Looking for a physical challenge while wintering in Tucson, Arizona? The Mount Wrightson hike is no ordinary walk in the park. It’s number 6 in our series of 12 Blogmas active travel adventures. Grab your boot grips, poles, and gaiters, and other cold weather gear and let’s go… or at least get inspired to try something outside your comfort zone!
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Hiking Mount Wrightson
At 9456 feet (2882 m), Mount Wrightson is the tallest peak in the Tucson, Arizona vicinity. It stands out from every direction. We could pick it out miles away from our base camp in Desert Trails RV Park. The peak taunted us daily.
“Come hike,” it would whisper… repeatedly… louder and louder… until we could no long ignore it.
A quick search on AllTrails and we knew it was a challenging “winter in the desert” hike, but still doable.
Mt Wrightson is located in Madera Canyon. It is part of the Santa Rita mountains and is in the Coronado National Forest. This popular summit hike is easily accessed about 30 minutes south of Tucson.
There are two main trails to the summit on the Mount Wrightson hike. We chose the Old Baldy Trail. It’s the shorter of the two at 10.8 miles (17.4 km) roundtrip.
Starting at the Mt. Wrightson picnic area (5,500 ft/1676 m elevation) the trail climbs up to Josephine Saddle (7080 ft/2158 m elevation). It crests Baldy Saddle (8780 ft/ 2676 m elevation) before the final climb to the summit.
Hiking Mount Wrightson is one thing, hiking it in winter adds another level of difficulty. Boot grips and poles are necessities.
Need gear such as gaiters or grips or a Garmin Inreach Satellite Messenger? Check out MEC!
Truth be told, I probably would have given up on the quest for the summit, but Gear Guru was encouraging and more than happy to punch a trail through snow drifts.
The reward of an almost unobstructed view of southern Arizona and into Mexico had us gasping – for more reasons than just getting breaths back!
Tragedy on the mountain
It was a somber moment on the ascent up Mt Wrightson when we reached the dedication plaque to the three young boy scouts who lost their lives in a freak snowstorm.
On the morning of November 16, 1958, six boy scouts set out on a camping trip to celebrate Mike Early’s 16th birthday on November 17th. Their goal? An abandoned cabin at Baldy Saddle.
Before reaching the top, one of the boys became tired. He and two others turned back. Mike Early (15 turning 16), Michael La Noue (13), and David Greenberg (12) continued hiking towards their original goal, but eventually turned back as well.
At the 3-way Josephine Saddle trail junction, the boys became confused and took the wrong path. Somewhere along the way, Mike Early broke his leg. As the snow continued to pile up, they took refuge under a tree and started a fire.
At the end of the largest search for missing persons in Arizona history, their bodies were found 19 days later. Read the full story in the book, Death Clouds, written by the sister of one the surviving boy scouts.
Be prepared
The Southern Arizona Rescue Association (SARA) was newly minted the same year as this tragedy, but they were not actively involved as a unit in the rescue mission. Today, highly trained volunteers respond to over 100 search and rescue missions each year.
Being prepared on a hike means that hopefully you will never had need of their services, or that if you do, rescuers will know exactly where to find you.
Hiking safety checklist
- Use a day hike checklist to make sure you have all the gear you need (see below)
- Check the weather forecast before every hike
- Always let some know where you are going and when you expect to return
- Carry a satellite messenger for emergencies
Check out Outdoor Adventures in Tucson Mountain Park, RV Park in Tucson, Outdoor Adventures at Catalina State Park, or Hiking Arizona: Wasson Peak for more hiking adventures!
When you go for the Mount Wrightson hike
From Tucson, drive south on I-19 toward Nogales. About 20 minutes south of Tucson, exit on Continental Road and follow signs for about 11 miles (17.7 km) to the Madera Canyon Recreation Area. The trailhead is at the end of road. Park in one of two parking lots. You will have to pay a day use fee for parking in the national forest or display your Interagency Pass.
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