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| Red Hills Saguaro National Park, AZ | |
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| | Red Hills Saguaro National Park, AZ | | | |
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Red Hills Saguaro National Park, AZ
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| Hiking | 2.65 Miles |
747 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.65 Miles | 2 Hrs 58 Mns | | 1.62 mph |
| 747 ft AEG | 1 Hour 20 Mns Break | | | |
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| no linked trail guides |
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| no partners | | This was my #31 and #32 peaks of the month and most likely a personal record, although many of the peaks I hiked this month didn't involve a lot of elevation gain, and were not difficult.
I parked near the entrance where a fee was not required and started heading NE toward the summit. When it got steeper and I saw more teddy bear cholla, I curved to the right and found a nice open rocky channel that basically took me all the way to the next saddle. I saw a lot of reddish rock in this channel which justified the name Red Hills. I took a short break at the saddle and then continued up to the South summit. I saw some use trails in this area but nothing that was well-defined. At the summit, I didn't see a registry. By this time it was about 1.30 pm and time for a late lunch. I found a nice flat rock to sit on. At the summit, I noticed a lot of flying insects that looked like dragon flies that were flying around but not getting too close to me. They didn't bother me at all, but they seemed to circle around near the summit. After having my lunch, I took a few photos and a video and headed onto Red Hills North. It will simply a matter of following the ridgeline which curved left and then right with a few ups and downs.
Along the way, there were a few steep areas to hike around/through but nothing over class 2. The vertical distance from the lowest saddle to the top of Red Hills North is about 190 feet. Near the top of Red Hills North I found a registry that was left by Andy Martin in 2011. Although PB showed several summits since that time, nobody else signed the registry either because they didn't find it or maybe couldn't get the lid off the jar. The lid was quite tight after 15 years of not being opened but I was able to put some muscle into it and get it open. I wrote in the names of all of those on PB who logged the summit.
Looking to the North and down I could see a windmill. It would spin at times and then stop. I decided to hike down to the windmill to get a closer look. The slope was quite steep for the first 5-10 minutes heading down but the footing was pretty solid. As I got closer, the slope leveled out and I was able to get down into the sandy wash below. I found a man-made stone dam about 100 feet up the wash from the windmill. Then, there was another man-made stone dam right near the windmill. When I was standing near the windmill looking up the wash, I could see a crested sahuaro about 100 feet away, to the right and slightly higher in elevation. On a side note, I read somewhere that there are apparently only 25 crested sahuaros in all of Saguaro National Park. I definitely have seen a few and believe there may be more than 25.
I continued down the wash for a few minutes, exited the wash and did the open country hike back to my starting point. Along the way, I needed to cross a few small washes.
Stats (for both peaks + exploration):
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Distance (round trip): 2.65 miles
AEG: 747 feet
Strava moving time: 1 hr 36 mins
Strava elapsed time: 2 hrs 58 mins
Driving Directions:
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From I-10 in Tucson, head toward the Speedway Blvd exit (U of A)
Take Speedway Blvd WEST
Pass by AutoZone Auto Parts (on the left in 1.1 mi), continue for 4.7 mi
Slight left onto W Gates Pass Rd, continue for 4.8 mi
Turn right onto Kinney Rd, continue for 3.9 mi
Turn right onto N Kinney Rd
continue for 50 FEET, park on the right side.
2592-2600 N Kinney Rd
Tucson, AZ 85745
Good place to park: 32.248356 -111.184344 |
| _____________________
Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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