Wilderness of Rocks and Mount Lemmon to Romero Pass, Pusch Ridge Wilderness

Essence: Wilderness of Rocks is an enchanting maze of granite slabs, free-standing rock stacks, spheroidals, balancing rocks, and pillars. The hike described offers an extended loop encompassing three trails: Mount Lemmon Trail #5, Wilderness of Rock Trail #44, and Lemmon Rock Lookout Trail #12. In addition, we did a down-and-back to Romero Pass, thereby polishing off my final missing trail segment in the Santa Catalina Mountains. A shorter (and popular) loop through Wilderness of Rocks originates from the Marshall Gulch Picnic Area. We saw literally no one on our hike. Please note this hike is upside-down so conserve your energy. Descend 3,340 feet before climbing over 3,700 feet back to the trailhead. As for nomenclature, in keeping with the U.S. Forest Service and the Mt. Lemmon topographical map, the Wilderness of Rock Trail passes through the Wilderness of Rocks. The hike is within the Pusch Ridge Wilderness managed by Coronado National Forest. 
Travel: In Tucson, drive up the Catalina Highway to mile marker 24.6 and turn right on Ski Run Road. It is 1.4 miles to the base of Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley. The road to the trailhead is gated and locked on December 15 and reopens on March 15. Dates fluctuate depending on snow conditions. If the upper mountain is closed, park in the small lot on the right side of the road. If the gate is open, drive another 1.7 miles on a windy, narrow paved road and park on the left at the start of the Mount Lemmon Trail (shortly before the observatory).

Fees: Display your Interagency Pass or follow the link for information on day use fees.

Distance and Elevation Gain: 12.8 miles; 4,000 feet. If you must park at the ski area add 3.5 miles roundtrip and 760 feet of vertical.
Total Time: 7:00 to 9:00
Difficulty: Trail; navigation easy; Class 2 with no exposure; no dogs
Map: Mt. Lemmon, AZ 7.5' USGS Quad
Date Hiked: December 7, 2024 

Quote: Geologists have a saying--rocks remember. Neil Armstrong

 

The monarch of the Wilderness of Rocks presides over a domed inselberg. Granite islands, each comprised of uniquely weathered stones, are concentrated in the Wilderness of Rocks. (Thomas Holt Ward, photo)

Route: Descend southwest on the Mount Lemmon Trail to its terminus at Romero Pass. Return to the junction with the Wilderness of Rock Trail and hike northeast on rolling terrain. Turn north on the Lemmon Rock Lookout Trail and ascend to the Lookout. Rejoin the Mount Lemon Trail for the half mile stem back to your vehicle. Note: the 3.8 mile down-and-back to Romero Pass is optional.

Mount Lemmon Trail #5 initiates from the northwest corner of the parking lot, elevation 9,100 feet, and passes alongside an electrical substation. The trail heads down the southwest slopes of Mount Lemmon and ends at Romero Pass elevation 6,040 feet. From there, hikers typically take the Romero Canyon Trail northwest to Catalina State Park, or the West Fork Trail southeast toward Sabino Canyon Recreation Area.

The trail utilizes an old 4WD road for the first 1.7 miles to the junction with the Sutherland Trail. The conifer forest is dominated by ponderosa pines and a grassy understory. At 0.35 mile bear right at the split. (THW, photo)

Pass by the trail to Lemmon Rock Lookout at 0.5 mile. The loop closes at this junction. There is an exquisite view of Cathedral Rock, the first of many. Spatially, it is helpful to keep in mind that Romero Pass is located at the base of Cathedral's northeast slopes. (THW, photo)

Quartzite Spring is located at the metal shack at 0.65 mile, image-right. Often (but not always!) there is good water flow on the downhill side of the road. (THW, photo) 

There are renowned climbing arenas off Trail #5. The Ravens are a series of columns and cracks. For the hiker, they are aesthetically appealing. For the technical climber they are some of Mt. Lemmon's longest sustained sport routes, up to 200 feet in height. See Mountain Project for details. (THW, photo)

 

The Meadow Trail comes in on the right at 0.9 mile. Trail #5 traverses a ridgetop with good views to either side. I have been on this trail countless times and have yet to be here when the thick carpet of ferns distinguishing this ridgecrest is green. 

The junction with Sutherland Trail #6 is on a soft knoll at 1.7 miles, 8,500 feet. Stay on Trail #5.

