Martina Mountain - Roskruge Mountains • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Dec 02 2023

DixieFlyer

Guides 99
Routes 1,485
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,375

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Martina Mountain - Roskruge Mountains

Tucson, AZ

Martina Mountain - Roskruge Mountains

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Dec 02 2023
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,375

Hiking	5.79 Miles	1,468 AEG

Hiking	5.79 Miles	4 Hrs 53 Mns	1.51 mph
	1,468 ft AEG	1 Hour 3 Mns Break

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Today I decided to hike up to Martina Mountain, the highpoint of the Roskruge Mountains. This peak has an elevation of 4,042 feet and prominence of 1,242 feet.

I was unable to find out how Martina Mountain got its name, but the Roskruge Mountains were named for George J. Roskruge. Roskruge was the Surveyor General of Arizona from 1896 to 1897 as appointed by President Grover Cleveland. He named Kitt Peak after his sister and named the Roskruge Mountains after himself.

I didn't drive in as far as I planned, as there had been rain the night before and the road was muddy at a ditch that I would have to cross. I think that I could have made it, but from what I read the road was rough, and since the hike wasn't too long I decided to park and walk the road. Actually the road was in much better shape than I thought it would be, and aside from a couple of ditches not far from where I parked I could have driven a couple of miles.

The hike on the road went fast, and when I left the road I was only 0.5 miles from the summit. From the road I went up to a saddle that was between Martina Mountain and a lower peak that is to the east of Martina. From the saddle I went west up toward the summit. Actually I aimed for a false summit which was maybe 750 feet from the highpoint. The ascent was steep, but not all that steep, which was why I selected this route. However, there was a lot of class 2 rock scrambling on the way up, which made the going pretty slow. I was using my hands as well as my feet for much of this -- there was a mixture of talus, rocks, and boulders to navigate. I persevered and made it up there.

The summit was nice, and the 360 degree views were very impressive. After hanging around up there for a bit I returned the way that I came.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Baboquivari Peak Martina Mountain Roskruge Mountains

_____________________

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

Oct 25 2022

Mike_W

Guides 104
Routes 256
Photos 16,118
Triplogs 528

53 male

Joined Dec 30 2005
Tucson, AZ

Martina Mountain - Roskruge Mountains

Tucson, AZ

Martina Mountain - Roskruge Mountains

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Oct 25 2022
		Mike_W • Triplogs 528

Hiking	2.90 Miles	1,219 AEG

Hiking	2.90 Miles	2 Hrs 30 Mns	1.16 mph
	1,219 ft AEG

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no linked trail guides

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Took Tyler G to the airport and wasn't far from this hike so I decided it would be a good day to attempt it. The high temp for Tucson today was supposed to be 76 so I thought up in these mountain areas it could be a few degrees cooler, which would make for ideal hiking temperatures.

The road was a bit tricky in a few places as it was washed out in some areas and I had to cross 2 small ditches which nearly caused me to bottom out. This nearly reached the end of my comfort level with my capable 4x4 high clearance Chevy truck. Then, further out, after seeing 2 foot tall thorn bushes right in the middle of the road, I decided to park off the side of the road and just walk the extra portion of road for this hike as well as for Sharp peak also.

From where I parked, I walked the rugged 4x4 road going South/Southwest which did some winding. When I got to the end of the road, after 0.98 miles of walking, there was a concrete foundation that appeared to be abandoned. There was evidence of mining activity in the past as I saw tailings in various places on that side of the mountain. From here, I started bushwhacking up from here zig zagging where needed. Some areas were quite steep and some of the rock was loose. I tried to go around the mine tailing piles to avoid as much loose rock as possible. I reached the peak from the North side. The peak had quite a long ridgeline and I was able to walk most of the top of it before getting to the high point. At the high point, I saw a small solar panel and small antenna, but not sure what it was used for. There was also a registry under a few rocks, very close to the antenna. On the way down, I decided to take a different route which ended up to be better. It was between 100 and 200 feet East of my route going up. I made it back to the 4x4 road and started heading down. When I got within a few hundred feet of my truck, I saw a cow laying down on the side of the road. She didn't want to move until I got within about 10 or 15 feet. Then, she ran off into a treed area joining some other cows.

AEG = 1,219 feet

_____________________

Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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