Overview
Mount Bigelow – covered in towers and encircled by a dirt road – is not the most attractive destination in the Santa Catalina Mountains… But ignore the buildings and this short hike offers a nice short climb, trees, flowers (in the right season), connections to several other trails and several nice views!
Hike Stats
- Out and Back
- 1.9 miles
- 600' Elevation Gain
- 600' Elevation Loss
- Highest Elevation: 8,535'
- Lowest Elevation: 7,950'
Location
- This hike is located in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona.
- Start/End: Bigelow Trailhead (Upper Highway Hikes)
Details
- Fee: No
- Dogs: Yes
- Bikes: Yes
Drive
- 33.4 miles from Speedway and Campbell
- 1 Hour and 5 Minutes from Speedway and Campbell
- Vehicle Access: Paved Roads/Passenger Car (Mountain Road - be careful of weather conditions!)
Driving Directions
Suggested driving directions from the Speedway and Campbell intersection in Tucson to the Bigelow Trailhead:
- Drive East on Speedway (5.0 miles)
- Left on Wilmot and continue on Tanque Verde (4.3 miles)
- Left on Catalina Highway (24 miles)
- Signs will help you locate the trailhead on the up-mountain side of the highway.
Google Maps Directions from the Speedway and Campbell intersection in Tucson to Bigelow Trailhead.
Trail Notes
[CueListWarning/]
- 0.0 miles, 7980′: Start at the Bigelow Trailhead. [Waypoint thbg]
- The trail winds thru areas with older trees and more open areas touched by past fires as it climbs towards the ridge.
- 0.6 miles, 8300′: Signed junction of the Butterfly Trail, Kellogg Trail and the Bigelow trail [Waypoint b-bg-kl]. Continue uphill to the west to climb to Mount Bigelow on the Butterfly Trail.
- 0.7 miles, 8350′: Look for an unsigned junction and make a sharp right.
- Pass a small side trail to an old campsite as the trail turns – reach the Bigelow Road at 0.85 miles, 8500′ [Waypoint b-bgr/]
- Take a left on the Bigelow Road – pass the Mount Bigelow Butterfly Trailhead [Waypoint thbgb] and keep walking down the road.
- 1.0 miles, 8470′: Across from the last building look for a trail leaving the road and heading south-east (this junction is unsigned) [Waypoint bg01].
- 1.15 miles, 8350′: Arrive back at the unsigned junction where you took a sharp right on your way up. From here return back down to the Signed junction of the Butterfly Trail, Kellogg Trail and the Bigelow trail [Waypoint b-bg-kl] (1.3 miles) and then down the Bigelow Trail to the Bigelow Trailhead (1.9 miles).
Resources
Pictures
2014 September Bigelow TrailThe requested photo source cannot be loaded at this time.
2013 July Incinerator Ridge, Kellogg Mountain Trail, Mount BigelowThe requested photo source cannot be loaded at this time.
Update Notes
- 2017/8/15 – HikeLemmon posts added to resources
- 2017/7/30 – Srcset Image Update
- 2015/3/19 – Initial version