Peak 4254

Hiked: 2/5/2026
Distance: 7.1 miles round trip cross country
Summit Elevation: 4254'
Prominence: 706'
Elevation Gain: 2568'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.0
Round trip time: 5 hours
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: $35 National Parks Fee or Annual Pass at turnout on Pinto Basin Road
Difficulty: Moderate

I had a chance to meet up with Adam Walker and his girlfriend, Frances, for a Joshua Tree quest. Peak 4254 had not even been on my radar, but Adam had it as a prominence goal and it sounded fun. We met at a turnout on Pinto Basin Road and got started around 8 AM. The sun was muted by weird high altitude clouds. Unusual weather. We crossed the road and headed for one of the two ridge lines eventually leading to Peak 4254. After the first slope, we were on a large plateau for a mile or so before gaining the ridge. Black volcanic rock and boulders dominated the area. The ridge was punctuated with bumps of various sizes. A couple of the bumps were substantial and entailed some light class 2 to go over/around. We cached some water about half way. Adam did an expert job of navigating through the obstacles. After clearing the final steep bump, we had a more gentle walk up to the summit. I didn't see a benchmark, but there was a small register placed in 2009. There had been few visitors since then. Views from the top were splendid despite the strange lighting. A moat of giant boulders guarded the plains to the east. Pinto Mountain and Monument Mountain rose high in the distance. After hanging out on top for awhile, we headed back the same way. We tried to side hill around the largest bump, which worked, but I am not sure it was easier than going over. The rest of the descent went smoothly. It was a fun and interesting ridge, much better than I would have guessed from the starting point. Always great to see old hiking friends.

Peak 4254 along Pinto Basin Road, ascent ridge on the right

Going up one of the sharper bumps

Summit shot

Monument Mountain

Pinto Mountain

Pusch Peak, AZ

Hiked: 1/27/2026
Distance: 4.8 miles round trip on trail and use trail
Summit Elevation: 5364'
Prominence: 861'
Elevation Gain: 2790'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.2
Round trip time: 4 hours
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Linda Vista Trailhead
Difficulty: Moderate

With one day left in Tuscon, I was torn between attempting Pusch Peak (pronounced push) or Ragged Top. I texted my friend Adam Walker, who had climbed both, and he suggested Pusch in the Santa Catalina mountains. It was closer to the hotel, and looked like a solid challenge. I intentionally got a late start at 10 AM to let the sun warm things a bit. The parking lot at the trailhead was full, about 15-20 cars. I had to park in a nearby shopping center in front of a Dunn Edwards paint store. The parking lot was mostly empty so I didn't think anyone would mind. The first part of the trail was maintained and had many hikers. Pusch looked a little scary from the start and I knew it was a going to be a grind. I passed all the hikers where the official trail ended and never saw any of them again.

Pusch looked kind of daunting at the start

Near the turn from the gully to the ramp
The use trail was in good shape and I scrambled up on the right side of the main gully. I could tell it aimed for the long ramp high above. I was in shade most of the way. Several varieties of cactus crowded the trail and some had been trimmed. When I reached the turn point from the gully to the ramp, there was a trail split. I followed the most defined trail which was a mistake. I had to cross country through some prickly stuff and down climb rocks to get back on track. This error added about 100' to my gain stat. The rest of the way was solid class 2, nothing tricky and no serious exposure. Still, it was work and I took frequent one minute breaks. The trail curled back to the right at the top of the ramp for an easy walk up finish. There was an official benchmark on top and a small box with two full registers. Pusch was very popular, though I was alone on the summit. I took photos and walked up a formation just below the summit for better views of Tuscon. Truly beautiful. I was able to spot Wasson Peak to the south. On the way down, I met a couple from Minnesota who said they come to Arizona every winter to escape the cold. They looked fit and I'm sure had no trouble reaching the top. The rest of the descent was uneventful. I stopped to admire some healthy saguaros near the bottom and got some parting shots. Highly recommended if you find yourself in Tuscon and have half a day to kill.

