Location: The upper Green Mountain trailhead is located at the San Pedro Vista point about 17 miles up the Catalina Highway on Mount Lemmon. Remember to park here for a day hike requires a recreational pass : $5 for a day and $20 for a year.
The hike: Today my friend Nathan and I are climbing Mt. Guthrie which at 7300 feet provides great views of the Rincon Mountains and the city of Tucson. The first part of the hike is on the Green Mountain trail. After climbing over the shoulder of Green Mountain the trail descends 600 feet down the eastern side. Here the views toward the east open up with hikers able to see the Galiluro Mountain range across the San Pedro Valley as well as Mt. Graham on the New Mexico border. This forest burned during the Aspen so there are many exposed sections to the sun. Bring plenty of water. A number of trails exit the Green Mountain trail in this section including the Brush Corral trail and Maverick trail. The Brush Corral trail is a long trail which descends into the San Pedro Valley. If you do take the Brush Corral trail make sure to bring a map and compass as well as plenty of water and food. Some of these trails become faint and are hard to follow. Route finding skills are a necessity. After two miles the Green Mountain trail reaches Bear Saddle. From here the summit of Mt. Guthrie is about 1.5 miles. It is in this area that Nathan and I saw a Coatimund. This is the third one I have seen on this part of Mt. Lemmon. Keep an eye out for them on the Green Mountain and Bug Springs trails. The trail is easy to follow but there is one short section which requires scrambling across some exposed rock. Once on top I would move a little ways down the ridge to get a better view toward the north and east.
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