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| Red Butte 3004 - Tucson Mountains, AZ | |
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| | Red Butte 3004 - Tucson Mountains, AZ | | | |
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Red Butte 3004 - Tucson Mountains, AZ
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| Hiking | 2.44 Miles |
519 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.44 Miles | 1 Hour 30 Mns | | 1.63 mph |
| 519 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I only found out about this peak a few months ago when I tried searching on specifically the Tucson Mountains peaks. This peak was not on any list that I'm aware of and the reason might be because there's a lot of private property in this area. The peak itself might actually be on private property but I didn't see any "no trespassing" signs the way I went.
This was a very fun hike. From where I parked, I walked West on Drexel road. After about 0.2 miles, I saw a sign up ahead that said "private driveway" or something to that effect. Then, just to the right I saw a gas line. I got off the paved road and followed the gas line easement uphill which has a few post markers. I found myself on the ridgeline of Peak 2775.
After hiking a total of 0.43 miles I reached the small summit and found a wire barrel structure holding some rocks. I thought this may have marked the high point. To the Southwest, there was a home below me and to the Northeast there was another home, but the direct line of sight was blocked by the peak I was on. I hiked down from Peak 2775 at a safe distance from the home and headed Northwest toward the low saddle and ridgeline leading up to Red Butte. Within a few minutes I heard some damn barking dogs from 2 different houses so I just kept moving forward. I thought most likely the people who lived around here were used to having hikers every now & then. For all anyone knew I lived right around there, and that's what I would have said if confronted. I didn't see anyone outside. Perhaps everyone was working on a Monday afternoon or having a late lunch.
After getting on the ridgeline the damn dogs wouldn't shut up, even though I was out of sight and they were far away from me by then. Some dogs are just so damn dumb. I stayed high on the ridgeline sometimes weaving around palo verde, ocotillo or thorn bushes. The brush was not very dense and I was able to find a good path through. After a while I saw a fence line on my left and a rock formation up ahead. I stayed to the right of the rock formation and hiked around it. Then, I was able to get back on the ridgeline. I saw the summit from here and got a few photos. Before the summit, I needed to drop down to a small saddle. There was a steep drop but by I found a curved path leading down to the right. At the saddle I found a lot of migrant / drug runner trash, mostly clothing, a once expensive-looking sports jersey and several coat hangers. I took photos of everything and moved onto the peak. At the peak, I found a rock enclosure which had some kind of structure with hollow PVC pipes attached to flat wooden pieces. It looked like someone used this area to launch fireworks. I can't imagine what else it would have been used for. I didn't see a registry up here but wish I brought a jar with me.
I took basically the same route down. I saw an antenna mounted up high below a saddle and walked about 50 feet down the saddle to get a better view of it. I don't know whether this was someone's personal antenna or if it was something gov't related, but I have heard of many instances of illegal antennas on mountain tops over the last few years. I kept going down and heard the same damn dogs barking on the way out. This time I did not summit Peak 2775. I just wanted to get the hell out of there as to not draw an attention to myself. But, all in all, this was an excellent hike. Since I did not see any "no trespassing" signs the entire way, I believe it was fine to do this hike. FYI - When I checked the Pima county parcel maps, the area that is considered Red Butte appears to be owned by the following individuals. There must be some rules relating to what can be developed on a butte.
gis.pima.gov
Parcel # 210010590
4785 W NEBRASKA ST
BURROLA ANTONIO B & ARLENE M CP/RS
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Stats:
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Distance (round trip): 2.44 miles
AEG: 519 feet
Strava moving time: 1 hr 20 mins
Strava elapsed time: 2 hrs 16 mins
Driving Directions:
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From anywhere in Tucson, take I-10 to I-19 South.
Take exit 99 for Ajo Way W.
Merge onto AZ-86 W/W Ajo Way, continue for 4.5 mi.
Turn left onto S Camino De Oeste, continue for 1.4 mi.
Turn left onto W Dakota St, continue for 0.6 mi.
Turn right onto S Caballo Rd, continue for 0.4 mi.
Turn right onto W Drexel Rd.
I parked my motorcycle on the shoulder of the road about 30-50 feet from the intersection of Drexel and Caballo.
I didn't find any better spot to the park.
There's a lot of private property around this area and parking will be a bit tricky.
The house immediately Southwest of where I parked is listed for sale as of Jan 2025.
Not sure if the house is vacant or not, but you could pretend you are an interested buyer ;-). |
| _____________________
Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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