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Summary: As you look toward the Santa Catalinas from Tucson, a distinctive landmark resembles a closed hand with the index finger extended to make a #1 sign. This is finger rock, a 200 foot rock formation, with the extended finger at about 80 feet. The Hike starts out easy for the first mile, then progressively gets harder as the trail begins to steepen. Continue hiking along the right side of Finger Rock canyon for about an hour and a half to about 5000 feet elevation level. This is right after several sections of steep hiking up rock slabs. The trail levels out and turns right (east) but you DO NOT. From this look out area, walk north towards the canyon and you will find a trail down into it and back out which can be followed to a saddle just northeast of the Finger. Follow this up steep, loose gullies to a the saddle of the west side of the Finger. Note: look closely for trail markers after crossing the canyon, they become more spread out, every 50' or so. Trailhead: At the corner of Sunrise Blvd, and Swan Rd., head north up swan, until you reach Skyline Rd., and make a left (west). Continue west on skyline until Alvernon Way and make a right (North). Take Alvernon Way North until it dead ends into the parking lot and trailhead. There is no Fee. (Lat:32.33645 Lon:-110.91049) Trail Guides for Finger Rock: Tucson Hiking Guide by Betty Leavengood (Pruett Publishing Company) Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Winter, User Groups: Hikers, Ranger Contact: Santa Catalina Ranger District 520-670-4552 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Lawrence Knight, who has posted 5 other hikes on this site. To visit this reporters web site, click here. Trail Reviews Page 1 of 6 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by Jill on 5/7/2012 Error: Reserved Word Found: --
Reviewed by Tricia S. on 4/20/2012 Good steep hike. Was hot day out, left at 1100 and went to Mt. Kimball summit and back. Next time will begin earlier to avoid the heat. Recommend good hiking shoes for traction and toe protection. One rattler on trail before Linda Vista. Pretty views from top.
Reviewed by Joe on 2/28/2012 I went up today on a beautiful cool day. The "6 miles" shown on this page is just wrong. It's about 3.2 miles to the departure from the Mt. Kimball trail, as described above. From here you've got at least a half mile to cross the canyon and get up to the finger. Figure more like 7.5 miles round trip.
Reviewed by Tom on 11/3/2011 It seems that most of the recent reviews of this hike are for the trail going to the top of Mount Kimbal rather than to Finger Rock proper. If you intend to go to Finger Rock, read the older reviews (ie, prior to 2009!). This is a grueling hike. I don't know where the 4.5 hours comes from. It seems that it takes at least 6 hours round trip. We only made it as high as 5800' elevation after 3 hours before giving up and turning back.
Reviewed by Gary on 3/6/2011 Early March, 80 & breezy, I set out from Finger Rock trailhead with the goal of Mt. Kimble. It is a very good but challenging hike, at least for a relatively unexperienced hiker like me (East Coast!). As a marathon runner with good stamina (I ran the first mile into the canyon), the climbing itself was not difficult. But several miles in, sections became too slippery (light dirt on smooth rock) for my running shoes and I felt too insecure of my footing to go any farther. At one point I started to slip towards the edge, so I turned around. Going back down the steep parts not so easy either. So whatever the solution is for that, be prepared! I also learned the lesson, known to experienced hikers, is to never go alone on a tough hike 
Reviewed by SJH on 7/12/2010 I had just hiked this trail today, went to the top, just east of finger rock. We left at about 0630, if I were to do it again I would leave around 0515 or so(just be cautious of snakes in the early hours). The trail was much more difficult than I had originally anticipated. The first section to the vista was not too bad. After trekking down into the ravine it is nearly straight up in some places, or at least it seemed that way. I think its reasonable to make it to the top in about 3 hours going at a decent pace. Getting to the very top you have to do a bit of rock climbing but it is not too bad if you are in good shape. The view is worth it at the top as you can see most of Tucson and in the other direction you can see past the biosphere.
Reviewed by Jeffrey on 5/3/2010 MAY-02-2010: This hike is as brutal as the canyon is beautiful. I am not quite sure what trail the initial review is talking about! I went to the Mount Kimball summit and Sierra Club says that a 10 mile round trip with 4200 feet elevation gain. This was my first "A" hike of 2010 and it took 9 hours to complete because my conditioning fell short of what the trail demands. There are hundreds of boulders to negotiate and very few easy walking trail segments. It was a very cool and overcast day with strong winds and a few sprinkles. My 100 ounce hydration pack was barely adequate and there is no water to be found along the hike. I suspect that a lot of people get in serious trouble during warmer weather. Be sure to carry about 1500 calo
Reviewed by Doug on 1/14/2010 This is a pretty difficult hike, with numerous stretches that are very steep and poor footing. The hike to Mt. Kimball is 10+ miles. View at the top of Mt. Kimball spectacular. Be sure and go to the far east rock outcropping on top, where you get a terrific view of Mt Lemmon, and all points north and west. Took about 7 hours round trip, and going down took almost as long as coming up. Recommend you have a copy of Betty Leavengood's Tucson Hiking Guide, which will keep you on the trail, when the trail gets a little difficult to follow. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: Arizona Hiking, Arizona Trails, Arizona Hikes, Pima County Hiking, Pima County Trails, Pima County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
