Thimble Peak, Pusch Ridge Wilderness - Tucson
​Hike Directions

• Walk the Molino Basin Trail #11, part of the Arizona Trail from Hirabayashi trailhead located at the end of the campground road for 0.2 miles.  Follow signs to Sycamore Reservoir Trail which heads northwest, 1.0 miles from trailhead,  On your way you will pass the remains of the Catalina Federal Prison Camp and walk up a sandy wash to Shreve Saddle.
• At Shreve Saddle (Pusch Ridge Wilderness boundary), there is a sign for Sycamore Reservoir Trail #39.  It descends to the left and tracks northwest, contouring the canyon walls and then descending into the canyon bottom for 1 mile.
• At bottom of canyon, there is an intersection with a large cairn of rocks and a sign:  "Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site 2.0 miles".   If you want to check out the dam and Sycamore reservoir, take a short side hike to the left.  Return to the rock cairn and continue through Sycamore Canyon to the northwest, through a wide sandy wash that is marked well with rock cairns.  As you face away from the intersection sign, the trail is to your right, just after the rock cairn.
• Trek through the flat, sandy and rocky Sycamore Canyon for another 0.6 miles to a large rock cairn.  Turn left at this cairn, which goes over the creek and then climbs to intersect with Bear Canyon Trail #29.  There is no signpost at this intersection.  This portion is well-marked with rock cairns.
• Hike ~ 0.6 miles on this short-cut trail to intersection with Bear Canyon Trail.  Take a left (south) at this intersection and hike on the Bear Canyon Trail for another 0.6 miles up and over Thimble Saddle and arrive at Thimble Flat (4,700 feet).  Thimble Peak is first seen at the saddle.
• Leave Bear Canyon Trail at Thimble Flat at a switchback just before it descends deeply into the canyon.  This trail leads across Thimble Flat and then contours the canyon wall to the north of Thimble Peak.  In April 2019, entry to this trail was marked by a pile of branches signaling to Bear Canyon hikers not to cross onto the unmarked Thimble Peak trail.
• Arrive at the base of Thimble Peak ~ 5.4 miles from trailhead.  Walk around its base for a short distance to the right(west), to locate a large north-facing vertical crack in the rocks; this is the route to the highest point of Thimble.  According to Earthline:  The American West blog, this crack is a Class 4 climb that routes to the right of the large chockstone, then through a series of boulders, then a featureless wall requiring a rope, however, as of April 2019, there is a chain ladder to assist the climb to the top.
• The climb up the eastern highpoint of Thimble requires less exposure, but is 13' lower than its west summit.  Scott climbed up this jumble of stable boulders and spotted the ladder that goes up to the western summit, the highest point.
• Return the same way as approach.

Driving Directions
Drive the Catalina Highway northeast of Tucson.  Just past Molino Basin, turn left at the sign for Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site.  Drive 0.3 miles through the campground and park where the dirt road makes a loop at the end.  There are restrooms.