Santa Catalina mountains from the summit

Tuscon below

Descending

Healthy saguaros

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Wasson Peak, AZ and Amole Peak, AZ

Hiked: 1/26/2026
Distance: 7.9 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 4690' (Wasson), 4425' (Amole)
Prominence: 2123' (Wasson)
Elevation Gain: 2092'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.6
Round trip time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: $25 National Parks Fee or Annual Pass
Difficulty: Moderate

Wasson Peak is the high point in the Tuscon Mountains. It is also in Saguaro National Park, so it requires a $25 fee to hike, though the fee is good for one car for a week. I had an Annual Pass, but didn't think to bring it on this trip as the +1 for Leisa's conference. I started at the King Canyon Trailhead at 8:45 AM, and the parking lot only had a few cars. There was a stand with a register at the beginning of the trail. The trail was wide and in great shape. There were a lot of connecting trails and most people make a loop out of this hike. I started at a brisk pace and have never seen so many saguaros. Quite beautiful. The temp was cool, 45F, but I warmed somewhat after the first mile. After a couple miles of easy hiking, I hit a saddle and the trail got steeper. I was not able to see Wasson until I was a mile away. I kept my pace and made the summit in a single push. On the final ridge, the wind blasted me at 20-25mph and I got cold again. The summit had a reference mark, but the benchmark had been removed. A metal stand held a register. book. I was the fourth person to summit on this random Monday, with many other hikers on their way. 360 views were great. I stayed on top only long enough to mark a waypoint and send a text to my wife. I took my first break after descending enough to get out of the wind. I took the Hugh Norris trail down, including a short diversion to tag Amole Peak with little prominence. There was a boulder pile on top, but I didn't find a register or make much effort to look for one. Continuing down, I connected to the Sendero Esperanza trail, then completed the loop on the Gould Mine trail. A fine desert hike. Due to the cold, I drank less water than expected. Upon return, the parking lot was full and cars were stalking people who were leaving. Weird on a Monday.

This cabin was sealed

First glimpse of Wasson

Register on the summit

Descending toward Amole Peak below

Wasson of the left from Amole

Cronise Mountains High Point and Cat Dune

Hiked: 1/20/2026
Distance: 3.8 miles round trip cross country
Summit Elevation: 2384'
Elevation Gain: 1748'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.4
Round trip time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Arrowhead Trail (CL8672)
Difficulty: Moderate

The Cronise Mountains are a small range north of I-15 south of Baker, CA. Most notable is the cat-shaped dune shown on the USGS topo maps as "Cronise Cat". The dune is about 1100' and looks like a cat from I-15. The nearest exit to the Cronise Mountain was Basin Road. However, I wanted to get to the Arrowhead Trail, a road that used to maintain electrical towers. I was not sure how deep the sand was on the jeep trail from Basin Road to Arrowhead, so I went to the next exit north, Rasor Road, and came back on the Arrowhead Trail road. As I suspected, it was well graded and I cruised along at 25-30mph. Shouldn't be a problem for a sedan. I parked under an electrical tower between the high point and the cat dune. The track I created on CalTopo was to go up a gully a mile SW of the high point, then traversing along the ridge. However, I abandoned that idea when I saw how jagged the ridge line was. Instead, I took the south ridge directly toward the summit. There were a few false summits along the way and steady class 2 scrambling. It got steep near the top.

Cronise Mountains from I-15

From the Arrowhead Trail

High point with Cave Mountain across the freeway
A large cairn was built on the summit and inside was an ancient Andy Smatko register in a film canister. It held 4 small slips of paper with about a dozen visitors since it was placed in 1970. The register was full of peakbagging legends. Some I knew personally, others through their ubiquitous register entries. Some names I recognized: Andy Smatko, Gordon MacLeod, Adam Walker, Bob Burd, Craig Barlow, and Eric Newcomb. I felt honored to add my name to the short list, but also like my name didn't belong on that list. There were no official marks. I rested a little, then started along the ridge line, expecting some difficulty.

After a break, I followed the ridge north toward the Cat Dune. I was surprised that nothing exceeded class 2, but there were some places with exposure. In the sharpest sections of the ridge, I dropped down on the north side to bypass the worst of it. After some spirited scrambling, I reached the top of the Cat Dune. It was very rocky near the top, but below, the sand got deeper and I was able to plunge step through the thin crust. I dropped over 800' down the dune, then reached a deep gully. The sand ended at a short dry fall that led into the gully. There were a couple more dry falls to down climb, but it stayed class 2. After exiting the gully, I walked across the open desert back to the truck. It was short hike, but more adventure than I expected.