Date: December 19, 2024 • Elevation: 4,267 feet (Lidar) • Prominence: 312 feet • Distance: 1.2 miles • Time: 50 minutes • Gain: 417 feet (gross) • Conditions: Sunny, warm with a nice breeze

Arizona • Main • PB • LoJ

Peak 4267 is just a non-descript hilltop in the Santa Catalina Mountains, a couple miles southeast of Agua Caliente Hill. I was curious about Redington Road, having never driven any of it. I'd like to explore it farther in, but today, I had just enough time for a quick reconnaissance.

I was in Tucson visiting this lady I met on the internet. I had been in Tempe yesterday, taking care of some important tasks, then rather than drive all the way back to Bisbee, I stopped in to where she was staying. The price of admission was Mexican takeout for the both of us, and a horchata for her.

Today, I hung around for a little bit, then got rolling about 9 a.m.. I was on the west side, on Oracle Road. I followed Oracle south to Grant, then a long interminable drive east through a thousand stoplights, to eventually get onto eastbound Tanque Verde Road. After the Wentworth Road intersection, Tanque Verde Road changes its name to Redington Road. This far in, it's a lot of nice homes and small mansion/horse/ranch properties.

I actually had another peak on the agenda, Peak 3435. This peak lies just outside the Coronado National Forest boundary, on private land. I was hoping it wasn't too private, but no such luck. Too many fences, homes and signs. I never stopped. I just continued up Redington Road, now aiming for Peak 4267.

The road loses its pavement just east of Peak 3435, near the forest boundary signs. It's a wide, decently-maintained hardpack road at first, passing a couple of trailheads and parking lots for the Tanque Verde Trail system (the Tanque Verde Canyon parallels the road to the south for most of this segment).

The road then gains steeply up a sequence of switchbacks, the condition slightly rougher. Higher up, I saw more people, but now mostly campers and shooters. The road was generally uneven, with small rocks, ruts and "mogul" dips. I drove slowly, and had no problems. This road swings underneath Peak 4267 and then up its east flank, then dropping about fifty feet in elevation.

A couple guys had taken the one pullout nearby the peak for some shooting. They were just getting started. I asked if I would be in their way going up the ridge, and they said no problem. I found a meager pullout nearby and stuffed the car into it. I got suited up and was walking at about 11 a.m.. The weather was sunny and warm, even at this elevation in mid-December, temperatures here in the 60s.

I walked back up the road a bit, then found a weak trail up the slope, which I followed. The slope was steep but easy with good footing. It is full of big rocks and heaps, but this faint trail went up a slope that avoided all the rocks, mostly through low grass.

I was soon on the ridge, where the rocks were more abundant. But at no time did I scramble. I was always able to find a way through or around the rocks that at most required hands for balance only and a couple of high steps.

There are two summits nearly equal in height. Lidar at the 1-meter refinement gave a spot elevation of 4,267 feet for the eastern summit, and 4,266 feet for the western summit. I was soon at the eastern summit, a rock sticking up about 18 inches being its highest point. It had taken me just fifteen minutes to get here. All the while, the guys below me were shooting, as was a group on the other side of the peak.

From the eastern summit, I dropped about 60 feet to a saddle, then up about 59 feet to the western summit. This summit was grassy with a rock cairn and register, and a mesquite tree off to the side. The register had a pencil but no paper, so I put a business card I had into it with my name on it. It was all I had to spare.

I spent about five minutes here, looking around. The views were fantastic in all directions. The shooters were going to town so it wasn't very quiet. This was a short hike, about 0.6 mile one way in a little over twenty minutes.

Going down, I retraced my route through the rocks then down the slope back to my car. I was gone just under an hour and had barely broken a sweat. This was not that exciting of a peak, but it was something to do while exploring the area for a future visit.

I drove back down and gave Peak 3435 another look, but the side roads didn't get me any closer, so I did not bother. I decided it was time to get back to Bisbee. I got onto Houghton Road, followed that to the interstate, then on home, arriving two hours later. Fortunately, no traffic situations.

I've been curious about Redington Road and where it goes, and want to spend a day driving it and tagging small peaks along the way. Assuming it gets no worse than what I had driving up, it should be drivable in a Subaru if I go slow. I am not sure when I'll be back, but now know it is feasible.