Wilderness of Rocks Trail
The Wilderness of Rocks Trail is a rugged, adventurous trail near Summerhaven that intrepid, strong hikers will love. This route climbs down past rivers and pools in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness, then climbs up, up, up all the way back to the trailhead. It’s a full-day adventure with all the challenges on the return trip, so it’s best for fit hikers. Expect light traffic.
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Route Description for Wilderness of Rocks Trail
The Wilderness of Rocks Trail is a rugged route in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness that sees light traffic. If you want to feel off the beaten path, this is a perfect pick. The route descends along the river through the pines, with flowing water and pools trickling beside you. The way back is where it gets spicy, with the elevation gain mostly occurring on the return trip.
This route can get a bit overgrown because of the lack of traffic, so we recommend long pants and a downloaded trail map. Bring lots of water with you–sometimes the sources you’d filter are flowing well, and other times they’re not. Finally, we recommend hiking this route in a group as users report spotting mountain lions near the trail.
From the trailhead, the path heads west through a gulch. Some of the only ascending you’ll do on the outbound trip happens here, but then the trail begins to descend once you’re through the junction with FS 93. You'll descend alongside a river underneath Mount Lemmon. You’ll round the tops of canyons and enjoy the river and pines as you near Romero Pass. From the Pass, follow a ridgeline and descend through a set of wide switchbacks to the trail’s end at a Y-junction. From here, the trail home follows the same path, but it’s mostly uphill from here.
Getting to the Wilderness of Rocks Trail Trailhead
The trailhead for the Wilderness of Rocks Trail is at the end of N Sabino Canyon Park.
Route Information
Wilderness of Rocks Trail Elevation Graph
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