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7 triplogs
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Oct 15 2025
avatar

 Routes 2
 Photos 95
 Triplogs 7

male
 Joined May 11 2025
 Tucson
Sutherland Trail #6Tucson, AZ
Sutherland Trail #6
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 15 2025
speedgoat • Triplogs 7
Hiking16.50 Miles 4,692 AEG
Hiking16.50 Miles   9 Hrs   47 Mns   1.69 mph
4,692 ft AEG12 LBS Pack
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Sutherland Trail is a trail that I really want to love. I've been pushing the one-day out and back limit on Sutherland... finally making it to the ridge. The views are awesome, the challenge of climbing 2000' in 1.7 miles from the Cargodera Canyon tributary water crossing is inspiring. Sutherland has fantastic views, but the cost is high. Just getting to the end of the road is 2.5 hours of climbing from Catalina SP. The top of the ridge is 5 hours. After several brief loss-of-trail from a missed cairn (often just a small 2" rock sitting on a boulder) finally made it to the top of the ridge, 8 miles. The last 1/4 mile was mostly off-trail I guess, and the route down was on a different off-trail. Fortunately with GAIA its pretty easy to map check and recover the trail--except in places its hard to see that you have recovered the trail. The climb was well worth the trip with the panoramic views of Romero Canyon, Window Peak--right through the window, Cathedral Rock, Mt. Kimbal, the Sutherland Ridge, Samaniego Ridge, and the basin to the east including upper Sabino Canyon and Wilderness of Rocks. It's quite a view, I spent half an hour on the ridge with the monocular. But, but the time you descend, get off trail, check map, straight-line or backtrack, after 4 hours of descending, I'm question my love of the Sutherland Trail. That's what makes it epic, not a soul on the trail, not a footprint above the end of the road.
BTW, water was flowing a trickle in the first tributary of the Cargodera canyon, enough to get 1.5 liters on the way up, and another 1.5 liters on the way down.
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Upper Cargodera @ Sutherland Crossing  Window Rock

water 1 out of 5water less than maxwater less than maxwater less than max Upper Cargodera @ Sutherland Crossing Pools to trickle Pools to trickle
  3 archives
Sep 20 2025
avatar

 Routes 2
 Photos 95
 Triplogs 7

male
 Joined May 11 2025
 Tucson
Sutherland Trail #6Tucson, AZ
Sutherland Trail #6
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 20 2025
speedgoat • Triplogs 7
Hiking14.00 Miles 3,600 AEG
Hiking14.00 Miles   6 Hrs   50 Mns   2.05 mph
3,600 ft AEG12 LBS Pack
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Long rugged day up Sutherland Tr. from CatSP all the way to the start of the ridge, just over 7 miles, and back again. Interesting day. After fishing through the first drainage after the road, the second only had a couple of potholes of water, mostly in the lower crossing, not the upper. The upper was nearly dry. Some bear scat, two deer, a sporting amount of trail finding but nothing too serious. Some very overgrown sections, but enough cairns to reassure, at least on the climb. Many are not well placed to lead the way on the descent, and it was easy to start blasting down the slope off trail 10-30 ft a few times.
Overall a most excellent hike, but tough in the summer. Started with 4 liters of water, gathered a liter of rather tannic but filtered water from a puddle on the way down. Those little silicone trail cups are useful for something. What more can you want? views, epic climbs, route finding, absurdly steep trail, and drinking out of puddles.
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Lots of flowers
  1 archive
Sep 15 2025
avatar

 Routes 2
 Photos 95
 Triplogs 7

male
 Joined May 11 2025
 Tucson
Grant Creek Trail #305Tucson, AZ
Grant Creek Trail #305
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 15 2025
speedgoat • Triplogs 7
Hiking7.00 Miles 2,100 AEG
Hiking7.00 Miles   4 Hrs   15 Mns   1.65 mph
2,100 ft AEG8 LBS Pack
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Spent the night up at Cunningham Campground (had the CG all to ourselves), and hiked down the Grant Creek Trail from the CG to the crossing with Soldier Creek, about 3.5 miles one way. Recent trail maintenance up the upper part of the trail and the conditions were excellent. The connector from the CG up to the ridge has been reconstructed on a slightly different route and now cuts up somewhat past the switchback on the old road segment (32.68172, -109.89644). Trail maintenance stopped and the drainage, although after some route finding it was found staying high on the east side over an escarpment and continuing down. Lots of deadfall and poor trail, so we turned around and did the 2200' climb back to the CG.
Bring your bear spray, some pretty health scat on the trail. Also snakes, we surprised a Northern Blacktailed Rattlesnake just below the CG at 8800' on the evening walk the night before the hike.
No water to speak of. Some pooled water above the trail crossing in Soldier Creek, but not really accessible. The creek was dry by the time the trail reached it.
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Black-tailed Rattlesnake
  2 archives
Aug 20 2025
avatar

