"An easy hike in Tucson Mountain Park along the top of a desert ridge with 50-mile views. Special Considerations: During the hot summer months, plan to hike early in the day and carry plenty of water.

Head south toward the east end of Brown Mountain, staying right at two unsigned trail junctions. After the second junction, the trail turns sharply northwest and starts to climb the east slopes of Brown Mountain. As you climb, the views expand. Visible to the southeast, at the foot of the mountain, is the Brown Mountain Picnic Area, and beyond it, Gilbert Ray Campground. Once on the ridge crest, the trail more or less follows the crest northwest. There is a great variety of saguaros along the trail, including a number of young saguaros only about 5 or 6 feet tall."

--Bruce Grubbs, A FalconGuide to Saguaro National Park & the Santa Catalina Mountains (Falcon Guides).

"Administered by Pima County, Tucson Mountain Park serves as a 20,000-acre extension of Saguaro National Park West, or perhaps it is the other way around since the county park was
established in 1928, ?ve years prior to Saguaro National Park’s designation as a national monument.

Among the many miles of hiking trails that lace the county park, a particularly nice loop route climbs up and over its namesake, Brown Mountain. In addition to providing plenty of ?ne desert scenery, this trail also accesses some nice desert plant life."

--Scott S. Warren, 100 Classic Hikes Arizona (The Mountaineers Books).

"Brown Mountain is an easy hike, located in Tucson Mountain Park, along the top of a desert ridge with 50-mile views. Although the mountain is small, it is a classic sample of the delightful mix of vegetation that makes the Sonoran Desert the lushest of the four North American deserts.

Head south toward the east end of Brown Mountain, staying right at two unsigned trail junctions. After the second junction, the trail turns sharply northwest and starts to climb the east slopes of Brown Mountain. As you climb, the views expand. Visible to the southeast, at the foot of the mountain, is the Brown Mountain Picnic Area and, beyond it, Gilbert Ray Campground. Once on the ridge crest, the trail more or less follows the crest northwest. There is a great variety of saguaros along the trail, including a number of young saguaros only about 5 or 6 feet tall."

--Bruce Grubbs, Best Easy Day Hikes: Tucson (Falcon Guides).

"This easy loop along the crest of Brown Mountain in Tucson Mountain Park uses the Brown Mountain Trail and the Cougar Trail. Views of both the Tucson Mountains and the sweeping Sonoran Desert to the southwest are spectacular. As a bonus, plan to spend some time at the nearby Arizona Sonora Desert Museum which displays plants and animals of this lush desert region.

From the trailhead, walk south on the trail toward the Brown Mountain Picnic Area for 0.3 mile, then turn right on the Brown Mountain Trail. The trail climbs the southeast ridge of Brown Mountain, soon reaching the crest. As it follows the ridge northwest, you’re treated to a series of views of the Tucson Mountains and Avra Valley."

--Bruce Grubbs, Best Loop Hikes Arizona (The Mountaineers Books).