Safford and Panther Peaks Loop • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Scenic Trail

[ checklist ] Panther Peak Ragged Top Safford Peak Silver Bell Mountains Waterman Peak

Sombrero Trails

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SecretMtnLover

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With apologies to Dr. Seuss, this hike went to a couple of peaks in the northern fringes of Tucson that I had not been to before:
1) Panther Peak (the cat)
2) Sombrero Peak, aka Safford Peak (the hat)

We did the loop CW by first going the standard route up to the hat. This hike was short and steep, with some loose, slippery rock in places. There was a bit of scrambling near the top, but nothing more than class 2 imho. The trail was fairly easy to follow, but for some reason a moron has taken blue spray paint to mark the trail toward the top, which was totally unnecessary.

After checking out the nice views atop the hat, we went along the ridgeline over to the cat. To me, this was the best part of the hike. This was a fun traverse, with a few short and easy class 3 moves. There was little to no exposure, although those with a fear of heights might have some issues. I enjoyed going through the hole-in-the-rock along the way.

We made our way to a saddle below the cat, and then took an easy-to-follow trail up to the summit. The grad was not as steep as the climb up to the hat, so it was not a bad climb.

We made our way back down to the saddle below the cat, and then went north to descend down to the desert floor below. There was a half-decent use trail for part of the way, but the trail disappeared, so it was more of a bushwhack for the rest of the descent. After getting down to the desert floor, we continued bushwhacking, but eventually made our way to a trail which we followed for a ways. Then we had to again bushwhack our way up to a saddle, where we hit another trail that took us back to the TH. This portion of the hike from the cat back to the TH was not particularly enjoyable. The descent from the saddle was fairly steep in places, and there was lots of loose rock to deal with, which slowed us down quite a bit.

Synopsis
Parts of the hike were fun, but the trek from Panther Peak back to the TH was a bit of a slog. I might do this hike again sometime, but probably not real soon.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

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Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there

May 06 2018

jladderud

Guides 1
Routes 12
Photos 17
Triplogs 80

35 male

Joined Oct 05 2017
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		May 06 2018
		jladderud • Triplogs 80

Hiking	5.30 Miles	2,224 AEG

Hiking	5.30 Miles	3 Hrs 22 Mns	1.73 mph
	2,224 ft AEG	18 Mns Break

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We did the loop clockwise, hitting Safford, then Panther. Some fun opportunities for 4th/5th class scrambling between the two peaks. It was pretty darn hot by the time we finished around 10:30. There is a nice spot for breakfast just down the road!

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3 archives

Jan 28 2018

jrousoshammond

Routes 30
Triplogs 186

37 male

Joined May 15 2015
Tucson

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Jan 28 2018
		jrousoshammond • Triplogs 186

Hiking	5.30 Miles	2,224 AEG

Hiking	5.30 Miles
	2,224 ft AEG

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MSimmons

This was great. We hiked south first and climbed Safford from the SE as we saw in some of the unofficial routes here. We traversed over to Panther by staying near the top of the ridge, then veering more to the left after we passed through the tunnel. It looks like there are a lot of different options for the traverse that would be fun to try next time. A nice Pusch substitute during the sheep closure.

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Feb 13 2016

Guides 93
Routes 397
Photos 4,984
Triplogs 4,124

49 male

Joined Jun 20 2003
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Feb 13 2016
		fricknaley • Triplogs 4,124

Hiking	5.98 Miles	2,491 AEG

Hiking	5.98 Miles	4 Hrs 19 Mns		1.61 mph
	2,491 ft AEG	36 Mns Break	5 LBS Pack

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JuanJaimeiii

Count Tacula was heading down my way and he hadn't done this local favorite of mine so we hiked it on a gorgeous morning. picked a pretty good route and didn't get torn up too much.

great to hike together again JJ :y:

achilles did ok but it's still "not right"

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Feb 13 2016

JuanJaimeiii

Routes 596
Photos 9,604
Triplogs 2,400

58 male

Joined Jan 30 2011
Chandler, AZ

Sombrero Peak with Panther Loop, AZ

Hiking		Feb 13 2016
		JuanJaimeiii • Triplogs 2,400

Hiking	6.01 Miles	2,589 AEG

Hiking	6.01 Miles	4 Hrs 19 Mns	1.66 mph
	2,589 ft AEG	42 Mns Break

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fricknaley

It had been so long since I hiked with Nick I almost forgot what he looked like. Hair cut time again for me so on the way to Mexico I made a pit stop and the Good Doctor and I hiked a combo of Sombrero and Panther. These have been on my wish list for quite some time. The whole time while doing them I kept asking myself "why haven't I done these yet"? They were awesome!

