Buster Mountain • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Jul 28 2025
		speedgoat • Triplogs 4

Hiking	6.20 Miles	2,228 AEG

Hiking	6.20 Miles	4 Hrs 15 Mns		1.46 mph
	2,228 ft AEG		10 LBS Pack

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A hot but excellent adventure from Catalina State Park around the Buster Mountain Loop, to the summit, and back down via the direct and most sporting mostly scramble back. The climb was most pleasant with an easy to follow track from the Birding Loop, once its departure up the ridge was located. This track would stay easy to follow all the way to the saddle behind the summit near Buster Spring. From Buster to the next saddle directly east of the summit, the track was much harder to follow. The final ascent once again had a good and marked track. Spectacular views of the Pusch Ridge and Cathedral Rock from the summit. The descent (if I did this again, I'd make this an out and back), was less fun, but very well marked. Some butt sliding, a downclimb, and a broken treking pole, but made it down in the 90F-97F heat with a drop of water left.
There was a bit of water in the spring box (see water report). Should have taken a bit, it was narly, but I have had worse.

Feb 24 2023

PrestonSands

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

48 male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Hohokam loop, AZ

Hiking		Feb 24 2023
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Hiking	4.50 Miles	500 AEG

Hiking	4.50 Miles
	500 ft AEG

no routes

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Bridle Trail - Catalina State Park

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Hohokam loop then over to Buster Mountain route to see the old mine shaft. Followed Buster route back to the end of the road trailhead, saw mama great horned owl at her nest. Closed the loop using Bridle Path.

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"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

Jan 01 2021

fricknaley

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

49 male

Joined Jun 20 2003
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Jan 01 2021
		fricknaley • Triplogs 4,124

Hiking	4.66 Miles	1,862 AEG

Hiking	4.66 Miles
	1,862 ft AEG

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i couldn't believe it had been 4 years since coming up buster mountain. such a gorgeous summit. there were burn areas but definitely not as bad as anticipated.

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hi

Oct 21 2019

azdesertfather

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

51 male

Joined Apr 30 2008
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Oct 21 2019
		azdesertfather • Triplogs 1,144

Hiking	5.20 Miles	1,954 AEG

Hiking	5.20 Miles	3 Hrs 34 Mns	1.87 mph
	1,954 ft AEG	47 Mns Break

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

For years I’ve had this as the only Catalina SP trail I hadn’t done. I held off for years because a man sick with colon cancer wanted to do it with me when he got to feeling better, and he died a couple of years ago. Mark, the trip today was for you bro...RIP.

Was a little concerned about taking the right unmarked trails but had little trouble. Whoa, that was a workout tho. A couple of false summits before I finally saw the end, I was working against the clock that day so I’m so glad I made it in time with some time to spare to enjoy the summit. Nice views of the area behind Buster before the significant mountains of the Catalinas rise up, near to see back there from atop Buster. Took a nice little break up top to soak it all in.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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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

1 archive

Dec 12 2018

MSimmons

Photos 4
Triplogs 62

37 male

Joined Jan 30 2016
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Dec 12 2018
		MSimmons • Triplogs 62

Hiking	4.66 Miles	1,862 AEG

Hiking	4.66 Miles
	1,862 ft AEG

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Glad I went and bagged this one before the sheep closures kick in. There's a trail for most of the route, the rest is cairned, or simply follows the ridge.

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Dec 12 2018

jrousoshammond

Routes 30
Triplogs 186

37 male

Joined May 15 2015
Tucson

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Dec 12 2018
		jrousoshammond • Triplogs 186

Hiking	4.66 Miles	1,862 AEG

Hiking	4.66 Miles
	1,862 ft AEG

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MSimmons

Beautiful area and a surprisingly nice route. Pants and gaiters were a must for me, but even when there's no trail the route is obvious. This was just a quick evening trip, but on a full day with good weather I'd be really interested in trying some of the higher peaks on a bigger loop version of this hike.

Lots of tracks - not sure if they were sheep or deer?

