The Mountains of Arizona
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Marshall Peak • Summerhaven Benchmark Today I would venture to the highest reaches of the Santa Catalina Mountains, looking at three peaks in and around the Summerhaven village area, plus whatever else I could muster up. It has been two years since I was here, when I hiked Green Mountain and Lizard Rock. Two of the the three Summerhaven-area peaks were all nominally unranked summits until the 1-meter Lidar data showed that they all exceed the 300-foot barrier. The two — Summerhaven Benchmark and Peak 8161 — barely exceed the threshold. A third peak that was borderline, Marshall Peak, saw its prominence shoot up almost 60 feet, which makes me wonder how inaccurate the original mapping had been. The mountain did not suddenly grow 60 feet. I was here because this time of year in southern Arizona, pickings are slim. The weather has been hot, humid and stormy for the past week. Bees and snakes are out in force anywhere below 6,000 feet elevation, and any off-trail hiking in these conditions is unwise. If it's not the snakes or bees, it's the thorny vegetation. I figured being near 9,000 feet should lessen these risks, and where the temperatures would be about 25° cooler. Looking at the weather sites, all of them showed a consistent pattern: storms building around noon. Highs up at Summerhaven would be in the low 80s, lows in the 60s. I figured if I got an early start, I could be off the peaks well before noon, plus taking advantage of the cooler temperatures.
Date: June 30, 2024
• Elevation: 8,328 feet
• Prominence: 339 feet
• Distance: 3 miles
• Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
• Gain: 860 feet
• Conditions: Cloudy, some sun, warm and humid
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LoJ
I left Bisbee at 3 a.m.. I followed route AZ-80 through Tombstone and into Benson, where I stopped for gas and snacks for the day. For the 50 miles between Bisbee and Benson, I did not see anyone going my way, either in front of me or in my rear-view mirror. Just a couple people were heading southbound.
I followed Interstate-10 to the Houghton Road exit, then that road north for a little over 14 miles to where it connects to the Catalina Highway. It was still dark and I had all green lights the whole way. I then drove the Catalina Highway up into the mountains. The village of Summerhaven is 25 miles ahead, and the drive took about an hour, no other cars on the road at this early hour. I rolled into Summerhaven about 5:30 a.m., the sun now up, but with abundant clouds.
Marshall Peak lies south of the village, at the Marshall Gulch Trailhead. I was the first to park in the lot. I changed into my hiking clothes and got everything together, starting my hike at 5:45 a.m.. This would be my biggest hike of the day and I wanted to do it first.
I started up the Aspen Trail, which is a good wide trail that gains steeply, coming to the Pusch Ridge Wilderness boundary sign. The map shows the trail veering west up a ridge, but in reality, the trail continues south and drops about a hundred feet, into a lush drainage with gambel oak, emory oak, tall grasses, ferns and penstemon flowers. The ground was moist, almost muddy, from last night's rains.
The trail then switchbacks steeply out of this drainage and onto the upper slopes, slowly losing the green lushness. Up ahead, I could see the broad outline of Marshall Peak, everything up here showing the effects of the big Aspen Fire of 2003. Most of the standing trees were charred and dead. The trail was still distinct and deadfall wasn't much of a problem. I hiked until I was at an apex, where the trail then dropped heading westbound. Marshall Peak was in view, just a quarter-mile distant. It looked easy.
I went up hill off trail, the going here not too bad. There was more deadfall but mostly smaller trees, not the big massive ones. I got onto the high ridge, looking up at a bunch of green. This didn't look so good now. Sure enough, it was a thick mash of aspen, thornbrush and other narrow trees. Lanes were non-existent. I had to lean in and power through.
I tried to sense "open" areas ahead of me and go to them. After a few minutes of this, I angled left (south) and dropped down out of the worst of the thicket, then when I sense I was below the highest point (going by the few dead trees still standing), I barged back into the crud. It was ugly, literally no lanes at all. I went up until there was no more up to go. And by dumb luck, I found a rock cairn and a busted glass register tucked into it. This was tangible evidence I was at the summit. This was likely placed here thirty years ago when the going wasn't so bad, before the big fires. The register itself was rotted out and I did not sign in. I was just happy to get here, so I turned right around and got out of this nasty brush.
I decided to just drop straight down, where the brush wasn't so thick. This worked well, and I was at the trail in about five minutes, which I walked back up to its apex, where I had left it earlier. Man, I was not expecting such heinous brush up there and was glad I was out of it.
The hike back went well. By now, there was more sun, the clouds moving away for now. It was warming and I could sense the humidity. The bugs were also waking up and out in force. But it was a good hike with lovely views. The peak was a dud but it counts. I much more enjoyed the lush greenery of the drainage midway, where it felt like I was in Hawaii for a few moments.
I was back to my car at 7:30, a one-hour, 45-minute hike covering 3 miles and a little under 900 feet of gain. By now, the lot was nearly full.
Elevation: 8,083 feet
• Prominence: 302 feet
• Distance: 1.8 miles
• Time: 45 minutes
• Gain: 310 feet
• Conditions: Sunnier
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USGS BM Datasheet
I did not drive far, just a couple miles back through "downtown" Summerhaven, exiting the main road at the turnoff to the Oracle Control Road near a forest service fire station. Summerhaven Benchmark Hill rises immediately to the north of the bend, about a half mile away.
