Mount Hopkins is the second-most prominent mountain in the Santa Rita Range in southern Arizona, about midway between Tucson and Nogales. Situated west of the range highpoint Mount Wrightson, Mount Hopkins is an attractive pointed mountaintop housing the Whipple Observatory. The giant blocky observatory building sits smack on the very summit*, and is visible from many miles away. A narrow paved road snakes to the summit, but a far more rewarding hiking route starts from the popular Madera Canyon to the north, with a variety of trails and options for loop hikes.

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