Afterwards I headed south and got the hair cut as planned. Beautiful day to be outside!

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Nov 23 2015

jajohnson11

Guides 1
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 38

35 male

Joined Feb 01 2013
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 23 2015
		jajohnson11 • Triplogs 38

Hiking	5.30 Miles	2,224 AEG

Hiking	5.30 Miles	4 Hrs 15 Mns	1.25 mph
	2,224 ft AEG

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High in the 70's and sunny. Seemed like perfect weather but man when the sun is beating down on you it can sure make it hot!
Rather than doing the posted route we decided to go up Safford via the Scenic trail (southeast approach I guess. Doesn't really make much of a difference but just thought I'd mention it. Traversing the route from Safford to Panther was definitely a blast. The hole in the mountain was pretty cool too. All in all a really fun day and two much needed summits checked off the list. Overall very little route finding skills needed for this one. Proud to say I did these two peaks on the same day.

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May 12 2015

The_Dude

Guides 1
Routes 136
Photos 1,367
Triplogs 364

47 male

Joined Jun 10 2011
Phoenix, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		May 12 2015
		The_Dude • Triplogs 364

Hiking	5.86 Miles	2,750 AEG

Hiking	5.86 Miles	3 Hrs 38 Mns		1.95 mph
	2,750 ft AEG	38 Mns Break	11 LBS Pack

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Panther Peak via Panther Wash

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Got in a good after work Birthday hike, thought I would nail two peaks! Got an early start about 2:45 or so with fantastic cloud cover, could not have had much better weather for this one. I parked well north of Sanctuary Cove, they have some new nasty no parking signs just south of the little asphalt roundabout, so I parked up there and walked down the road. Made my way clockwise since I did CCW last time. The trail-ish up to Safford was better than I remember, made pretty good time. The wind kicked into gale force just as I was coming to the top of the peak to make the rock hop a little more interesting, but nothing too serious. Picked my way across to Panther Peak, I stayed with the over the top route for the most part just to add in some more climbing/ bouldering fun. I avoided taking any harm until I was climbing down the drainage from Pather and I got hooked on a Catclaw, but that one got me good. Tore up my leg and arm a bit, just flesh wounds...somehow doesn't seem right to do this one without donating back to the desert. Picked up a ton of Bursage in my boots going across the flat area just for added enjoyment. I though I would be able to do this one a little quicker since it was much cooler than my July hike last year, but it ended up making no difference. Good times again!

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Mar 01 2015

GrottoGirl

Guides 3
Routes 569
Photos 11,976
Triplogs 1,634

50 female

Joined Sep 18 2009
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Mar 01 2015
		GrottoGirl • Triplogs 1,634

Hiking	6.01 Miles	2,467 AEG

Hiking	6.01 Miles	6 Hrs 5 Mns		1.41 mph
	2,467 ft AEG	1 Hour 49 Mns Break	20 LBS Pack

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RedwallNHops

Leslie, a friend from Joshua Tree, was in town, so we thought we'd show her some of Tucson's finest displays of peaks and flowers. We also invited our friend, Randi, who is new to hiking to give her a taste of bushwhacking, route finding, and scrambling.

We did an introduction to bushwhacking at the beginning of the hike by taking a non-standard approach to Safford. Randi did well so we continued on to the saddle and joined the normal route. When we got to the steep part we again gave Randi instructions on loose rocks, what to do if a rock starts to roll, watching for rock fall above, etc. She did great! When we got to the top of the ridge we noticed that there was a new route up to the top. Joel didn't want to miss the exposed section as part of his retraining, so we retraced our steps as we always have. Randi had a bit of problems crossing the narrow catwalk :scared:

but she finally convinced herself to go across - not bad for someone who had never encountered that kind of terrain before! :app:

We hung out on the peak and then started down. Instead of taking the ridgeline approach to Panther, we dropped down an extremely steep slope sprinkled with Brittlebush flowers and contoured over. By doing this, we went through some beautiful spots including a cholla filled saddle from which we dropped down into a pretty boulder strewn slope. Randi and Leslie had some fun with the cholla. It seemed like they were rotating having cholla stuck to them.

I got to use my comb

We finally made it to the top of Panther and hung out for a bit. Then we completed our loop by walking through fields of poppies with blue skies full of puffy clouds. What a crummy day in the desert!

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

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Mar 01 2015

RedwallNHops

Guides 1
Routes 269
Photos 613
Triplogs 1,360

50 male

Joined Dec 22 2003
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Mar 01 2015
		RedwallNHops • Triplogs 1,360

Hiking	6.01 Miles	2,467 AEG

Hiking	6.01 Miles	6 Hrs 5 Mns	1.41 mph
	2,467 ft AEG	1 Hour 49 Mns Break

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GrottoGirl

Love this hike.

