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.

Hi Corn and Corn Benchmark

Hiked: 1/8/2026
Distance: 3.2 miles round trip on dirt road, use trail, and cross country
Summit Elevation: 3171'
Elevation Gain: 1434'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.1
Round trip time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Recommended water: 20 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Corn Springs Road
Difficulty: Moderate

Corn Benchmark is a seldom visited desert peak in the Chuckwalla Mountains south of I-10 between Coachella and Blythe. Hi Corn is less than a quarter mile from the benchmark and only slightly higher. I exited I-10 at Chuckwalla Valley Road, then followed Corn Springs Road south for 8 miles. Corn Springs Road was a very smooth dirt road. I was able to go about 30mph on most of it, but it got a little bumpy near my parking spot. I think most cars could make the drive. I hadn't done much research or prep, so I made a navigation error right at the start. I climbed up a steep slope thinking the ridge connected, but realized I needed to down climb to the gully. That added about 200' of unnecessary gain. I followed the gully around a bend, then half committed to the ridge, not wanting to be forced to downclimb again. The ridge did connect and I used it to descend. There were bits of class 2 in the gully and near the top. I reached Hi Corn first with an easy summit boulder. On top, I found a discolored bottle of Corona. There were two registers in a glass jar. One was old and fragile with pages that disintegrated on touch. I left it in the jar. The other was placed in 2013 and only had six entries before mine. The most recent was from 2020. Views were nice in all directions. Hi Corn did not have a benchmark. After signing in, I made the short walk to Corn, which had an official benchmark and a pole still held up with guide wires. I didn't find a register on Corn. Views north were less obstructed, but otherwise the same as Hi Corn. The forecast was for sun, but dark clouds started to roll in cooling things off quite a bit. They didn't threaten rain, but changed the ambiance. After going down the ridge, I made a second navigation error by dropping into the wrong gully. I hit a dry fall with no bypass and climbed out to get in the right gully. A short, fun hike to kick off 2026.

Smooth dirt road

Start, Hi Corn distant right

Downclimbing to the gully

Hi Corn summit boulders

Corn benchmark

Looking back at Hi Corn