I was last here in 1997, on my ill-fated Rice Peak hike. It all looked familiar, and unfamiliar at the same time. I eased down onto the actual Control Road and just a few hundred yards later, parked in a cleared area that appears to be used as a gravel quarry or borrow pit, likely for when they need to fix the Control Road. There were three other cars parked here.
To approach the peak directly is a fool's errand. It is steep, rocky and looks hopelessly choked in brush. Instead, I hiked on the Oracle Ridge Trail, going in about a half mile until I was north of the summit. I left the trail when I found some slopes that looked friendly.
The off-trail portion went well. The slope's gradient was steep but safe, and the brush was knee high with plenty of lanes. In about ten minutes I was on top the ridge, coming to a fence. I turned right and had to go up one small hill, then down, then up to the main summit.
The summit is flat and its highest point is on its south tip. I saw a cairn on the north tip and hopped the fence to get to it, seeing a register buried in it. I signed in. One person was emphatic that this was not the summit. That was obvious, as I could see higher rocks to the south.
I walked to these higher rocks and had to cross back over the fence. This rock outcrop is the highest point. The "Summerhaven" benchmark was embedded in one large rock, slightly lower than the highest point. I found one witness marker but it was scratched up. I signed into the register. Someone had already signed in today! And by her comments, she was here the same reason I was: this is a newly-promoted ranked peak based on Lidar, and she mentioned that in her entry. I must have just missed her. I saw three other people: a young couple hiking out as I was hiking in, and an older man with his dog. But I saw no one on the higher slopes.
The hike down went well, and I was back to my car quickly. This hike did not take too long, easily under an hour. The northern ridge is the only feasible way to approach this little peak's top. It is far easier than battling rocks and brush from the south side.
Elevation: 8,161 feet
• Prominence: 307 feet
• Distance: 1 mile
• Time: 20 minutes
• Gain: 120 feet
• Conditions: No change
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This peak rises within the community of Loma Linda, surrounded by homes. As best as I can tell (going by the maps), Loma Linda comprises the part of Summerhaven on this hill's slopes, high above the downtown part of Summerhaven, where the shops are.
Back on the Catalina Highway, I drove less than a mile to the Loma Linda picnic area, and parked. I went light, no pack, no poles, just me and my camera. I walked across the highway then up onto Loma Linda Road, which wiggles upward. After a couple bends, it comes to two water tanks at the highpoint.
I hiked up the easy slope to a rock outcrop near the larger tank. I then walked around the water tank and looked around the area. There are two homes nearby and this may be part of their yard, so I did not linger. I walked back down and to my car, the round trip covering about a mile and taking just 20 minutes.
It was still early, not yet 10 a.m., and I had climbed the three peaks I intended to. I had planned for the possibility these would go by fast, so I had maps printed for a few other peaks along the Catalina Highway. By now, there was much more vehicular traffic, lots of motorcyclists and lots of bicyclists up here. Can't blame them at all. I'd rather be up here in 75° weather than down in the deserts at 110°.
Elevation: 5,512 feet
• Prominence: 345 feet
• Distance: 0.7 mile
• Time: 35 minutes
• Gain: 345 feet
• Conditions: Much warmer
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I started driving downhill, covering about ten miles, dropping almost 3,000 feet. The flora changed from tall pines to high-desert scrub, and the outside temperature crept up, into the mid-80s as I neared Peak 5512. This anonymous peak lies immediately south of the Catalina Highway, between the Thimble Viewpoint pullout and the Gordon Hirabayashi campground. I was interested in it because it looked short and uncomplicated.
I parked alongside the highway in a pullout north of the peak, there being plenty of room to park. I got my pack together and started walking immediately, the time about 10:30 a.m. and the temperature about 85°. The clouds had moved aside and it was very sunny. The warmth was not so much to stop me, but since this was a short hike, I figured I would be fine if I went slow.
There is a trail that starts in near a guard-rail. I walked in and followed the trail about fifty feet before it petered out. The terrain here was open with some brush but lots of lanes. I chose to get onto the ridgeline, which proved wise because I found a scant path. I followed it up, now within some rocks, where small cairns helped lead the way.
The route weaved through the rocks then broke out again on a slope aiming for the top. Two large rock outcrops seem to tie for the highpoint, both easily tagged. The one to the west might be a skosh or a smidge higher. I was able to get on top this rock and stand upon it, getting some fine views in all directions.
I followed the cairns and paths out, and was back to my car in a little over a half hour. This was a perfect hike for these conditions, just 0.7 mile round trip, the terrain very friendly and easy to manage, almost no brush, and a lot of lovely scenery. You get a lot of bang for the buck on this short hike.
It was now much warmer, pushing 90°. I drove a few more miles downhill to the Molino Basin parking area, with thoughts of hiking another peak. But it was simply too warm. This intended peak is mostly accessed by the Arizona Trail with a use path to the top, but it was over 800 feet of gain, and in 90° weather, I decided I was finished. I got 4 peaks today, and I was happy about that.
I descended back into Tucson and started the drive home. I stopped for cold drinks in town, then just followed Houghton back to the interstate, which now with traffic and red lights, took awhile. After that, the drive to Bisbee went well, no traffic or stoppages. I was home by 2 p.m..
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