- Arizona County HP: #6
- Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (on a scale of 4)
- Summit Elevation: 9,453 feet
- Mountain Range: Santa Rita Mountains
- Ancestral Lands: O’odham Jewed, Sabaipuri, Tohono O’odham, Hohokam
PLANNING DETAILS
Location: Mount Wrightson is located in the Coronado National Forest, approximately 45 miles south of Tucson, AZ. The closest town with amenities is Green Valley, AZ, which has gas stations, groceries, and restaurants.
When to Visit: This high point’s location in southern Arizona makes it easy to visit throughout much of the year. However, its higher elevation often sees snow and ice during winter, so visitors should use caution between November and February.
Fees/Permits Required: Coronado National Forest charges a daily fee of $8 to park at the trailhead. Payments are made in cash via envelopes/fee drop boxes at the Mount Wrightson Picnic Area. Visitors with a Coronado National Forest or Interagency (America the Beautiful) pass do not need to pay a fee as long as they display the pass inside their vehicle.
Getting There: The most common route to Mount Wrightson’s summit is via Madera Canyon on the peak’s western side.
Directions from Tucson:
Follow I-10 to the interchange with I-19 (exit 260/Nogales). Drive south on I-19 for 27 miles, then take exit 63 (W Continental Road). Turn left onto Continental Road and drive east for 1.2 miles. Turn right onto White House Canyon Road/Madera Canyon Road and drive south for 7.3 miles, where the road curves right onto Madera Canyon Road. Follow the brown signs for Madera Canyon for 5 more miles until you reach the Mount Wrightson Picnic Area. This circular paved loop at the end of the road has six paved visitor parking lots.
Parking: The Mount Wrightson Picnic Area is located at the end of Madera Canyon Road. There are six paved lots with enough parking for at least 75 cars on the loop that surrounds the picnic area. There are also multiple vault toilets and trash cans around the parking loop.
Pets Allowed: Yes.
Kid Friendly: Due to the length and steepness of this trail, this trail is best for children age 12 or older.
The Summit: Mount Wrightson’s summit contains the foundation for the Old Baldy fire lookout, built in 1928. A visitor’s log may be present at the inside corner of the foundation wall. On a clear day, visitors can see the US-Mexico border, 25 miles to the south.
TRIP SUMMARY
Date Visited: February 22, 2022
Route Used: Old Baldy Trail (#372) from the Mount Wrightson Picnic Area – 10.8 miles round-trip
What a difference a year makes. When I flew to Arizona last February (2024), the state had just been blanketed in snow from a major winter storm. Six feet of snow sat atop Mt. Lemmon and all the peaks in the Santa Catalinas, Rincon Mountains, and Santa Ritas had snow atop them.
Fast forward to February 2025, and there weren’t any signs of winter in Tucson, other than the overnight temperatures dropping down into the low 40s. No snow on any of the summits. And no impediment to a winter ascent of southern Arizona’s county high points.And so I set my eyes on Mount Wrightson, the CoHP for Santa Cruz County about 45 miles south of Tucson.
I was already familiar with this mountain from my 800-mile thru-hike on the Arizona Trail. On Day 4 of my trek north from the Mexico border, I left Patagonia, AZ, and hiked into the Coronado National Forest on the east side of this mountain, passing within five miles of Mount Wrightson’s summit. In my memory, it was brutally steep, so that nagging worry was in the back of my head as I drove south from Tucson on this sunny February morning.
My route up today was from the mountain’s western side via Madera Canyon. The drive to the trailhead at the Mount Wrightson Picnic Area was extremely straightforward and easy. There were signs along the route, and six parking lots near the trailhead proving that this side of the mountain was far more popular than the eastern side I’d hiked while on the AZT.
Barely an hour after departing Tucson, I was at the trailhead. Signs near the vault toilets announced the $8 daily fee for visitors without an interagency pass. Luckily, I have the military veteran lifetime pass for all national parks and USFS sites, so today’s hike would be free to me!
After checking out the kiosk with a map of the trails, I followed the sign toward the Old Baldy Trail, where I was met by an unexpected bird sighting. A rafter of wild turkeys was blocking my path. And so, I had to carefully shoo them away with my trekking pole so I could begin my ascent.
