Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Grab your water bottles and leave the southeastern corner of the parking lot on a
wide, rocky trail that climbs gently southeast past a couple of trail signs. After 0.45
mile you'll conquer a pass—the high point of the trail, 3,184 feet on my GPS but
marked variously on maps. Here, signs indicate the Golden Gate Trail to the right (re-
turning to Gates Pass Road) and the Gates Pass Trail to the left (not shown on the
maps I used).
The Yetman Trail forges on to the southeast, descending slowly. The peak to your
right (west) is Golden Gate Mountain, 4,288 feet, the highest point in the southern
half of the Tucson Mountains. Ahead (southeast) in the distance is the Tucson Estates
housing development, beyond which the Santa Ritas lie on the horizon.
Thick stands of teddy bear cholla accompany the next section of trail. More than
a mile from the trailhead, you'll angle left (east) at a sign for the Yetman Trail (going
straight takes you to the Tucson Estates), and almost 1.5 miles from the trailhead an-
other sign indicates that you fork east (west) again on the Yetman Trail. Just beyond
here is an unsigned fork—here, bear left again.
The trail undulates and passes a sharp backward turn to the right, which you ig-
nore; the route continues mainly east and is fairly flat. In this section of typical low-
land desert scenery, a rare cristate saguaro cactus stands on the left. If you're one of
those experienced (lucky?) hikers who can somehow both look around and keep your
eyes on the rocky trail, you'll see it.
Almost 2 miles of rolling hiking, parts of it following a sandy wash that's almost
always dry, bring you to the signed intersection with the Starr Pass Trail, where you
bear left. Some maps indicate the Starr Pass Trail as the short Saguaro Rib Trail,
which quickly brings you to the Starr Pass Trail. The trail is flat now and, about 200
yards later, reaches another sign for Starr Pass Trailhead 1.1, quickly followed by a
sign for 36th Street Trailhead 0.9. (These trailheads provide access to equestrians.)
The Yetman Trail bears left at both of these, heading east-southeast.
Soon the trail swings north and begins to climb gently, with super views of the
southern end of the craggy Tucson Mountains to the left. About 0.6 mile from the pre-
vious signs, you reach a small pass with three trail junctions and a vandalized sign.
Here, look for the thin, poorly marked Yetman Trail to the left (northwest). (Right,
southeast,follows the Rock Wren Trail to an equestrian trailhead. Straight on, north-
east, is an unmapped trail that goes to a golf course.)