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Nov 19 2017

jajohnson11

Guides 1
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 38

35 male

Joined Feb 01 2013
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hike & Climb		Nov 19 2017
		jajohnson11 • Triplogs 38

Hike & Climb	8.20 Miles	3,400 AEG

Hike & Climb	8.20 Miles	5 Hrs 45 Mns	1.43 mph
	3,400 ft AEG

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I saw the write up for this awhile back and had to give it a go before the restriction starts, decided I'd make today that day. Hustled up to Buster in an hour and twenty minutes, this was my third time up here and the view never ceases to amaze. The trail leading up to Buster was very easy to follow, most of the grass has died off or been re-flattened that others were talking about.
After Buster is where it got fun. On the first part of the ridge I saw 2 big horn sheep! This was my 2nd time seeing them in the Catalina's but never this close. I tried to follow them to get some pictures but it seemed they escaped me near one of the many flat areas of the ridge climb. The route was really wasn't that bad except in two areas. I had Mountain Rat's tracks in my gps but didn't need them most of the way- it was pretty straight forward, just follow the ridge! Where it did get tough though was very near the peak(s) just before 5791. The vegetation was dense and I ended up going between them rather than over the South peak. This made a very sketchy route over to 5791. White summit register was there, amazing to see a register with such little names

Unparalleled views of the Pusch wilderness area. Close ups of Cathedral and Window Peak. Amazing views of Leviathan and Wilderness domes as well. Made it worth the effort to get up there!
Made sure to go up and over the ridge the whole way on the way back instead of between the two peaks closest 5791 made it an easy return. Decided to go up and over Buster again rather than the loop down near Buster Spring.
All in all another great hike in the Catalina's!
Thanks for the tracks HAZ!

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Dec 11 2016

writelots

Guides 19
Routes 40
Photos 5,624
Triplogs 341

52 female

Joined Nov 22 2005
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Dec 11 2016
		writelots • Triplogs 341

Hiking	4.66 Miles	1,862 AEG

Hiking	4.66 Miles
	1,862 ft AEG

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Hiked up Buster with Grant from Gossamer Gear and Sirena. Always love getting off trail around Catalina SP, and it was a lovely day for it!

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Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.- Barack Obama

Nov 25 2016

Guides 11
Routes 123
Photos 818
Triplogs 257

62 male

Joined Jul 14 2011
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 25 2016
		Mountain_Rat • Triplogs 257

Hiking	5.58 Miles	2,083 AEG

Hiking	5.58 Miles	3 Hrs 22 Mns		1.78 mph
	2,083 ft AEG	14 Mns Break	6 LBS Pack

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fricknaley

So, I finally got the opportunity to hike with the iconic Doctor Frick on Thanksgiving. He had picked this one out, and I asked if I could tag along. The weather could not have been better for Buster. In fact, I think that this was my first time at the peak without a pounding wind. It was a mellow ascent resulting in itchy feet and ankles, followed by an eventless descent. That's right! I know you all were thinking that this could only end up in a royal bloodbath, but there were no notable injuries between us. It's like a Thanksgiving miracle or something.

Anywho, it was good to finally meet Frick and get a hike in with him. Hopefully we can hammer out a few more trails in the area.

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1 archive

Nov 24 2016

fricknaley

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

49 male

Joined Jun 20 2003
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 24 2016
		fricknaley • Triplogs 4,124

Hiking	5.50 Miles	2,026 AEG

Hiking	5.50 Miles	3 Hrs 22 Mns	1.76 mph
	2,026 ft AEG	14 Mns Break

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Mountain_Rat

Matt was nice enough to show me the way along the buster mountain loop. this hike is outstanding and is the way to do buster in my opinion. we had perfect weather. found the spring after a little poking around. cool to finally see that.

as always the views up high are some of my favorite in tucson. missed it up here, nice to be back

on the way up we some a bunch of something really hauling butt up the slopes near the saddle. possibly bighorns? too far away to tell but they were trucking

great to finally meet and hike with you Matt. let's do it again sometime, on something more brutal perhaps? : rambo :

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Buster Spring

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hi

Dec 09 2015

sirena

Guides 2
Routes 4
Photos 3,873
Triplogs 362

51 female

Joined Feb 12 2008
Tucson, AZ

Alamo Canyon-Buster Ridgeline Loop, AZ

Hiking		Dec 09 2015
		sirena • Triplogs 362

Hiking	5.35 Miles	1,470 AEG

Hiking	5.35 Miles
	1,470 ft AEG

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It's the last month before the Bighorn Sheep restrictions go into effect in the Catalinas, so I wanted to do something in the area. I had visited Alamo Canyon three years ago with skyislandhiker aka Santa Rita Bill and really enjoyed it- it was time to return.

I parked at the Romero Ruins and took the trail for a short distance across the wash and then turned right at a cairn on an unnamed trail with surprisingly good tread. This trail took me to a little waterfall at the state park boundary. It had warmed up enough for me to wet my head in the creek before hiking on.

A trail continues past the park boundary that stays above the creek on canyon right. I took the trail until a large boulder jam in the creek, where I descended to take a break. There was a huge racket as a pack of javelinas moved to get downstream away from me. The giant striped granite boulders, golden ash trees and running water made for a perfect spot to settle in for a while.

