Peak 8146 - Catalinas, AZ

Overview
Peak 8146, in the Catalinas, is only 1-mile northwest of Mt Bigelow, as the crow flies. There's no trail going to the top, but various roads and trails will get you to the base of this peak. It's a fairly steep hike to the top, but it's a short hike. From the peak, there are some nice views looking to the north toward Oracle Ridge.


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. This trail will follow the road for a while and there's a lot of shade and tree cover. After hiking about 2/3 of a mile, the trail will go under Mt Lemmon highway. After about 0.8 miles you will see a trail leading left up to a road. You will want to stay on the trail and not exit to the road (yet). You'll see a few campsites in this area. Continue until you have traveled a total of 1.05 miles. At this point you should be very close to a road, take one of the many trails leading up to the road. You should be pretty close to this point.Within 100 feet or less of this point, you should see a cluttered canyon heading east. You will see a lot of downed trees and possibly an old faint trail that goes up the canyon. Peak 8146 is north of this canyon. Instead of taking the old and probably abandoned trail, I found it easier to climb up the side of Peak 8146. It will be quite steep but you can weave left and right to cut down on the steepness. At times you may see some animal trails that will help make the climb easier. Within a short time, you will be on the peak. At the peak, you will have nice views to the north, despite the burned trees that you will see. You will also be able to see Oracle Ridge. Looking east, you should see the antennas on Mt Bigelow.

To get down, it will be easier to head northwest, as the slope will be easier. When you get near the bottom, you will see a cabin down below which is on private property. There are no signs marking the property line, but I would recommend staying at least 100 feet away just to give anyone space who may be there. Once you reach the road, that is not on private property and you can take this road downhill to a junction. Once at the junction, take a right and then look for a trail heading down to the trail that you were on earlier. Take this trail down and you should be on the same trail you were on previously, which you will use to get back to the trailhead. From here, it's just under 1 mile to get back to the Sunset trailhead.

2023-07-10 Mike_W