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

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Jul 01 2014

The_Dude

Guides 1
Routes 136
Photos 1,367
Triplogs 364

47 male

Joined Jun 10 2011
Phoenix, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Jul 01 2014
		The_Dude • Triplogs 364

Hiking	5.83 Miles	2,689 AEG

Hiking	5.83 Miles	3 Hrs 41 Mns		2.03 mph
	2,689 ft AEG	49 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

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This was an awesome hike! Brutal and resplendent all in one. Started out from the Scenic Drive 'Trailhead' headed south to the NP border and started the scramble. I downloaded bknorby's track with the intentions of at least hitting Panther Peak and then seeing how things went from there. The majority of this hike was off trail, and off track for that matter, it was mostly just a matter of finding the path of least resistance. I started off on the loop counterclockwise to do the long stretch of desert floor before I got to Panther. This was a pretty easy trip up, just picking your way amongst boulders and Creosote for the most part. Found a bit of a use trail once I made it to the saddle, got up to the top and signed the register. That was easy enough, so I headed east across the ridge. So this was the really fun but kind of sketchy part. I generally try to stay on trail if I am solo hiking just in case, but today that was not the case. Lots of good boulder hopping and scrambling across to Safford, had to use my hands in numerous places for balance. It becomes a bit of a game, trying to plan yourself a few steps ahead so you don't burn your hands on the rocks from holding on too long. Made the trip up to the top and signed the other register, woo hoo! Both were pretty scarce on entries since April. I found the somewhat trail heading around the southeast side of the mountain and continued on back. Then I found the trail leading through Sanctuary Cove and took that back to the road. Really fun hike, a bit harrowing in spots, but certainly worth doing again. The stats definitely don't tell the story on this one, it is a grind!

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Jan 26 2014

Guides 93
Routes 397
Photos 4,984
Triplogs 4,124

49 male

Joined Jun 20 2003
Tucson, AZ

Panther Peak from Sanctuary Cove, AZ

Hiking		Jan 26 2014
		fricknaley • Triplogs 4,124

Hiking	4.95 Miles	1,962 AEG

Hiking	4.95 Miles
	1,962 ft AEG	8 Mns Break

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great day. really struggled going up :sweat:

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Jul 13 2013

Guides 93
Routes 397
Photos 4,984
Triplogs 4,124

49 male

Joined Jun 20 2003
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Jul 13 2013
		fricknaley • Triplogs 4,124

Hiking	6.25 Miles	2,712 AEG

Hiking	6.25 Miles	3 Hrs 59 Mns	1.90 mph
	2,712 ft AEG	42 Mns Break

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azdesertfather

really fun, rough little adventure along the sombrero ridgeline. it was extremely hot and humid. cool caves and cliffs up there. the top of sombrero was covered in flying ants, never seen that before. there were none on panther.

straight to slurpeeville after this one :sweat:

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Jul 13 2013

azdesertfather

Guides 16
Routes 81
Photos 1,269
Triplogs 1,144

51 male

Joined Apr 30 2008
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Jul 13 2013
		azdesertfather • Triplogs 1,144

Hiking	6.25 Miles	2,712 AEG

Hiking	6.25 Miles	3 Hrs 59 Mns	1.90 mph
	2,712 ft AEG	42 Mns Break

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fricknaley

Had plans to do a segment of the GET today, but ended up not working out due to work schedules and vehicle issues. Ended up deciding to just go do something quick and local. Started out at 9:15am, a little late for a hike this hot and humid, but Nick and I are desert rats, we can take it! :sweat:

Made our way up the Sombrero, actually saw an older gentleman coming down who warned us about the flying ants. Oh, MAN! We peaked out at Sombrero, I went for the register can and it was like magnets to metal, they just latched onto me by the hundreds. I've never signed a register so fast, I couldn't remember what day it was but I was so covered in frikkin ants that I just guessed a date and put it (I signed the 11th, 2 days off :sl:

). There were literally thousands of larger, flying black ants on the peak, so many it looked like the peak was moving. We went over to the other peak for Sombrero, but they were over there too (though not as bad), so we made our way down and started heading down the ridgeline for Panther.

We hit the cave between Sombrero and Panther, and it was super cool. Nice shade, openings on both sides. Nice camp spot!

We maneuvered pretty well until we hit the peak closest to Panther, and we got a little overconfident and didn't check the route...and we cliffed out. Rather than making our way all the way back, we figured out how to drop straight down the SW face about 125 feet. Then we tackled Panther.

