of the city, but you will see a lot of nature around you, mostly pines and rolling hills. To get down, you can follow the same route, but I found it to be slightly faster and more enjoyable to follow the pink ribbons. You may need to search a bit from one ribbon to the next, but that's part of the fun. The pink ribbons will lead you down to a trail that follows the road. From this trail, turn left to get back to the Sunset trailhead.

2023-07-09 Mike_W