The Mount Wrightson area is full of great forest hikes but most of the popular hikes are located in the Madera Canyon area. We decided to try something a little bit different and went with the Quantrell Mine Trail which is located on the lesser-visited west side of the Mount Wrightson area. In this article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Quantrell Mine Trail.
Quantrell Mine Trail Overview
The Quantrell Mine Trail is one of my favorite hikes in the Mount Wrightson area. It has a pretty gradual incline and offers great views of the Santa Cruz Valley, the Santa Rita foothills, and Elephant Head along with a diverse range of vegetation and a unique mine feature. The only downside with the hike is that it is overgrown. Pants are strongly recommended.
- Distance: 5.1 miles
- Elevation Gain: 967 feet
- Route Type: Out and back
- Pets: ?
- Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
- Time needed: 2 to 2.5 hours
Getting to the trailhead
The trail is in the Mount Wrightson area but it’s not located nearby the popular trailheads for hikes like the Bog Spring to Sylvester Spring Loop, Old Baldy Trail, Madera Canyon Nature Trail etc.
Instead, it’s located in a lower elevation area (~4,500 ft) on the west side of the Mount Wrightson area.
The Quantrell Mine Trail is one of those trailheads that is easy to miss.
We found it using the following GPS directions:
Elephant Head Trail, Unnamed Road, Green Valley, AZ 85614
If you are coming from the Tucson area you will head south on interstate 19 until you get to the Canoa Road Exit. Take the east frontage road 3 miles south to Elephant Head Road.
You will then spur off on South Mount Hompkins Road. Drive about 4.5 miles to FR 183.
Eventually you will need to turn north onto a dirt road for about 2.4 miles. It’s a graded road so you don’t need a 4×4 although I did enjoy having the Jeep Grand Cherokee on this path (I saw a sedan parked at the trailhead so it shouldn’t be a big deal if you don’t have a 4×4 assuming no weather issues).
We arrived right around sunrise and the bunnies were out like crazy — we had to have seen at least 20 of them! They will dart into the road like little fury kamikazes so be on the lookout.
You will continue down this road until you come to a wooden dead end sign. There will be a parking area to the right and you should be able to find a spot given how unpopular this trail is and how much space there was.
As you are leaving the parking area the trailhead is going to be across the road and towards your left and it is small so it could be easy to miss. Don’t continue to walk to the right (downhill) on the dirt road because that does not lead to the trail.
Be careful about driving past the dead end because you may not be able to turn around!
Trail conditions
Overall, the Quantrell Mine Trail is easy to follow but there is significant overgrowth throughout the route.
In some cases, you will have to head through prickly and thorny bushes so pants are strongly recommended. There are a couple of slightly exposed areas that are made a little bit more difficult due to overgrowth.
Route description
The route starts off pretty flat and winds through a narrow path. (I believe this is also a mountain biking route as well.)
In this area, you will encounter a lot of ocotillo and the beautiful violet Santa Rita prickly pear. If you were looking for one of the best places to find Santa Rita prickly pear, this trail could be one of them.
We saw a ton of these large black beatles during the hike. I’m not sure what kind they are but they stick out big-time.
We did this hike in July well after the prickly pears bloomed but I could imagine how beautiful it would be during the peak of the blooming in the spring. We may have to go back next April.
For the first half mile you will go through a slight elevation gain and then you will dip down about 150 feet. Some views will start to open up nicely as you enter the canyon area.
This portion of the trail was also swarming with large ants. It was actually pretty incredible to see, so keep an eye on those (and don’t lollygag).
The decline is pretty short and soon enough you will be gearing up for the main incline of the hike.
About 1 mile into the hike you get spit out at a trail junction, which was an old mine road.
Be sure to pay special attention to what the trail junction looks like because it is very easy to pass up on the way back and is exactly what happened to us….
Shortly after that trail junction you’ll come across an entrance to a mine area with plenty of warnings that will likely scare the s*** out of you.
You will continue uphill at a decent incline. The views of the canyon early on are pretty impressive.
You’ll eventually enter the Mount Wrightson wilderness area.
At this point, the trail climbs along the edge of the mountain. It’s a long drop off but the path is pretty wide and not too exposed.
If you are doing this hike early in the morning, you will have complete shade on your way up making it a lot more tolerable.
The biggest issue at times was just dealing with the overgrowth and getting my legs scratched up by sotol and other thorny culprits. We actually had to pull a friggin’ tick out of Brad’s leg after this hike that must’ve hitched a ride while we were brushing against all these weeds and bushes!
This portion of the trail really is beautiful and you’ll encounter a lot more juniper, pine, and oak along the way. I always love the transition in vegetation in the 5,000 foot range. You never know what you might come across. Prickly pear cactus next to a pine tree? Sure.
This was when the sun first started to hit us but it actually felt pretty perfect early in the morning.
The trail then wraps around the mountain and opens up to some beautiful views of Elephant Head — the large rocky structure in front of you. It actually looks like a pretty cool place to explore so I may have to look into trails heading up it.
It’s a pretty flat stretch of the hike after you wrap around the mountain so just enjoy the sights as you make your way to the mine.
The mine feature is pretty interesting.
You can see a lot of the remnants from the mine’s loading facilities and it’s pretty cool to walk around the rocky slopes. Apparently a lot of gold, silver and lead ore came out of the spot.
After hanging out at the mine in the shade for a few minutes we decided to head back. It’s a pretty easy hike on the way down since it is not too steep and you have more great views to enjoy.
Final word
Overall, this was a great hike. It had awesome views especially for the work required for them. I also liked that it had a diverse range of vegetation and a cool mine feature. The biggest problem is that there is a good amount of overgrowth but that could have been avoided by wearing pants.