Kellogg Mountain
March 20, 2017
2561m
Tucson / Santa Catalina Mountains, AZ
Kellogg Mountain is rather just a rounded bump attached to the east side of the taller Mt. Bigelow in the Santa Catalina Mountains north-east of the city of Tucson. The access is from Mt. Lemmon Highway and then the Incinerator Trail directly south of the Kellogg/Bigelow dual. From the col the ascent of Kellogg Mountain requires some brief off-trail travel but that’s about it. I did it as part of my peak-bagging slam along Mt. Lemmon Highway and earlier in the day I’ve already bagged Barnum Rock and Leopold Point.
The parking was a little bit confusing as I could have started from the Palisade Ranger Station or another pull out before that which I forget about the name, but either way I could pick up the Incinerator Ridge access trail. Gaining Kellogg/Bigelow col was very easy using this trail and from the col I turned right. Not knowing where should I aim for I went too far on climber’s right (south) side and got myself into some 8-foot desert brambles. I tried pushing through but it’s nearly impossible so had to turn around and find another way, and I did manage to find a much-easier route on the north side. The summit was largely forested so there’s not much point in lingering.
After retracing my route back to Kellogg/Bigelow col it’s time to focus on Mt. Bigelow.