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Oct 10, 2021 — Mica Mountain is the high point of the Rincon Mountains, and reaching its summit from any direction requires a long hike. I originally planned to hike Mica Mountain and Rincon Peak from the Miller Creek Trailhead and continue north from Rincon Peak in order to get both peaks in a day. After more thought, I was more excited to experience more of the range and instead split the two peaks up into separate hikes. This also reduced the hike length a bit, which is saying a lot since this was a 26+ mile day already. My plan change resulted in accessing Mica Mountain via what I believe is the more standard route, which uses the Douglas Spring Trailhead. Generally people do this hike as a backpacking trip due to its length, but I couldn't imagine spending more than a day in this area. A note from my friend Kevin: "The key to finishing this hike is a good battery and internet connect. It is imperative you have a friend to make fun of or you'll get too bored to finish."
The hike is long and mostly uninteresting, but you get the benefit of hiking through the significant landscape transformation from saguaro cacti-riddled desert to the ponderosa pine forest at the higher altitude. There was also the occasional expansive view into the desert below, but being that Mica Mountain is just a big green hump, the views got old quickly. Needless to say I was delighted to be back to my car by the end of the day. In hindsight, the route from the east via the Miller Creek Trail is a lot more interesting and I kind of wish I had just done Mica and Rincon as one big day. I don't mean to sound so negative about this hike; if you like solitude and long, boring walks, you'll love this one.
I started out at the Douglas Spring Trailhead within Saguaro National Park, a popular trailhead used for accessing Bridal Wreath Falls. The hike heads through the desert along the Douglas Spring Trail. A couple of miles into the hike a spur trail leads away to get to Bridal Wreath Falls, but I couldn't be bothered to check it out with how many miles I had ahead of me. Past this junction the number of people I saw was reduced to zero except for a small group of backpackers later in the day. The Douglas Spring Trail wound through the desert with some pretty uninspired scenery overall as it led to the Douglas Spring Campground. I could see the colossal green hump of Mica Mountain still so far in the distance.
Once I reached the Douglas Spring Camground (yay it had a bathroom!), I crossed a lightly trickling creek and continued south on the trail up to Cow Head Saddle. Along this section I could visibly see the desert fade away, enter brushy terrain, and then ascend to taller trees. Though not steep, I thought this was the most dramatic change in the landscape for the hike. Cow Head Saddle is a junction of multiple trails, and I continued east along the western ridge of Mica Mountain by taking the Cow Head Saddle Trail. The trail continues to be easy to follow as it ascends the mountain, sections of scrubby flora giving way to open views. One spot even had a nice lookout toward Rincon Peak to the south. I mostly just tried to rush through the hike since I was growing increasingly bored. Helens Dome came into view. I was tempted to try to summit this intimidating-looking rocky dome, but it seemed like it would be a significant undertaking. Instead I passed by the dome and entered a pleasant forested section that continued to the base of Spud Rock. I highly recommend taking the very short detour to this unranked peak because it's the by far the best views of the day, since Mica Mountain offers none. A social trail wraps to the right of Spud Rock's base and to its slickrock summit.
It was a short hike to Mica Mountain after leaving Spud Rock, but I didn't stay long amongst the trees since I now had to go back the 13+ miles. Lovely.
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