 Routes 2
 Photos 95
 Triplogs 7

male
 Joined May 11 2025
 Tucson
Sutherland Trail #6Tucson, AZ
Sutherland Trail #6
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Aug 20 2025
speedgoat • Triplogs 7
Hiking12.00 Miles 2,700 AEG
Hiking12.00 Miles   4 Hrs   27 Mns   2.70 mph
2,700 ft AEG10 LBS Pack
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Hot hike up the Sutherland Trail to the first drainage after the restart of the single-track. Quite the sporting trail, although you do get used to the cobbled road segment. Very steep grades up above Cargodera Spring, especially the exit and climb out of Cargodera Canyon to the ridge.
Saw the most perfect bear track on the road just above Cargodera Spring. I've seen a good deal of berry filled scat, especially up on Baby Jesus Trail and Wooden Trough Spring, but this was the first real convincing track. Must be water in the spring? Too bad it is not really accessible, except to the agile bear. I was hoping to go up a bit higher but with 100F expected by the finish, and no water to be found, had to head back.
  1 archive
Aug 15 2025
avatar

 Routes 2
 Photos 95
 Triplogs 7

male
 Joined May 11 2025
 Tucson
Romero Canyon Trail #8Tucson, AZ
Romero Canyon Trail #8
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Aug 15 2025
speedgoat • Triplogs 7
Hiking16.20 Miles 4,550 AEG
Hiking16.20 Miles   8 Hrs   50 Mns   1.83 mph
4,550 ft AEG10 LBS Pack
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Finally made it all the way to Romero Pass, with an extra bit around the Canyon Loop at CatSP, spacing out the 5 am start and heading towards Sutherland. Anyway, a most pleasant hike. Pools still had water (I needed 2 liters on the way back from the middle pools), although it was getting pretty stagnant and grody in the lower pools. All was dry at Old Trail Camp. It was a hot day, should have taking a bit of water on the outbound. No issues route finding, just take some care in the washes. The cairns all seemed fresh. First car in, last car out of the lot.
Heading back down at the camp above Old Trail Camp, I was a bit off trail exiting the wash, and discovered a pair of abandoned sandals, water bottle, a large book, two very wet rolls of toilet paper, and what looked like an old bladder. No one around (or so I thought). Sort of creepy, the sandals looked recent. I would not have seen it on the way up as everything but the fire ring is not in clear view of the trail.

dry Old Trail Camp Spring Dry Dry
Did not search around for a spring flow, but nothing obvious passing through.

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water less than maxwater less than max Romero Pools Light flow Light flow
Pools were full, slight flow. Best water was at the middle (second on the way up). Water in the lower pools was a bit ratty.
 
Jul 28 2025
avatar

 Routes 2
 Photos 95
 Triplogs 7

male
 Joined May 11 2025
 Tucson
Buster MountainTucson, AZ
Buster Mountain
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Jul 28 2025
speedgoat • Triplogs 7
Hiking6.20 Miles 2,228 AEG
Hiking6.20 Miles   4 Hrs   15 Mns   1.46 mph
2,228 ft AEG10 LBS Pack
 
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
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.
 
Jul 25 2025
avatar

 Routes 2
 Photos 95
 Triplogs 7

male
 Joined May 11 2025
 Tucson
Mustang Rake, AZ 
Mustang Rake, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Jul 25 2025
speedgoat • Triplogs 7
Hiking8.40 Miles 1,900 AEG
Hiking8.40 Miles   4 Hrs   15 Mns   1.98 mph
1,900 ft AEG
 
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
A second attempt at locating the entire Cochise/Mustang Link in the Tortolita. Approached from the Wild Mustang side up the wash that has been well documented as the initial approach to the ridge from the south. Cairns mark the initial route, past the lost 2018 Chicago Marathon hoodie slowly decaying in the wash. The wash is very walkable, then turns to the left. Prior routes and cairns suggest an exit to the right and traverse to the ridge separating the two drainages, and up. But the cairns fade, and it was just a slog up the fall line to the rake on the ridge just east of "Little Caprock Peak" and the more obvious descent down to the Cochise Trail.
While fishing around for a better way back down, spotted a well-marked track heading west across the ridge towards Big Caprock. I had already scoped out a possible traverse back to Wild Mustang by a similar route and headed that way, but the trail was lost in the barren flatter terrain. Finally made it down to Wild Mustang near where the Big Caprock social trail departs Wild Mustang. A hot, 95 deg return to the car via Wild Mustang followed.
  1 archive
average hiking speed 1.91 mph

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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