Climbing up Tumamoc Hill

I have been remiss in not posting some of the amazing Tucson Arizona sunsets as I have been home for the holidays visiting family.  When traveling, I tend to be a sunrise & sunset hunter trying to find amazing spots to watch the sun rise and fall over the new cities & landscapes that I am lucky enough to explore. But somehow, in the land of familiar, I have not been stopping to see enough them.  And they are pretty amazing in Arizona.

So on a Sunday afternoon, in an effort to catch a sunset & get some exercise, I decided to go to an old favorite – Tumamoc Hill.

This popular hike is a short one (3.1 miles round trip) but steep (gains 730 feet in elevation), better than your gym stairclimber with several steep sections winding up the “hill”. You see many families on the paved road but also runners who put everyone to shame as they swiftly get to the top while us common folk huff & puff up the steep parts. But the reward is 360 degrees of views of Tucson. There was a storm rolling in, so this was going to be hit or miss. Sometimes the clouds make sunsets spectacular; sometimes it just swallows up the sunset. But, I was on the West side of town… so up the hill I went.

As I climbed the hill, I was treated to the beautiful views of the Tucson basin. There are several things I dislike about the desert having grown up in it including the bitter heat and bitter dry cold that wrecks havoc on my respiratory system after moving away for so long and don’t get me started on cactus stickers.

Then you see the purple mountains and painted skies … and they are just beautiful!

And considering much of the USA is battling freezing weather & icicles, I felt spoiled to be in a light t-shirt.

No sunset pictures though as the clouds engulfed the sun. So I will be hiking the hill again another day soon.

Tips & Information:

• This site has good go-to info on the hike (Directions, facilities, etc): TucsonTopia
• NOTE: The trail is closed Mon-Fri from 7:30am to 5:30pm. It’s right next to St. Mary’s hospital and I don’t think they want the foot traffic during the weekdays.  In the summer, you can go before or after, but during the winter it will be dark – so it’s really a weekend hike.