Said to sit between urban parks and remote mountain trails, Pima County’s hybrid “trail parks” meet the need for easy access to natural outdoor spaces.
Painted Hills Trails Park is a 289-acre desert area on the northeast corner of Tucson Mountain Park, just west of Interstate 10.
The small but sprawling park has 7 interconnected trails, including 2 short routes to and from the summit. All seven well-maintained and well-maintained routes meander through dense saguaro forests and offer spectacular views.
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The spectacular scenic show begins at the Santa Catalina Vista Spar, which spins off the 0.9-mile Mosaic Trail. A small loop overlooks a channel that runs between two of his cactus-filled hills. The V-shaped crack frame reveals the jagged silhouette of the Santa Catalina Mountains, which rise 9,171 feet above the Tucson Basin.
Push Ridge Wilderness, visible on the southwest flank, forms a steep, stony endcap.
The Mosaic Trail follows the southern flank of the Bactrian Summit and climbs easily through tall saguaros, prickly pears, ocotillos, and lush undergrowth of jojoba, fairy duster, and other desert shrubs and wildflowers. I will continue.
For hikers unfamiliar with the term “false summit,” the Bactria Summit Trail offers a crash course on the subject.
A short but rather steep trail ascends the knoll, but it is easy to see that the place where the breeze blows is not the true summit but the false summit. To reach the actual highest point, you have to go downhill a bit and finally climb to the top.
The highest point in the park, the Bactrian Summit, is a prime viewing platform.
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The landscape stretches in all directions to Mount Rincón in the southeast and Mount Tortorita in the north. Below, the Tucson skyline creeps to the top of nearby Tumamock Hill, Sentinel His Peak (“A” Mountain), and the surrounding Tucson His Mountain Park.
The second side trip up the hill, Recoil Peak, starts from the Slingshot Trail near Monsoon Loop Junction.
Recoil Peak hovers above a maze of busy Speedway Boulevards and dead-end communities. The Slingshot Trail lives up to its name by boomeranging around the park’s colorful hills, jumping over water and dodging rocky outcrops before returning to the trailhead.
Hiking Tucson: Painted Hills Trails Park
length: 4 miles of trail.
evaluation: Easy to moderate.
elevation: 2,508 to 2,770 feet.
access: 3590 W. Ancrum Road, Tucson. From Interstate 10 in Tucson, take exit 257 to Speedway Boulevard. Follow Speedway 2.2 miles west (to the right) to Greasewood Road. Turn left (south) and continue 0.8 miles to Anklam Road. Turn right and continue 1.2 miles to the trailhead on the right. The grounds can accommodate approximately 19 vehicles, but there is no space for equestrian staging.
time: every day from morning till night.
Facility: none.
dog: Unlike most Tucson Mountain Parks, Painted Hills Trails Park allows leash dogs, provided the owners clean up after them and pick up the waste.
detail: Pima County Natural Resources Parks and Recreation, https://webcms.pima.gov.
Read more about hiking Mare Czinar http://arizonahiking.blogspot.com.