Heading down Panther, I remembered that I forgot sunscreen in my rush and I was quickly turning into a redneck. Nick did as well. So I ended up turning my shirt into a turban and covering my neck and bald head. I looked like an idiot, but saved my skin!

Made our way down to the Nickmobile and straight for the gas station for an XL slurpie. We were both down to less than a half liter of water when we made it out, so we were ready for it!

Thanks Nick...good times :y:

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Barrel Cactus

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Panther Peak

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"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." — Henry David Thoreau

Jan 15 2013

Guides 93
Routes 397
Photos 4,984
Triplogs 4,124

49 male

Joined Jun 20 2003
Tucson, AZ

Panther Peak from Sanctuary Cove, AZ

Hiking		Jan 15 2013
		fricknaley • Triplogs 4,124

Hiking	4.95 Miles	1,962 AEG

Hiking	4.95 Miles	2 Hrs 8 Mns		2.48 mph
	1,962 ft AEG	8 Mns Break	3 LBS Pack

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first time up panther peak from this approach. definitely the easy way to go. pretty darn cold again. the views back at sombrero are awesome

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Apr 07 2011

rwstorm

Guides 1
Routes 136
Photos 22,415
Triplogs 1,041

77 male

Joined Feb 28 2003
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Apr 07 2011
		rwstorm • Triplogs 1,041

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kissime321

Just a spur of the moment hike up to a local landmark in the Tucson Mountains with a few friends.

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Feb 20 2011

GrottoGirl

Guides 3
Routes 569
Photos 11,976
Triplogs 1,634

50 female

Joined Sep 18 2009
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Feb 20 2011
		GrottoGirl • Triplogs 1,634

Hiking	5.30 Miles	2,557 AEG

Hiking	5.30 Miles	5 Hrs	1.06 mph
	2,557 ft AEG

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Baja Arizona Hiking

	John_seJerman	RedwallNHops
	SAMBA

After a two week pause in hiking (skiing and work got in the way), I joined the Alt-Hiking Meet-up on one of my favorite winter Tucson hikes. The weather forecast called for rain - but we didn't care.

We summitted Safford Peak the usual way and then we were just aching for some more action. Safford is just never enough, right? Therefore, we decided to take the ridge from the top of Safford towards Panther Peak. Previously we had gone down the drainage to the desert floor and swung around over to Panther. This time, we followed the ridgeline pretty closely. It was a great rock scramble (I don't recommend that you attempt unless you loved the scramble up to the top of Safford and wanted to do a lot more of the same). At one point we even went through the mountain - well an arch. We were about to the last peak when we decided we might cliff-out so we headed off the ridge to the south and descended slightly to a spot where we could get contour around to the saddle between Safford and Panther. From there we went up to the top of Panther using a well defined route. This is the tamest part of the hike. It's a nice walk-up to the peak where we had a snack before heading back down.

Back at the saddle between Panther and Safford we headed down on the north side, opposite from where we came. It is steep descent on a well defined route. We followed that route until we came to the desert floor. Then we took a left turn at a junction with another route that typically would take you to White Stallion Ranch. When the trail turns to go into White Stallion Ranch we bushwhacked up to the first saddle that we hit when we left Sanctuary Cove. From there we returned down to the cars using the same trail we went up.

We had a "newbie" who typically ran and thought 5 miles would be easy. She didn't believe us when we said that it was probably going to take about 5 hours to complete the hike. She was dragging at the end and very shaky. I'm just glad she actually completed the hike (minus Panther Peak) without needing much assistance.

As we got back to Sanctuary Cove, it started to rain. Talk about timing!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Saguaro - Crested Teddy-bear Cholla

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Feb 20 2011

RedwallNHops

Guides 1
Routes 269
Photos 613
Triplogs 1,360

50 male

Joined Dec 22 2003
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Feb 20 2011
		RedwallNHops • Triplogs 1,360

Hiking	5.30 Miles	2,224 AEG

Hiking	5.30 Miles
	2,224 ft AEG

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Love this hike!

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Apr 13 2008

rwstorm

Guides 1
Routes 136
Photos 22,415
Triplogs 1,041

77 male

Joined Feb 28 2003
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Apr 13 2008
		rwstorm • Triplogs 1,041

Hiking	4.00 Miles	1,365 AEG

Hiking	4.00 Miles
	1,365 ft AEG

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Wildflowers Observation Light

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Dec 04 2002

rwstorm

Guides 1
Routes 136
Photos 22,415
Triplogs 1,041

77 male

Joined Feb 28 2003
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Dec 04 2002
		rwstorm • Triplogs 1,041

Hiking	4.00 Miles	1,365 AEG

Hiking	4.00 Miles
	1,365 ft AEG

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