Trip report
Nov 11, 2019 — Golden Gate Mountain and Bren Benchmark are a couple of desert peaks just south of Tucson that overall aren't super interesting, but made for a nice outing. Initially I intended to just head up Golden Gate Mountain, but I saw Bren Benchmark from the summit of Golden Gate and decided to give it a go.
From the David Yetman West Trailhead, I followed the obvious trail up the saddle of Golden Gate Mountain and Bren Benchmark, looking for a cairn marking the route for Golden Gate Mountain. I located it shortly after descending on the other side of the saddle, and cairns and a faint social trail worked up a steep slope with some Class 2, avoiding most of the cactus unpleasantness. The summit was nice, but Bren Benchmark called me from across the saddle, so I didn't stay for long. I descended and then went back to the saddle, where I started up a mostly cactus-free steep slope on my way up to Bren Benchmark. I droppped into a good-looking gully that led to the summit ridge of Bren Benchmark. This gully was overall okay, but did have some pricklies and rocky terrain. The ascent had no trail and was loose and not particularly fun. Once on the summit ridge, I bagged both highpoints before heading back, unsure which was higher.