Wilderness of Rocks Trail

The Wilderness of Rocks Trail is a rugged route in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness that sees light traffic. If you want to feel off the beaten path, this is a perfect pick. The route descends along the river through the pines, with flowing water and pools trickling beside you. The way back is where it gets spicy, with the elevation gain mostly occurring on the return trip.

This route can get a bit overgrown because of the lack of traffic, so we recommend long pants and a downloaded trail map. Bring lots of water with you–sometimes the sources you’d filter are flowing well, and other times they’re not. Finally, we recommend hiking this route in a group as users report spotting mountain lions near the trail.

From the trailhead, the path heads west through a gulch. Some of the only ascending you’ll do on the outbound trip happens here, but then the trail begins to descend once you’re through the junction with FS 93. You’ll descend alongside a river underneath Mount Lemmon. You’ll round the tops of canyons and enjoy the river and pines as you near Romero Pass. From the Pass, follow a ridgeline and descend through a set of wide switchbacks to the trail’s end at a Y-junction. From here, the trail home follows the same path, but it’s mostly uphill from here.