Hike | Gilbert Escandón Jiménez | A Mountain
TRAIL DESCRIPTION
There are many trails to hike on A Mountain. Most of them are unmarked. The only marked trail is the Gilbert Escandón Jiménez Trail, which is approximately a 2.5 mile trek.
TRAIL STATS
- Distance: 2.5 miles
- Elevation: 320 feet
- Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
- Dog-Friendly: Yes (on-leash!)
- Facilities: No
- Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
THE HIKE
When you begin the hike, you’ll hike .02 miles and stumble upon a dry river bed. You’ll want to take a right and trek on.
This trail is abundant with loose rocks. Once you’re on the trail, it’s pretty straightforward until the 1 mile point. The trail spit us out on the road, causing a little confusion. Do we keep going? Do we turn around? Well, you have a few options. You can continue hiking up to the “A” but you will be hiking on the road (which is highly trafficked) so be careful. You can also hike back down the road to the lower parking lot and call it a day (saves you significant time). Or you can turn around and hike the trail back to enjoy the more scenic route.
We chose the latter. Thankfully, the latter took us on a journey along the ridge. It should be noted that this longer route is not obvious. You will hike up on the mountain towards the ridge. This section isn’t well maintained (lots of loose rocks) but was my favorite part of the hike.
I really enjoy that this hike is dog-friendly and that you get a dose of the desert in the middle of town. It’s also perfect if you want to get outside but are limited on time. AND! You get awesome views of the city without the plethora of humans that you typically encounter on the neighboring hill, Tumamoc.
GETTING THERE
You can find this peak just outside downtown Tucson. Follow West Congress Street and turn left onto Cuesta Avenue into Sentinel Peak Park. You will drive up the road and park in the first lot (on your right) to hike the Jiménez Trail.
THE NARRATOR
This blog was thoughtfully written by Kat Rumbley. You can find her on Instagram at @thecuriouskattt.