Starr Pass Trail - TMP, AZ

Overview
Tuscon Mountain Park is Tuscon's version of South Mountain, with more than 40 trails accessible from 11 different THs. The Starr Pass Trail is most easily accessed from the Richard Gesner Starr Pass TH. There is enough parking for 30 cars, but that being said, it can still fill up fast. There is no water or restrooms at the TH, so come prepared. There is an informative map of the trail system and a little background information on Richard Gesner for whom the trail is named. The Starr Pass Trail is considered to be an interior trail, so some additional hiking is required to reach it.


The Starr Pass Trail starts as a single-track trail composed of hard, compact soil, but as it reaches the basin it broadens out so that two people can easily hike side by side. Once in the basin, the trail fluctuates from loose sandy soil to gravel and towards the end has short periods of solid rock surfaces. The views, though nice, are not overwhelming. In the beginning, you get some peeks of Tucson off to the east (might be nice at night with the city lights in the distance), but the peaks of Big Cat and Little Cat get most of the attention during the day. The vegetation is a healthy variety of your typical Sonoran desert fare: Saguaro, cholla, Staghorn Cholla, Ocotillo, Bursera, and stunted Paloverde dominate. The elevation is pretty constant, staying within 100-feet of the high and low points.Hike
The easiest way to reach the Starr Pass Trail is to hike in a little over 0.5 miles on the Rock Wren Trail. There will be a use-trail that takes off to the south just before reaching the actual Starr Pass Trail. Don’t be fooled. The Starr Pass Trail will be signed and have a localized trail map that will allow you to see where you are and how the trails interact.

The trail starts on a ridge and begins to switchback down along the contours of the hill. At 0.35 miles, though still descending you’ll have left the hillside and the basin will open up in front of you. As you hike, you will see several user trails. The flow of the trail and the obvious usage should help you avoid these social trails. If they are not signed, you know they are not legit. The first official juncture is 0.5 miles in with the 36th Street Trail. The trail runs fairly straight for the next 0.5 miles, heading in a westward direction. There will be some minor elevation changes as it crosses a couple of washes and transverses the minor basin slopes. At 1 mile the trail intersects with the Yetman Trail. This intersection is in the form of a large triangle and the trail signage may not be immediately visible (trail sign is initially obscured by foliage). From this triangle, the Starr Pass Trail continues to the southwest.

There will be some minor elevation changes as the trail heads for the gap between the Big and Little Cat Peaks. Around 1.4 miles the trail, which had been fairly straight, will start to twist and turn around a couple of low-lying hills bringing you out of the lower sections of the basin. The trail will vary from loose gravel to rock formations, which may require a little more trail attentiveness to stay on track. There is an arrow at one point to help keep you on the trail. At 1.78 the trail terminates when it connects to the Explorer and Sarasota Trails.

At this point, you have a multitude of options. You can return the way you came for about a 4.5-mile hike. Or go any of the three directions facing you for various loop options. Most trail junctures have maps so you should be able to calculate distances as you go.

2024-02-12 mt98dew