Jack Mountain (AZ)

March 19, 2017

2274m

Tucson / I-19 Corridor, AZ

Not to be confused with the mighty Jack Mountain in the North Cascades of Washington state, this one is more of a forested pimple in the southern Arizona state. It’s right beside the famed Mt. Wrightson and none but those die-hard peak-baggers would bother to attempt. There’s a trail leading to near the summit and the last 100 feet or so is done by some light bushwhacking. Most of the views are obstructed but you do get a good perspective looking at the steep west face of Mt. Wrightson.

Jack Mountain ascent route

For obvious reasons my primary objective was Mt. Wrightson so the approach and return is all written in Mt. Wrightson’s trip report. Needless to say my motivation was almost burnt down to zero after summitting Mt. Wrightson and then Josephine Peak but I like to give myself pressure when it comes to this peak-bagging thing, so at Josephine Saddle I took a short break, and then pressed on. I followed the trail to pretty much the broad north ridge and then aimed straight towards the summit which was dead easy.

A good trail heading up from Josephine Saddle

Looking north towards the desert floor

A southern view into Mexico from the summit

Me on the summit of Jack Mountain

The best view from here – looking back at Mt. Wrightson

A closer look at the west face of Mt. Wrightson

This is Josephine Peak – also bagged in this day

Other steep cliffs on Mt. Wrightson massif

A zoomed-in view northwards towards Tucson area

Overall I would certainly not recommend Jack Mountain and it serves only to increase the number of your peaks’ list by one, although the summit is official so it is legitimate. Other than this I can’t come up with another reason to do Jack Mountain and even if you are “right there”, it’s probably a better idea to save energy for your next day.