This album consists of visual waypoints for hikers attempting climb Cat Mountain via the Northwest Ridge.
Big and Little Cats
Little Cat Mountain on the left, Cat Mountain on the right. From the parking lot/trailhead it’s a deceptive viewpoint since Cat is bigger than Little Cat.
Coming Up on the Cat
Cat Mountain as you approach from the Starr Pass Trail
From Explorer Intersection
An imposing view up from the intersection with the Explorer Trail.
Trail Sign
Trail sign at Explorer junction.
Lower Peak
A lower peak as you begin the upward slog.
Class 3 Scramble
Some Class 3 scrambling on the way up.
Second Peak
Another subpeak on the way up.
Class 4 Scramble
The hardest part about these scrambles is that there always seems to be a bush or a cactus where the good handholds are.
Fake Rock
The fake rock at Cat Mountain summit housing the Sheriff’s Department radio repeater.
East View
The view east towards Kitt Peak.
Southeast View
Southeast view towards South Tucson and the airport.
Northeast View
View northeast towards downtown.
Downhill scrambling.
Going down is easier than going up, but there’s some very sketchy footing down some of the scrambles. You can see the Starr Pass trail in the upper right.
Scramble Size
You can see another hiker in the middle of the screen wearing a yellow shirt, this gives you an idea of the terrain.
It’s a Rough Life
Animal skeleton along the "trail"
From the Bottom
The best view, when you’re done! If you look closely you can see the other hiker in the middle of the two large boulders on the left upper side.
Flat Lands
Back to the flat lands and the easy trails as you head back to the parking lot.
Little Cat
You could easily do a quick walkup of Little Cat mountain as well if you have the time. The trail starts at the same intersection where you turn and go up Cat Mountain, just turn left instead of right.
