Catalinas - Pontatoc Ridge

December 30, 2022 hike: Pontatoc Ridge, near Finger Rock in the Catalina mountains facing Tucson.

I'd put off doing this hike as it is relatively short and I like more ambitious hikes. However, its shorter length and lower elevation seemed a good option as the weather wasn't great (temps in the 50s and overcast).

The hike was a pleasant surprise, as what it lacks in length, it makes up in steepness. You can get a good cardio workout, as the trail climbs more than 1,900 feet in less than 2.5 miles, and much of that vertical gain is concentrated in the second half of the trail. There are also amazing views of Tucson and the Catalina mountains around Finger Rock.

The sun eventually broke through, resulting in a beautiful last half of the hike.

Hikers who experience acrophobia (fear of heights) should be aware that the top part of the trail includes sections near cliffs or near-cliffs measuring hundreds of feet. Also, the trail is fairly exposed to sun and I imagine wind could be an issue in the upper parts of the trail (it wasn't for me, as the wind was fairly light). Finally, I recommend taking the front-side trail near the top, not the mine trail, as the views on the front-side trail are much better.

Photo 1 looks east from the canyon floor at Pontatoc Ridge. The trail follows the ridge from the middle of the picture to beyond the large rock outcropping in the upper left of the photo. You can see the beautiful lower-desert vegation in the lower part of the trail and the dramatic rock cliffs higher up.

Photo 2 looks northwest from the end of my trail (a sub-peak on Pontatoc Ridge that was about 4,977 feet elevation). The photo shows the Finger Rock ridge, which runs along the west side of Finger Rock canyon. Finger Rock is the small spire just to the right of the center of the photo.

Photo 3 looks east from near the peak of my hike. My hike ended at the top of the mountain on the left side of the picture. You can see some of the very steep near-cliffs along Pontatoc Ridge in the left side of the photo. The large canyon in the middle-distance on the center-right of the photo is Sabino Canyon. The Blackett's Ridge trail, which I hiked in the morning, runs along the south ridge-line of Sabino Canyon.

Photo 4 provides a close-up of the Sabino Canyon part of photo 3. The picture shows the very dramatic canyon walls along the south side of Sabino Canyon.

Photo 5 provides some sense of how steep Pontatoc Ridge is. The photo was taken from a point about 2,000 feet above the housing developments in the picture and the houses are less than a mile from the photo spot.

Photo 6 looks west at the entire length of the west wall of Finger Rock Canyon. You can see the small Finger Rock spire just below the top of the west wall.

Photo 7 looks above a ridge line at the intense cerulean blue of the mountain sky along with a half-moon.

All-in-all, this was a surprisingly good hike. The intensity of the climb gave a satisfying workout. The dramatic views, accentuated by the clearing skies, were great too!

Hike stats: 5.1 miles round trip and 2,103 feet of total climbing including all the ups and downs on the trail (1,936 foot elevation gain to a peak of 4,977 feet) in about 3 hours 20 minutes of hiking/trail running (around 2 hours 40 minutes excluding photo taking time).