The gnats descended just as I was going to take a nap and I had to get a move on. I wasn't in the mood to go farther up the creek, but I was intrigued by a cairned path I'd seen in 2012 that seemed to go up toward the Buster Mountain ridgeline. I'd also seen the top of the route on the ridgeline, today was the day to connect the dots.

The steep route out of the creek took me through an expanse of beautiful banded gneiss on the way to the ridge. It was fun following the well-cairned route. Much of it was on gravel, which made me happy to be hiking up rather than down it.

I reached the ridgeline saddle and took another extended break. Some of my water had spilled into my pack so I didn't hit the peak, instead I spent my time taking pictures and even had a little dance party at the saddle.

I wanted to time my descent with the sunset and started down the steep route down the ridgeline. Tall grasses made route finding a little challenging, it was much more overgrown than in previous trips because of all the rain we've gotten this year. Made it off the mountain in the fading light and was excited to see the sunset paint pink and purple stripes above Pusch Ridge.

The sunset was one of those rare ones that changes and develops different characters way after the sun goes down. The entire mountain took on a subtle pink hue and fiery waves of orange, pink and red streaked the sky. It felt like it went on for hours and I kept stopping to take picture after picture. Timed it perfectly to arrive at the parking lot just as the sunset had finally faded. What a great way to end such an enjoyable day on the mountain.

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

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1 archive

Nov 20 2015

Guides 11
Routes 123
Photos 818
Triplogs 257

62 male

Joined Jul 14 2011
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hike & Climb		Nov 20 2015
		Mountain_Rat • Triplogs 257

Hike & Climb	7.50 Miles	3,376 AEG

Hike & Climb	7.50 Miles	6 Hrs 57 Mns		1.45 mph
	3,376 ft AEG		12 LBS Pack

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rvcarter

Call me suicidal, but I let Roy talk me into another easy scramble. Roy had previously posted a track for this one, so I loaded it into Route Manager, looked at the profile and thought “this aint too bad”, and like that, I was in.

I met Roy and his gang at Catalina State Park just a bit before 08:00 and we immediately hit the trail. The ascent to Buster Mountain was pretty standard and we took a short break there. Now, in my head, all that was left to do, was drop off the east side of Buster, cruise over the saddle, back up the other side to that little peak over there, then go home. Well, that was not the case. The conversation went something along these lines;

Me: So, is that the peak we’re going to?
Roy: No. ya see that one to the right of it?
Me: Yea.
Roy: Well, there’s a peak behind it and then that one to its left. That’s where we’re headed… And from there we can see the peak that we’re going to. Okay lets go!
Me: O.o

Now, I have never considered Buster to be an easy hike. It has its challenges, but this went way beyond. There were moments when I though “huh, Roy has brought me out here to die”, but then I’d see something shiny and forget about it for awhile. We climbed false peak, after false, until we found ourselves perched tediously between Alamo and Montrose Canyons, looking down on Leviathan. Not only were we out there, but we were up there as well. THIS IS AWSOME!!! … and worth the treacherous march/climb we made to get here. I don’t mean to downplay the remainder of the trip, but it was a cakewalk compared to what we had already been through and certainly less scenic.

This one I may be back for again. Thanks once again Roy for leading the way.

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5 archives

Nov 03 2015

Guides 11
Routes 123
Photos 818
Triplogs 257

62 male

Joined Jul 14 2011
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 03 2015
		Mountain_Rat • Triplogs 257

Hiking	4.81 Miles	1,890 AEG

Hiking	4.81 Miles	3 Hrs 27 Mns		1.71 mph
	1,890 ft AEG	38 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

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After a reeeealy bad start, I charged off to see Buster Mountain. I hadn't been to Buster for quite some time. In fact, it's been nearly a year, which it seems is just long enough to have forgotten how tough this little guy is. The first mile chimed at 20 minutes and some seconds. The second mile came in at 54 minutes and some change. After that it got really fun in that the trail is pretty much gone. The rains this summer have redeposited a lot of topsoil and the grasses have gone nut, also, someone has been cairn knocking in the area again (I set up a few new ones today at key locations). Topping the difficulties mentioned so far was the wind as it whipped out of Alamo Canyon. Sudden sheers would nearly knock you off your feet at times, and overall, it just wreaks havoc on the equilibrium. Strangely, at the peak, I received a short reprieve from the wind and was able to read and sign the register. The last entry was from last March. As I put the register back, the wind returned. This time, it wasn't messin' around. For the next 3/4 miles I could hardly keep my eye open as I faced into the wind. At times I could only guess and gamble on my next step. Once there was no more connection to Alamo Canyon, the wind became pretty mild and life went back to normal. The rest of the hike was rather uneventful. All in all, another great day outdoors, but aren't they all