The initial stretch of trail was surprisingly well-groomed and far less rocky than many trails I’d hiked in southern Arizona.
The trail began at just above 5,400 feet in elevation, and it was still only 42°F this morning, so I was grateful I’d thought to put an extra layer in my day packs. The cool temps, coupled with the tree cover, kept the trail shaded and cool as I made my way up the first section of this adventure.
After 0.3 miles, I reached my first junction and the metal sign directing me to make a sharp left to begin the Old Baldy trail. So far, so good. This trek looked as if it was going to be pretty straightforward. I felt like I was making good time and estimated I’d be done in 4-5 hours’ time if all went according to plan.
As I continued climbing toward Josephine Saddle, the trail remained in the shadows with the occasional peeks of Mount Wrightson’s rocky summit towering above me. After 3/4 of a mile, I’d finally worked up enough of a sweat to strip of my wind jacket and hike in just my sun hoody. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I’d picked a perfect day to nab the summit.
After 2.5 miles, I reached Josephine Summit, where a series of trails converged. Two women and a dog were taking a breather there, and two signed affixed to a tall post caught my attention. The top one appeared to be a memorial sign for three teenage boys.
Below it, another sign told about their unfortunate demise during a hiking trip in mid-November in 1958. A group of six boys came out to hike Mount Wrightson. When the weather turned foul, three of the boys returned to the trailhead while their older counterparts continued uphill.
The group that turned back huddled under the picnic tables when an artic-lize blizzard swept toward them across the Arizona desert. Then two of the boys hiked a mile in knee-deep snow to get help for their friends who were stranded in the 3 to 7 feet of snow higher on the mountain. Despite horseback and helicopter rescue attempts, the older boys were not found before they perished.
What a sobering reminder of how fickle the weather can be, even in southern Arizona!
After my pause to reach this sad story, I found the metal sign pointing the way toward Mount Wrightson and continued my journey uphill. It was only 0.1 miles farther though, when I encountered my next junction and set of signs. This time it was the split between the Old Baldy Trail and the Super Trail.
The Old Baldy Trail is the shorter of the two trails to the summit – curving around the mountain’s northern side. But, I’d been forewarned that the trail would become much steeper if I’d opted for that route.
Meanwhile, there’s a more gradual trail that curves around the mountain’s south side, but that route would require an additional 1.5 miles of hiking if I opted to followed it.
Despite the promise of being a steeper journey, I opted to remain on the Old Baldy Trail. I was feeling good thus far, and the day was cool enough that I was almost certainly not going to overheat.
The next 1.8 miles of trail was definitely steeper and rockier as the trail switchbacked its way up the slope toward Baldy Saddle. Nonetheless, it was still within my fitness limits and I didn’t even have to stop and take a break until I reached the saddle.
As I worked my way uphill, I could see several turquoise-colored pools off in the distance. They were all the way on the opposite of I-19, the interstate route I’d taken down from Tucson and I had no idea what I was looking at. I didn’t think there were any lakes in this area until you got down to Patagonia Lake or Parker Canyon Lake. Yet they were so blue.
As it turns out, it wasn’t a lake. It was the mine tailings (leftover minerals and toxic waste) from Sierrita Mine – one of the largest open-pit copper mines in Arizona.
Meanwhile, I had a totally different view each time the trail’s switchback sent me in the opposite direction. To my southwest stood Mt. Hopkins and a road that curved its way to a tall structure on the summit. It was tall and narrow and I had no idea what it was either.
I’d later learn that Mt. Hopkins is home to the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, an astronomical observatory operated by the Smithsonian Institution.
As I reached the 4.4-mile mark on my ascent, I finally crested Baldy Saddle and got my first glimpse of everything that lay on the eastern side of Mount Wrightson. Below me, the foothill looked like brown waves rolling across the desert for miles and miles.
Several other hikers were taking a break atop the saddle, enjoying the views and eating a snack. I had no idea whether they’d been ahead of me the entire climb up the Old Baldy Trail or whether they’d taken the longer Super Trail, as this was where the two trails reconverged again.
One final metal sign pointed us south beyond into the high desert chaparral and the rocky summit of Mount Wrightson. I was now at 8,757 feet elevation and only had another 700 vertical feet to climb over the final mile.
