Picacho Peak Trail

We read that the climb to the top of Picacho Peak was difficult - but rewarding! - in the park information. The trail travels on the south side and is steep and twisting, with steel cables (gloves are recommended) anchored into the rock in places where the surface is vertical and bare. Hiking boots with "aggressive tread", that can grip the rock, are also recommended and this trail is not recommended during hot weather seasons. (Italicized in the park brochure.) Since it is not hot weather by Arizona standards - in fact there is another freeze warning for tonight - it seemed like the perfect weather to attempt the summit.

It was a beautiful day for hiking with temperatures in the 50s and a nice clear, blue sky.

Picacho Peak from the base of the mountain. The knob to the right is actually quite a bit higher than the one on the left, and the one on the right is the summit.

Here's another hiking couple ascending the first set of cables. Even though this climb is almost vertical, it isn't too bad because there are places to put your foot to haul yourself up the mountainside.

Frederick beginning the same climb.

This was the most challenging section for me. A vertical climb up a crevice. The places to put your feet were quite far apart and I had to place my foot on the side of the crevice and haul myself up with my arms.

We did make it to the summit in time to eat our lunch and there he is! Our familiar lunch companion.

Lunch spot on the top of Picacho Peak.

One direction of our 360 degree lunch view.

Looking north toward Phoenix. That's the campground at center left.

Looking south toward Tucson.

Closer view of the campground. (click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

Captured with the telephoto lens from the summit, a view of the campground and our Airstream. (Be sure to click on the picture to see the details.) There are 3 loops in the campground and we are in the third, or top, loop. Our Airstream in in the interior of the loop about 1 o'clock. You might notice that there are three other Airstreams in our loop adjacent to us and a 5th Airstream just to the right of the top bathroom. Other than the Alaska Caravan, we have not been in a campground with so many Airstreams.

There are no pictures from the rest of the hike. Before we started down from the summit I put the camera in the backpack. I was afraid that it would get banged against the rocks as I descended backwards on the cable sections.

Today's hike:

Length - 6.2 miles

Duration - 5 hours, 17 minutes (including lunch)

Elevation gain - 1,530 feet (158 floors on the Fitbit)