Pusch Ridge Wilderness

Sunset Light on Pusch Ridge - beautiful, rugged and - as shown in the picture - very close to Tucson. November 2015.
Sunset Light on Pusch Ridge - beautiful, rugged and - as shown in the picture - very close to Tucson. November 2015.

The Pusch Ridge Wilderness is located in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness north of Tucson, Arizona. Where the Bighorn Sheep Management Area and the Pusch Ridge Wilderness overlap there are restrictions on dogs and off-trail travel to help protect the recently re-introduced Bighorn Sheep.

The Pusch Ridge Wilderness is named for George Pusch who, along with Johann Zellweger, established the Steam Pump Ranch in 1874. The ranch is located in what is now Oro Valley and is preserved as the Oro Valley Steam Pump Ranch Site. The Oro Valley Historical Society has several great documents on the History of the Steam Pump Ranch and the Pusch Family History.

The first formal proposal for the Pusch Ridge Wilderness that I can find reference to is a proposal by Robert Hernbrode that was submitted to the Forest Service in 1969 triggered by an inquiry to the Forest Service by Bruce Stratton about the possibility of a tram from the end of Alvernon to the top of Mount Kimball.

While the Forest Service planning for the Santa Catalina Mountains didn’t recommend Pusch Ridge for Wilderness status the idea had enough support that in June of 1976 Arizona Representative Morris K. Udall submitted a bill that proposed the Pusch Ridge Wilderness and a number of other Wilderness areas across the west.

Udall’s bill became ‘The Endangered American Wilderness Act of 1978’, Public Law 95-237, was passed in 1978.

In 1978 this small section of text completed what had been started many years earlier and established the Pusch Ridge Wilderness. April 2017.
In 1978 this small section of text completed what had been started many years earlier and established the Pusch Ridge Wilderness. April 2017.
Map of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness included will the proposal for creation of the Wilderness Area - note the distinctive shape of Sabino Canyon which is exluded from the Wilderness Area. April 2017.
Map of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness included will the proposal for creation of the Wilderness Area - note the distinctive shape of Sabino Canyon which is exluded from the Wilderness Area. April 2017.
Sunset light on Table Mountain from Alamo Canyon in Catalina State Park. April 2016.
Sunset light on Table Mountain from Alamo Canyon in Catalina State Park. April 2016.
Left: Storms over Pusch Ridge. August 2016.
Right: Sunset light on Table Mountain from Alamo Canyon in Catalina State Park. April 2016.
Tall trees and lush green in the bottom of Palisade Canyon high in Pusch Ridge Wilderness. July 2014.
Tall trees and lush green in the bottom of Palisade Canyon high in Pusch Ridge Wilderness. July 2014.
Water falls in Palisade Canyon - part of the amazing variety in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness. August 2013.
Water falls in Palisade Canyon - part of the amazing variety in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness. August 2013.

Sources:

‘Catalina Wilderness Area Proposed’, Arizona Daily Star, 10/5/1969, p. 24, Pete Cowgill

Dedicated Santa Catalina hikers may know the name Herbrode from ‘Hernrode’s Tank’ on Table Mountain. A long time Arizona Game and Fish employee he worked from 1962 to 1967 as the Wildlife Manager in Unit 33 which covers the Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains. In 1966 Hernbrode coordinated the installation of the 20′ tank which was flown to Table Mountain on 7/12/1966 (several days before a similar tank was accidentally dropped into the desert before before reaching Table Mountain!). Hernbrode’s idea was that a lack of water was forcing Bighorn lower on the mountain making them easier targets for hunters and poachers and potentially putting extra stress on the lambs – the tank and surrounding infrastructure were designed to provide year round water for the Bighorn.

‘Bighorns’ Water Tank Delivered by Copter’, Arizona Daily Star, 7/13/1966, p. 21, Ken Burton

”Project Bighorn Sheep’ Falls into Sandy ‘Swale”, Arizona Daily Star, 7/10/1966, p. 5, Ken Burton

The west side of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness and the Santa Catalina Mountains from the Golder Ranch Area. July 2016.
The west side of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness and the Santa Catalina Mountains from the Golder Ranch Area. July 2016.
Rainbows from the Linda Vista Trail in Oro Valley - here the wilderness boundary is less than a minute from Oracle Road. January 2017.
Rainbows from the Linda Vista Trail in Oro Valley - here the wilderness boundary is less than a minute from Oracle Road. January 2017.

Update Notes

  • 8/10/2017 – Update image layout and add Srcset
  • 4/17/2017 – Add additional material including list of sources
  • 2/23/2014 – Converted to WordPress and fixed small typo.