Elephant Head

Elephant Head is a prominent 1000'+ formation on the western edge of the Santa Rita Mountains just south of Tucson. While the area is most popular for bikers and hikers, some adventurous climbing can be done here and in the surrounding area.

A handful of routes ascend the various faces of Elephant Head, and all are a relatively serious undertaking with 'epic' potential. Routefinding can be difficult due to minimal traffic on these routes. Rock quality ranges from excellent to utterly horrible, depending on the terrain. While there are routes ascending the north, west and south sides of the mountain, descents are typically made down the hiker's route, via the saddle east of Elephant Head.

Due to its relatively low elevation, this area is only climbable from autumn to late spring, unless you like heat and punishment.