Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Overview
It is satisfying to hike over and around an outlying mountain of the Tucson Moun-
tains. You get to summit a minor peak, enjoy great views, and see plenty of desert
plants, with a bonus of spring flowers in March and April. Trail signs are adequate,
but occasionally you need to use your route-finding skills.
Route Details
The mountain was named for Cornelius Brown, first chairman of the Pima County
Parks Commission. The commission was set up to oversee Tucson Mountain Park,
which was established in April 1929.
I describe this hike clockwise, starting from the Brown Mountain Picnic Area,
beginning with the gentle climb and traverse of Brown Mountain and finishing with
a valley walk. You can pick the trail up from near the Juan Santa Cruz Picnic Area as
well.
Brown Mountain Parking Area has four picnic ramadas spread over a few hun-
dred yards; start from the third one if you've driven from Tucson. The trail leaves
from behind a Tucson Mountain Park map sign, heading approximately west (bearing
right, first northwest, then soon southwest). After 150 yards you'll cross a small wash
(almost always dry), and a few yards later you'll reach an unsigned T-junction with a
two-armed decapitated saguaro. This is the Brown Mountain Trail—turn left (south).
After a few hundred yards, you'll see a sign reading “Cougar Trail 1.1,” where you
