There is no official Forest Service number for the trail to the summit of Mount Wrightson because no such designation exists. There are several trails that can be used to access Baldy Saddle; however, there is only one trail from Baldy Saddle to the summit of Mount Wrightson and it is the southernmost end of Crest Trail #144. This description is for the section of the Crest Trail from Baldy Saddle to the summit of Mount Wrightson.
Local ranchers, miners and U.S. Army personnel originally called Mount Wrightson “Old Baldy.” The name supposedly referred to the bald head of Capt. Richard S. Ewell, who was assigned to the First Regiment of Dragoons stationed in 1857 at nearby Fort Buchanan. Captain Ewell allegedly heard some of his men talking about Old Baldy. When Ewell asked about their remark, the men pointed at Mount Wrightson and said they were referring to the peak, not his head. On Jan. 8, 1930, the United States Board on Geographic Names officially changed the name to Mount Wrightson in honor of William Wrightson, one-time manager of the Salero Mining Co. and Santa Rita Mines. An 1866 Simon G. Elliott map labeled the peak “Wright Mountain.”
In 1856, William Wrightson, a well-educated civil engineer, served as the editor of the Railroad Record newspaper in Cincinnati. Sometime in 1858, Wrightson became superintendent of the Santa Rita Mining Co. and soon became an influential citizen who promoted territorial status for Arizona, which it eventually acquired in February 1863.
In mid-February 1865, Wrightson was surveying the disputed boundaries of the Baca Float #3 land grant with a group of men, including Gilbert Hopkins. On Feb. 16, Wrightson discovered he had left some important notebooks at their previous camp, so he rode back to retrieve them, accompanied by Hopkins. The following day, when returning to the surveying group, the two men were attacked and killed by Apache warriors, supposedly within 500 yards of Fort Buchanan (previously called Camp Moore and, later, Fort Crittenden).
The Mount Wrightson Trail is steep, rocky and exposed to sun and wind – both formidable adversaries. The trail leaves the south end of Baldy Saddle and remains relatively flat for the first 200 yards. Other than a fallen ponderosa pine, the trail is smooth, unobstructed and easy to follow. Shortly after the fallen tree, the trail veers right around a ridge to the eastern slope of the summit block of Mount Wrightson. The trail passes through a grassy area covered with Apache and ponderosa pines severely burned in a recent fire. Within approximately 100 yards, the trail turns sharply to the right, crosses a grassy slope, and begins an unrelenting climb to the summit.
The trail crosses a saddle, turns right, and begins ascending as a narrow pathway through a series of short and narrow switchbacks along the edge of a cliff where the trail has been blasted out of solid rock. From the beginning of the switchbacks to the summit, the route can be dangerous during the winter months when covered with ice and snow. One of the switchbacks is supported by a sturdy stone wall. Once the path reaches the top of the switchbacks, the route turns left and circles around to the south side of the summit block. This section of trail should be called Jacob’s Ladder, after the biblical ladder that reaches from earth to heaven seen by Jacob in a dream. When the trail is above the tree line, the route is completely exposed to the sun and wind. The surrounding landscape is dominated by huge slabs of fractured granite.
The summit is at the end of a series of short, steep switchbacks where breathing becomes difficult and walking slows to a crawl. Once on the summit, the rewards include a splendid – and completely unobstructed – 360-degree panoramic view of the surrounding area. On a clear day, you can see seemingly forever (actually more like 100 miles). Off to the north are the Santa Catalina Mountains looming high above Tucson. Moving in order in a clockwise direction are views of the Rincon, Galiuro, Winchester, Whetstone, Dragoon, Chiricahua, Pinaleño, Mustang, Sierra San Jose (in Mexico), Huachuca, Sierra la Mariquita (in Mexico), Patagonia, Tumacacori, Baboquivari and Sierrita mountains as well as the Canelo Hills. Several other landmarks visible from the summit are Mount Hopkins Observatory directly below you to the west, Baboquivari, Kitt and Picacho peaks to the north. The summit also has unparalleled views of the rocky backbone of the Santa Rita Crest as well as the Sonoita, Santa Cruz and San Pedro River valleys.
An impressive interpretive sign at the summit describes how the Forest Service used the peak for a lookout tower from the 1920s until the 1950s. The sign also describes two fire lookout towers that once stood on the summit. Today only a small section of the stone and mortar foundations remains. The summit also has two ammo boxes stuffed with notepads containing the signatures of seemingly thousands of folks who have hiked there. Rumors say several people have either run or hiked to the summit over 100 times each.
Weather permitting, the summit is a splendid place to take a break, catch your breath, snap some photographs, enjoy the spectacular scenery, and eat lunch with the resident ladybugs. Unless you’re carrying a climbing rope and hardware, the only choice is to return to Baldy Saddle the way you came.
Wayne Tomasi is the author of “Exploring the Santa Rita Mountains,” which includes extensive descriptions of virtually all of the trails on the east side of the Santa Rita Mountains, as well as lesser-known remote routes. The book is available at the Patagonia Library or it can be purchased from the author.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The February issue of the Patagonia Regional Times included an article by this author on Bathtub Tank and El Pilar. The article is an accurate description of the hike and how to access it. However, to reach Bathtub Tank and El Pilar on the Adobe Canyon Road (FR-234) requires driving through private land where there is no National Forest easement. Therefore, it is necessary to sign a register at the beginning of the private land and state your purpose for entering and comply with a strict set of rules. Visitors are also required to sign out when leaving. If visitors do not comply with these restrictions, future access could be denied.