On Saturday, March 30, I joined the Southern Arizona Hiking Club for a climb of Forest Hill, the highpoint of the Little Rincon Mountains east of Tucson. Forest Hill has 6114 feet of elevation and 1554 feet of topographic prominence, making it the 135th most prominent peak in Arizona. In spite of its low prominence the peak was fun and scenic.
Will Whitaker, the Chief Guide for SAHC, led the outing. Five others joined us, including June Meyer and Tom Tutein. We left Tucson and drove east on I-10, then turned north into Happy Valley, just east of the Rincon Mountains. This was my first drive into Happy Valley since the spring of 2015 when I hiked Rincon Peak and Mica Mountain.
After several water crossings we parked along pretty Paige Creek under cottonwood trees. From there we hiked the road east for two miles, then hiked up open country to the summit of Bald Mountain. From Bald Mountain we traversed a broad ridge to a saddle just below the east ridge of Forest Hill.
The steep north slope of Forest Hill was thickly covered by oak trees. The rocky and steeper south slope was more open, so we choose it. We traversed upwards to the south of the ridge. From there we climbed straight up to the summit ridge just east of the summit. The summit had a few large rock blocks and some of us scrambled up the highest to stand on the highest point.
We enjoyed a rest and lunch on the summit. The views were very scenic, with Mica Mountain and Rincon Peak of the higher Rincon Mountains to our west. Other Little Rincon peaks lay below us. Bassett Peak and snowy Mount Graham were visible to the northeast.
We descended our same route to the saddle, then took a more direct line over mostly open but sometimes brushy ground back to our cars. It was a pretty drive back through Happy Valley with its oak forests, creek crossings, and views of the high Rincon Mountains to our right. I expect I will someday return to climb North Star, a craggy peak just south of Forest Hill.
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