The trail is cleaved into a steep slope on the north side of the ridge. If you push the season there will be snow on the trail at this aspect. The stone zenith of Samaneigo Peak is a prominent landmark seen from Oro Valley. In the aftermath of the 2003 Aspen Fire and 2020 Bighorn Fire there is not much left of the Samaniego Ridge Trail and it is troubled with vicious graythorn.

Enter the Pusch Ridge Wilderness at 1.75 miles.

Under the mantle of soil are gneiss cliffs. They make a momentary appearance. Contortions in the formation were produced when the rock was in a plastic state.

I love this trail and associated vantage points. Notice Sutherland Ridge running parallel on the north. I highly recommend hiking from Catalina State Park to the top of Mount Lemmon on the Sutherland Trail--12.3 miles with a whopping 6,800 feet of vertical. 

There are frequent glimpses of Pusch Ridge running from Mount Kimball to Table Tooth, Table Mountain, Bighorn Mountain, and Pusch Peak. Ponderosa pines embrace and lend a sense of protection on the steep slope.

 

At 2.5 miles, 7,920 feet, the trail crosses to the south side of the ridge. The surface switches from dirt to crushed granite. The ravages of the Bighorn Fire are readily apparent given the standing dead trees. Stone is impervious to fire and we entered the presence of enthralling features. I am fully aware that by definition, sentient beings are able to move about. Nevertheless, as we entered their presence I imagined stone creatures observing us as we passed by.

The Wilderness of Rocks is composed of both Oracle Granite (emplaced 1.45 billion years ago), and Wilderness Suite Granite (45-50 million years ago). Erosion has reduced many inselbergs to piles of boulders. The spheroidal boulders pictured are characteristic of many granite landscapes. They are the remnants of curved sheets of granite that once formed the outer layers of inselberg domes. Weathering and erosion reduced the sheets to individual angular slabs of rock that were rounded by prolonged exposure to the atmosphere, disintegrating crystal by crystal. Boulders that form on steep slopes eventually succumb to the pull of gravity and roll to the base of the domes.

 

My favorite segment of Trail #5 begins at 2.8 miles. The footpath funnels through a rockscape of crystalline sentinels, stacks, balancing rocks, and spheroidals. The best of the Wilderness of Rocks is from here on. This next strip of trail would be a good destination for those looking for a six mile roundtrip hike. (THW, photo) 

There are many unexpected delights right on the ridge crest. (THW, photo) 

Okay, now that's cool. Trail designers put the pathway right through this stone passage. (THW, photo) 

Uniformitarianism is a fundamental doctrine in geology suggesting that the Earth's geologic processes have operated in the same manner and with the same intensity in the past as they do in the present. Uniformity is sufficient to account for all geologic change. In other words, there was the equivalent of Wilderness of Rocks on our planet at another place and time. Nevertheless, I am grateful to be living in the American West walking through this dreamy wonderland at this very moment in Earth's evolution. (THW, photo)  

 

 

Look out over the vast acreage of stone essence the loop passes through on our return, then skirt the knoll, shown. (THW, photo)  

When you see this lineup you'll know you are closing in on the junction with the Wilderness of Rock Trail.

 

Reach the junction at 4.1 miles, elevation 7,300 feet. This is where you must decide whether to do the down-and-back to Romero Pass. It is 3.8 miles roundtrip with almost 1,600 feet of accumulated vertical. This was the short missing segment in my repertoire of trails in the range so off we went. I hiked from Catalina State Park to Romero Pass in 2005 and I've been on the pass several times since. But I was always doing a thru-hike elsewhere. I expect this stretch is one of the least frequented trails in the system simply because it is so remote.

 

The trail starts off by climbing 140 feet and crossing the northwest ridge of Point 7,535'. This image looks back on the hike thus far. If you know where to look you can see Lemmon Rock Lookout.

As the short uphill tops out divert a few steps and play around on the finest, unbroken sheet of granite you will experience all day. (THW, photo) 

This is a stellar viewpoint on a clear day. Cathedral Rock is image-left and the Tortolita Mountains and Picacho Peak are barely visible on the right through the haze. (THW, photo) 

The trail bends south and passes through a corridor of stone. (THW, photo) 

Step over a white vein in the granite composed of quartz and feldspar. The dike formed when cracks were filled with younger injections of molten rock.

