Keystone Peak 6,188′
Total Time: 4:30
Distance: 8.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 1650′
Crux: Class 1
Trailhead: McGee Ranch
Companions: Holly, Steve and Cara Whittingham
Keystone Peak is somewhat dwarfed by the other ranges of Southern Arizona. Sandwiched between Mount Wrightson and Baboquivari, the comparatively smaller summit doesn’t see too much traffic. But it is prominent enough to land on Arizona’s AZ P2K list, one of many I’ve had yet to do in Southern Arizona. With storms expected on the higher summits in the area, it seemed like a good choice for a shorter hike with a lower chance of rain. A fire road goes entirely to the summit to service a small antennae farm at the top, gated at the base of the mountain at McGee Ranch. After a short drive from Tucson, we parked at a large water tank near the gate and started up the road.
We passed a few homes near the start as well as the McGee Family Cemetery just off the road. I was a bit tempted to enter, but didn’t want to be disrespectful as we hiked along.
The grade was gentle, 1,600′ over 4 miles, and we slowly walked uphill with the views of Mount Lemmon and Mount Mica improving behind us. We reached a junction after a series of switchbacks in the road and continued straight, winding through a canyon with a small retention pond below and a few scattered deer. After slowly winding through several more canyons, we reached an old barn with a picnic area and fire pit. IMO, it seemed like it would be a bit creepy to camp by the old structure….
We used the shade of the nearby trees before continuing on and reaching the main north- south ridgeline of the summit of Keystone Peak, giving us the first look at Baboquivari, Kitt Peak and Coyote Peaks just across the valley. I was again impressed by the granite domes in Mendoza Canyon, and made another mental note to try to get there sometime this season.
The road looped around the summit skirting the towers to the west before hooking around to the south ridge. We walked up to the highpoint near one of the buildings, found a cairn but no register, and sat down to enjoy the views to the west.
The clouds to the east seemed to be building and rather than risk getting caught out in one of the last monsoons of the season, we started back down the way we came. There was a surprising number of deer on the descent, probably passing 10-15 along with a few cows off the road closer to the trailhead. We saw no other hikers all day, and the clouds seemed to part just before reaching the car. Perhaps we would have stayed dry on the higher summits after all… We hopped in the car and headed back to Tucson, another AZ P2K ticked off the list.
What a completely sweet entry!