Brown Mountain Trail in the Tucson Mountains

Beautiful desert views

We hiked The Brown Mountain Trail on our last outing. There were 9of us along for the hike, Judy, Ernie, Danielle, Dave, JoAnn, LaNeta, Linda, Kirk, and myself. We headed out at 8:00 a.m. to perfect weather for hiking – slightly cool and sunny.

Valley views

Alright - starting the climb

The trail is approximately 5 miles long round trip with a 350 ft. elevation gain. The guidebooks always just give you the highest elevation gain on the trail that you will have to climb. Sometimes you climb to that elevation more than once. In the case of the Brown Mountain Trail, it reaches that height a total of 3 times. It is listed in the guidebooks as a moderate hike and I would have to agree with that.

Linda, Kirk and LaNeta checking the sights

LaNeta and Joann

Even though we have done this trail before, what keep our hikes fresh and new and exciting are the people. We have one of the most interesting and diverse group anyone could ever hope for. Everyone brings different experiences and history to discuss along the trails.

Another new member - Abadaba

We saw many saguaro, prickly pear, and jumping cholla and ocotillo cactus. There’s not much color out there on the trails this time of year, so any little splash of color gets lots of comments. One of the best things about the Brown Mountain Trail is the surrounding views.

We hiked the trail in reverse of how we usually do it. We stared out at the picnic area and it was pretty level hiking and gradually climbed. I have to say I think I like this way better. It probably added another half mile or so to the hike, but not an issue at all. We seemed to get a different view altogether, and I for one, was not a bit tired by the time we stopped for our lunch break. It’s always nice to learn new things, even as little as when a well known hike is done a different way. Thanks Ernie!