Arizona Summits: Wasson Peak (4,687′)

Saguaro and Ocotillo, Cloudscape. Tucson Mountains, Arizona, 2015

Saguaro, Ocotillo, and Cloudscape. Tucson Mountains, Arizona, 2015

Wasson is sort of a nondescript desert summit, amongst others of a similar nature in the Tucson Mountains, but it is the highest point in this small range just west of the Old Pueblo. So, for that reason alone, it might interest you as a nice winter hike.

From a photography perspective, it merits consideration because it gives you relatively quick access to 360-degree views of Tucson and the surrounding Sonoran Desert–an excellent sunrise or sunset perch.

Finally, it takes you through some classic Sonoran Desert flora and fauna. I happened upon a herd of deer near the summit of Wasson today–a nice surprise.

Here is a quick trip report based on the King Canyon Trail access (7 miles, 2000′) and hiking at night with no moon and a Costco headlamp…

Trailhead: Park your dinosaur grease-eating vehicle just across Kinney Road from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in an unmarked dirt lot.

Starting out: You have two options from the back of this dirt lot…You can hike up the old dirt/gravel road or you can take the footpath just to the left that will deposit you in the wash. I chose to take the road up and the wash on the return. Keep your eyes wide open in the wash as there are some small remnants of petroglyphs to be found.

The trail: Going up the old dirt road from where you parked, you will immediately run in to the gate and the usual trail intro signage. Beyond that, although the trail is well-used and well-signed, there are maybe three places where you could potentially choose the wrong route on a dark and stormy night:

1) At about 0.9 miles, the old road/trail you have been following will deposit you in the wash. Don’t turn left toward the Mam-A-Gah Picnic Area. Instead, continue straight another 200 yards or so up the sandy wash. (The sign here doesn’t indicate the direction for Wasson Peak.)

2) At a second sign, 200 yards up this wash, the arrow will indicate Wasson Peak to the right. You will see the stone staircase about 15 feet beyond this sign to the right. In the dark, you could possibly miss this.

3) Once you gain “The Pass” and have your first view of Tucson far below, a third sign with four options will suggest that you turn left to start up the last 1.2 miles of steep trail to Wasson’s summit. The sign is correct–just do it!

Another trail comment…This route would be a great option for trail runners. You get some 2,000 feet of altitude gain/loss over a seven mile trail on footing that is pretty good for the most part (on the relative trail running scale, of course). WARNING: Just be careful not to catch a shoe tip and launch forward like a torpedo out of a submarine and sprain a pinky finger and gash open a palm (not that I did anything like that).

There are several other trail options that will take you to Wasson Peak, some that will help you create a nice long loop hike. I’ll let you investigate the possibilities. (Look for Hugh Norris, Sendero Esperanza, and Sweetwater trails.)

Time requirement: Runners could do this…well, as fast as you can run. Maybe an hour and a half round-trip? I hiked fast and jogged a bit here and there and it took me 1+15 up (in the dark) and 1+05 back (looking for petroglyphs along the wash). A more typical hike-and-rest time would be 3-4 hours for the entire trip.

The photography: The machine used was the 16mp Fuji X100s range finder look-a-like. The lens on the camera is a fixed 35mm-equivalent and I carried no tripod. For most shots I tried to brace myself on rocks as best I could. The Fuji was certainly a lot lighter to haul up the hill than my usual D800 and three lens/tripod Gulag brick bag, but obviously not as capable or as flexible.

Here are some sample images from this morning:

Arizona sunrises and sunsets are legendary. If there at least a few clouds in the sky to reflect the light, this is a reputation well deserved. Mt. Wrightson (9,453′) is visible on the horizon to the right, and a few lights from south Tucson can be seen on the left…

The View to the Southeast. From Wasson Peak, Arizona, 2015

A similar view as the colors change and the Earth’s rotation brings the Sun closer to the horizon…

The View to the South. From Wasson Peak, Arizona, 2015

First light on Baboquivari Peak and Kitt Peak. That is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum at the bottom left…

The View to the Southwest. From Wasson Peak, Arizona, 2015

Looking back at Wasson’s nondescript summit with the excellent trail visible. The Santa Catalina’s can be seen on the far right edge of the photograph…