View of Picacho Peak from the east side.
Picacho Peak stands 1,500 feet from the desert floor and tops out at 3,374' elevation and is located at Picacho Peak State Park Arizona about 25 miles north of Tucson. The hike to the summit is rated difficult and requires using steel cables to assist climbing up the rocks. From the Hunter trail head it is only about 2 miles to the top but probably more like pushing 2,000 feet accumulative elevation gain. I started this hike from the campground and hiked 1 1/2 miles to the Hunter TH then made my way up the steep rocky trail to the saddle.
From the saddle the trail drops sharply and the start of the cables
More cables
More cables
Me showing the cables
The trail wraps around the cliffs and levels out. Shortly after you come to the Sunset trail junction the trail starts to climb again.
A nice Saguaro with the desert floor backdrop.
Looking down some cables I just came up.
View looking up some cables.
Looking across at the trail at more cables.
Looking up the cables from the last picture.
Cable across a steep rock section of trail.
looking back at that section
I made it to the top of Picacho Peak.
Views from the Picacho Peak looking north, you can see I-10 and our campground in the distance
Views looking east. There is some smokey air in the distances.
View looking west
On my way back down I hiked over to this other point,in this picture, to take a picture back at Picacho Peak.
The picture looking back at Picacho Peak.
Cabling back down
So on my way back I decided to take the long way on the Sunset trail around the west side about 3 miles to the Sunset trail head. From the Hunter/Sunset trail junction the Sunset trail ameditly drops off a rock sharply with cables.
Looking back up what I just came down.
After some steep switchbacks the trail levels and undulates the rest of the way back.
My husband was waiting for me at the trail head so we could head home.
Thanks for following my adventures!
!steemitworldmap 32.6351' lat 111.4007' long Picacho Peak State Park Arizona d3scr