Right: Snow on the Mint Spring Trail! December 2013.
Overview
The Mint Spring Trail #20 is an excellent was to enjoy, or start, a day on the top of the mountain. While the Mint Spring Trailhead is far from obscure it tends to attract less traffic than the Marshall Gulch Trailhead, potentially a more peaceful start to your hike… The area near the Mint Spring Trail was heavily impacted by the Aspen Fire in 2003 – the large trees that once surrounded this trail are largely gone, but you will find interesting views, passageways thru the Aspens and short shaded sections under the remaining trees.
Hike Stats
- Out and Back
- 3.5 miles
- 850' Elevation Gain
- 850' Elevation Loss
- Highest Elevation: 8,050'
- Lowest Elevation: 7,850'
Location
- This hike is located in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona.
- Start/End: Mint Spring Trailhead (Top of the Mountain Hikes)
Details
- Fee: No
- Dogs: Yes
- Bikes: No (Pusch Ridge Wilderness)
Drive
- 39.4 miles from Speedway and Campbell
- 1 Hour and 25 Minutes from Speedway and Campbell
- Vehicle Access: Paved Roads/Passenger Car (Mountain Road - be careful of weather conditions!)
Mint Spring Trail Elevation Profile
Driving Directions
Suggested driving directions from the Speedway and Campbell intersection in Tucson to the Mint Spring Trailhead:
- Drive East on Speedway (5.0 miles)
- Left on Wilmot and continue on Tanque Verde (4.3 miles)
- Left on Catalina Highway (29.3 miles)
- Continue into Summerhaven on Sabino Canyon Parkway (0.3 miles)
- Right on Carter Canyon Road (there is a brown sign for Mint Spring which should help you find the turn) (0.5 miles)
- The paved road ends at the parking area and the road becomes a private driveway.
Google Maps Directions from the Speedway and Campbell intersection in Tucson to Mint Spring Trailhead.
Right: A Geranium on the Mint Spring Trail. September 2014.
Trail Notes
[CueListWarning]
- 0.0 miles, 7950′: From the Mint Spring Trailhead find the start of the trail just past the parking area on the road – the trail crosses the drainage by the road and almost immediately reaches a small metal trail sign and large map trail sign. The start of the trail is reasonably obvious in Winter, but can be quite overgrown in other seasons. [Waypoint TH MS]
- The trail climbs – pass a stand of Aspens, take in the interesting views into Summerhaven
- 0.5 miles, 8100′: The highest point on the trail.
- 1.1 miles, 7900′: Mint Spring is just off the trail, look for a sign and a small wooden spring box – an excellent spot to stop and take a break. [Waypoint JMSprg]
- 1.75 miles, 8000′: Signed junctions with the Marshall Gulch, Aspen Trail and Wilderness of Rock Trail. This could be a turn around point for a short day – or use the other trails to make a longer hike. [Waypoint J MG AP MS WR]
Right: Mint growing at the spring. April 2014.
Right: A sea of ferns along the Mint Spring Trail. July 2012.
Resources
- HikeArizona.com
- [GuideYellowBook/]
- Posts on HikeLemmon.com:
- Forest Road 18 to Radio Ridge, Summer, Winter – MVUM – 5/15/2018, 6/24/2018, 1/14/2019
- Aspen Draw, Summerhaven, Mint Spring, Aspen Loop – 5/15/2018
- Meadow, Mt Lemmon, Wilderness of Rock and Mint Spring Trail – 8/21/2017
- Miami Fire Pictures from Summerhaven – 4/18/2014
- Mint Spring, Wilderness of Rock, Aspen, Aspen Draw Loop – 9/7/2014
Pictures
2014 September Mint Spring, Wilderness of Rock, Aspen, Aspen Draw
2014 April Mint Spring and Blackett’s Ridge
2014 April Mint Spring, Marshall Gulch, Aspen Trail
2013 December Mint Spring and Aspen Trail
2012 July Mint Sprint Trail and Aspen LoopThe requested photo source cannot be loaded at this time. Photoset not found
Update Notes
- 2017/8/20 – Img Srcset update, spring picture included
- 2017/8/15 – HikeLemmon posts added to resources
- 2017/8/8 – Description and directions updated, typos fixed
- 2014/9/13 – Added more (summer) pictures.
- 2014/6/27 – Format Updates, tweaked description, waypoints changed to DEM elevation
- 2014/5/9 – Initial page