I left the group behind and hiker solo up the rest of the trail. It now seemed to be a much easier ascent now that I was done with the steep switchbacks. But it was also a bit cooler and breezier up here without the benefit of the mountain blocking the elements.
As I passed 9,000 feet, I spotted some patchy snow clinging to the slope and the trail’s edge. None of it impacted my ascent up the final rocky push to the summit. But it was still fun to see there’d been some snow up here earlier this season.
The last few hundred feet of trail were steeper and rockier again, and I was amazed at the shrubs that seemed to be growing out of the mountain. It was surreal to see any vegetation this size clinging to the inhospitable environment.
Two hours and 37 minutes after leaving the trailhead, I crested Mount Wrightson’s summit. Three other people were already enjoying the panoramic views from the rocks and golden grass. And at the mountain’s highest point, I could see the outline of an old foundation wall from the Old Baldy fire lookout, which stood watch until it was decommissioned in the 1950s.
As I approached the gentleman standing on the highest point, I asked about the summit register or if he’d spotted any sort of geodetic survey monument. He shrugged in a non-committal way and said he didn’t know. Apparently he wasn’t a highpointer looking to make his successful summit!
I managed to find a ziplock bag holding a summit register and some trinkets. A group of six military folks had summited the days prior, and each one had signed their name, rank, and the base they were stationed at. After adding my own name and hometown, I went to look for the survey monument, but didn’t find it (if there was one).
I did, however, ask the fellow up there with me to take a photo of me with the beautiful green mountains and Josephine Peak behind me.
As I pulled my wind jacket out of my day pack to protect me from the cool breezy conditions, all three of my compatriots began their descent, leaving me with the entire summit to myself! I took in the fantastic views with profound appreciation. To my immediate south, Josephine Peak stood like a vibrant green triangle. And in the distance, I could see several other sky islands stretching as far south as Miller Peak and the start of the Arizona Trail.
The turquoise of the Sierrita Mine tailing pond seemed equally vibrant set amid the brown, tan, and yellow of the desert. What a day for the views.
As I spun around, taking in the entire panorama, I spotted another unexpected bird. A spectacular black Chihauahuan raven soaring on the thermals and clearly enjoying the sunny day just as much as me.
After a quick lunch atop the summit, it was time to return to the trailhead. I now had my sixth Arizona CoHP under my belt and was 40% complete with the counties. Time to start planning the next one.
BONUS MATERIAL
Alternate Routes:
- Super Trail (13.8 miles roundtrip). Another popular route to this high point from Madera Canyon is the Super Trail (#134). Hikers can follow the Old Baldy Trail for the first 2.3 miles (just past Josephine Saddle) to the junction where the Old Baldy and Super trails split. This route heads around Mount Wrightson’s south side before rejoining the Old Baldy Trail at the top of Baldy Saddle. This alternate is less steep than following the primary route, but it is 1.5 miles longer (each way) and the trail is more exposed to the elements due to the Florida Fire in 2005.
- Gardner Canyon Trail (11.7 miles roundtrip). Hikers can also take an alternate route to this high point from the mountain’s east side. The approach for this trail begins at the Arizona Trail’s Gardner Canyon Trailhead. From the trailhead visitors can drive west for 3 miles on Gardner Canyon Road (FR-92) to where the road ends. From there hikers head west for 2.9 miles on the Gardner Canyon Trail (#143) to where it intersects with the Super Trail (#134) approximately 0.7 miles below Baldy Saddle and following that route to the summit.
Camping nearby:
- Bog Springs Campground is located in Madera Canyon, 1.8 miles from the Mount Wrightson Picnic Area, and the start of this hike. This USFS campground is open year-round and offers 13 campsites, picnic tables, potable water, vault toilets, and bear boxes. Cost: $20/night.
- Catalina State Park is located 12 miles north of Tucson nestled on the west side of the Santa Catalina Mountains and the Pusch Ridge Wilderness. This extremely popular state park campground has 120 RV and tent campsites with picnic tables and fire rings, water, showers, and restrooms. Cost: $25-35/night; reservations strongly recommended!
Resources:
- Overview of Mount Wrightson (Summit Post)
- Mount Wrightson Wilderness (USFS)
- Map of Mount Wrightson Trails (Friends of Madera Canyon)
- Old Baldy Fire Lookout (Green Valley Recreation Hiking Club)