The trail dodges substantial rock walls and comes alongside Point 6,886', image-center. (THW, photo) 

On this hike you will be pretty much wrapped up in stone all day long. (THW, photo) 

Below, Cathedral Rock dominates the landscape and Romero Pass is in sight. We approached Cathedral from Esperero Canyon. But you could take the West Fork Trail southwest from Romero Pass and link to the Cathedral Rock Trail. No matter your approach there is a significant off-trail scramble to the Class 5 finish. I am not aware of a route directly up from the pass. (THW, photo) 

The Mount Lemmon Trail bottoms out and ends on Romero Pass at 6.0 miles, 6,040 feet. Romero Pass is the principal divide dictating the flow of waterways in the great canyons of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness. One of the classic thru-hikes in the Santa Catalina Mountains is the 17 mile trek from Catalina State Park to Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. Along the way, visit water sculpted Romero Pools and Hutch's Pool. Accumulated gain is 4,200 feet. Alternatively, from the pass, simply take Trail #5 to the top of the mountain. It would be a stunning tour of the world of rock the entire distance.

 

This image looks up at the climb back out of Romero. Trail engineers faced a challenge threading the trail around cliffs and stone. It is one of the most fascinating trail segments in the range.

It's a bit of a grunt mounting up from the pass. The footing on the steep trail is better going uphill. Below, I am striding along, image-center. When this photo was taken I was speaking into my recorder, "This trail is going to put a smile on your face and have you laughing right out loud." (THW, photo) 

Skim the walls of Point 6,886'. 

Turn onto the Wilderness of Rock Trail at 7.9 miles. The footpath heads northeast over rolling terrain. The route gives up over 300 feet as it descends into the headwaters of Lemmon Canyon. There is a synergistic and protective relationship between the ancient stones and old growth ponderosas. (THW, photo) 

The Wilderness of Rock is alive with rock beings. At 8.3 miles we stepped off the trail to get a better angle on "Hoodoo Row." Maybe in your wildest fantasies you could dream this up, but probably not. (THW, photo) 

 

A standing dead tree points toward a stack of balancing rocks. A passing cloud mimics the engagement. (THW, photo) 

 

Each boulder has so much to say and together, they totally crack me up. There are endless free-range exploring possibilities. Occasionally the trail moves across solid rock. Let the cairns guide you.

It feels intimate and homey as we pass through the living quarters of the permanent residents. (THW, photo) 

The granitescape is so intricate, convoluted, and crowded it's rather hard to compute.

These topsy-turvy towers are straining northward. (THW, photo) 

Cross the (generally) flowing main channel of Lemmon Canyon at 9.5 miles. While the Bighorn Fire ripped through this grove of exceptionally tall ponderosas, most of them survived. (THW, photo) 

Arrive at the junction with the Lemmon Rock Lookout Trail at 10.2 miles, 7,260 feet. It is two miles to the Lookout with roughly 1,500 feet of climbing. While that translates to well shy of steep, this is where I felt all those effortless downhill miles in my legs as I geared down.

The ascent starts off gradually but bucks up with a series of small switchbacks. The thin trail holds true to its mission. It takes direct aim on the Lookout and comes up right under it, shown.

The visual field kept me entertained. I was partial to Rappel Rock. Maybe I can climb that ramp on its backside? 

(THW, photo)

But then, maybe not. If you need but one reason to hike this trail, let it be the sight of the east face of Rappel Rock, a mighty monument. If you would like to do some technical climbing on Rap Rock, Mountain Project has you covered.

Exit both the Pusch Ridge Wilderness and the Santa Catalina Natural Area at 12.2 miles, just before the spur trail to Lemmon Rock Lookout. The wilderness was established in 1978 and protects almost 57,000 acres. Its preservation history dates to 1927 when the Santa Catalina Natural Area was established. Strikingly, it was the first designated natural area in the U.S.

 

Climb the stone steps to the Lookout for a panoramic view (as you would expect) at 8,820 feet. Even though we've mounted those steps repeatedly over the years we never miss doing so if we are anywhere nearby. (THW, photo) 

 

The historical placard notes that the current Lookout was erected in 1928 but the original wooden tower dates even earlier. They claim it is the oldest lookout still in use by the Forest Service but I have never seen personnel present. The Lookout is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

After you've checked out the charming, tiny square building that houses and equips the fire watcher, return on the spur to Lemmon #5. Back on the stem, it's half a mile with 280 feet of gain to the trailhead. I have no doubt that the geologists are correct. Rocks remember. Surely it is reciprocal. Returning to daily life, after full-on immersion amongst the stones, may we carry those rocks in our hearts and minds. (THW, photo)