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Nov 01 2015

jajohnson11

Guides 1
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 38

35 male

Joined Feb 01 2013
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 01 2015
		jajohnson11 • Triplogs 38

Hiking	4.66 Miles	1,862 AEG

Hiking	4.66 Miles	4 Hrs	1.17 mph
	1,862 ft AEG

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No loop today, just the old out and back. 2nd time up here but the first since the fire. Wasn't much notice of the fire at all honestly. Took our time and enjoyed the beautiful weather and views the whole way up. The view form the top is amazing. Front row seat for views of Table Mountain, Mount Bighorn and what me and Trevor call the "monolith." If anyone knows the name of the massive rock formation that I'm talking about please educate me on the nomenclature!

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Nov 26 2014

Guides 11
Routes 123
Photos 818
Triplogs 257

62 male

Joined Jul 14 2011
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 26 2014
		Mountain_Rat • Triplogs 257

Hiking	6.04 Miles	2,330 AEG

Hiking	6.04 Miles	5 Hrs 36 Mns		1.34 mph
	2,330 ft AEG	1 Hour 6 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

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I planned to do the loop today, but on my way up the north ridge, I found that someone had gotten rid of most of the cairns. This slowed me down quite a bit, so I decided to return the same way to do some rebuilding. Beautiful day for Buster.

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Nov 19 2014

rvcarter

Guides 36
Routes 310
Photos 2,235
Triplogs 241

79 male

Joined Mar 27 2008
tucson, az

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 19 2014
		rvcarter • Triplogs 241

Hiking	7.02 Miles	3,291 AEG

Hiking	7.02 Miles	6 Hrs 58 Mns	1.40 mph
	3,291 ft AEG	1 Hour 57 Mns Break

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The associated gps track includes Buster, little Buster, and some unnamed peaks further to the east. All bushwhack past Buster, but highly rewarding views of many of the features toward Kimball and Pima Saddle that most never see. There is an outstanding view of Leviathan (sp?). Unfortunately, no camera, so no pictures. Pretty hard day and lots of shin daggers; wear gaiters if you try this. Frank put a signin jar on the southeastern high point a year or so back and no one else has signed/found it.

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Check out my Instagram posts at "cartershift", and videos on my Rumble channel "rvcarter".

Nov 24 2013

fricknaley

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

49 male

Joined Jun 20 2003
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 24 2013
		fricknaley • Triplogs 4,124

Hiking	4.26 Miles	1,912 AEG

Hiking	4.26 Miles
	1,912 ft AEG

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allen fraley

PrestonSands

always one of my favorite hikes in Tucson. especially the day after a big storm :y:

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hi

Nov 24 2013

PrestonSands

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

48 male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 24 2013
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Hiking	4.26 Miles	1,912 AEG

Hiking	4.26 Miles
	1,912 ft AEG

no routes

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allen fraley

fricknaley

My first time on Buster Mountain. Puffy clouds lingered around Pusch Ridge's impossibly rugged crags above us, the washes were running, and the sun was shining. A great day for sure. Cool hike.

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"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

Nov 14 2013

rvcarter

Guides 36
Routes 310
Photos 2,235
Triplogs 241

79 male

Joined Mar 27 2008
tucson, az

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 14 2013
		rvcarter • Triplogs 241

Hiking	4.66 Miles	1,862 AEG

Hiking	4.66 Miles
	1,862 ft AEG

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This links to the gps route posted for 11/13. Mike, Frank and I went up to an unnamed peak and ridge beyond Buster. Tough bushwhack past Buster. Came back past Little Buster and Frank found Buster Spring (12S 510396 3585640). There is no water in the trough or at ground level anywhere, but there is a manmade well about 20 feet up the gully with one foot square opening. There was water in the well that could be dipped up about 2-3 feet down.

	Buster Spring	Dry	Dry
	There is water in a well about 20 feet above the rock/concrete trough at Buster Spring. It looked like one could dip water about 2-3 feet below the top of the well.

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Check out my Instagram posts at "cartershift", and videos on my Rumble channel "rvcarter".

Jul 17 2013

Guides 11
Routes 123
Photos 818
Triplogs 257

62 male

Joined Jul 14 2011
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Jul 17 2013
		Mountain_Rat • Triplogs 257

Hiking	5.63 Miles	2,282 AEG

Hiking	5.63 Miles	4 Hrs 34 Mns		1.38 mph
	2,282 ft AEG	30 Mns Break	8 LBS Pack

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