Date: October 8, 2024 • Elevation: 2,854 feet • Prominence: 304 feet • Distance: 0.5 mile • Time: 25 minutes • Gain: 350 feet • Conditions: Warm, blue skies

Arizona • Main • PB • LoJ

Martinez Hill is a non-descript mound of volcanic boulders and desert scrub, rising immediately astride Interstate-19 at the San Xavier exit. This is about three miles southwest of the Tucson International Airport and five miles south of where Interstate-19 connects to Interstate-10.

I was on my weekly Tuesday drive to Tempe and wanted something to do to break up the drive. I did not leave Bisbee until 7:15 a.m., placing me in Tucson about 9 a.m., already warming. The weather has been hotter than normal the past two weeks, with highs in Tucson expected to be about 103°. This little bump would do nicely as it is a very short hike. If the weather was cooler, I'd probably look for something else to do.

I exited Interstate-10 at the Valencia exit, following Valencia Road west a few miles, to South 6th Street, then following that south. This road then bends southwest and is now labeled San Xavier Road, passing through a mobile-home community, then into the open desert. I was now on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation.

The mound rises close by. On its east slopes is a health center, with a water tank partway up the slope. I thought I might try it from here, but the signs at the entry station mentioned "no trespassing". I exited back onto San Xavier Road and drove a quarter-mile west, now north of the mound.

I pulled into a side road, Sikolk Wo:g. The colon intrigued me, being used as a letter. I looked it up later, it is used to represent the long form of the preceding vowel. The word "Wo:g" apparently means road, which is not surprising. I parked down slope a little bit, in an open patch of dirt. It was warm but not uncomfortable, about 85°.

I wasn't entirely sure parking here was legal, but there were no signs or fences anywhere. Nevertheless, I moved fast. I went light, no pack, just carrying a bottle of water and a hiking pole.

I bashed through some mesquite lining the road, then onto some open terrain that sloped gently at first. As the slope increased, so did the brush and grass. There were rock clumps everywhere. I tried to step on them when I could. I was hiking in shorts and a little concernd about seeing a snake. A couple times, a rock would roll out from under me.

The hike was short, and I was on top the mound after ten minutes. I angled right (west) and walked to the highpoint bump, which is brushier with creosote and grass. I found two of the benchmarks but no register. I snapped a couple images. Conditions were perfect for photos, with cloudless skies and very low humidity. The warmth wasn't a problem at all.

I hustled down the same way, hoping that no one would stop by my car. I was concerned a cop might. It's always a little unclear whether you can do short impromptu hikes on the TON. I assume probably not, but I did not want to push my luck. I was back to my car quickly, a very short hike, probably shorter than the time it took to read this.

I was happy to get this lame little peak done. Given the conditions today and my own constraints, this peak worked out very well. I didn't tarry. I just piled in and drove off. About 60 miles later, at the Toltec exit in Eloy, I stopped for gas and only then did I change out of my hiking boots.