Santa Cruz County High Point Trip Report

Mount Wrightson

Date: February 3, 2004
Author: Scott Casterlin

An update on parking lot construction in Madera Canyon: the trailhead parking lot for the standard routes up Wrightson, from "Roundup" in Madera Canyon, has been undergoing reconstruction for a couple months now and will certainly be closed for at least another couple months. All hikers still wanting to use the Super or Old Baldy Trails have to park a ways back down the road and add 2.7 miles each way to their hike, resulting in a minimum 16 mile, 4,600 foot round-trip walk to the top.

The $5 fee to park still applies, but Sabino/Catalina passes will cover it. Other routes to the top include Florida, accessed from the north, and Gardner Canyon from the east, each with their own special challenges. Snow sits on the mountain right now and more will fall tomorrow night. You might want to wait until summer for this one.