Saguaro West:
1. Hohokam Road (Bajada Loop Drive).
This allows motorists a quick peek into the abundance of cactuses that characterizes both sides of the park.
2. Signal Hill.
A short trail from the picnic area leads to a rock outcropping covered with petroglyphs. These messages (still indecipherable) and pictures were the work of the Hohokam about 1,000 years ago.
3. Desert Discovery Nature Trail.
A half-mile circuit reveals the abundance of life in the seemingly bleak Sonoran Desert landscape.
4. Wasson Peak (4,687 feet).
This is the reward for at least four miles of trekking along Hugh Norris Trail on a ridge with amazing panoramic views.
Saguaro East:
1. Cactus Forest Drive.
Another circle of roadway and sample scenery for those reluctant to leave the car.
2. Freeman Homestead Trail.
The pathway loops for a mile, dropping from desert into a sandy wash and back again.
3. Desert Ecology Trail.
It’s self-guiding and covers an easy, wheelchair-accessible quarter-mile. At the end, visitors have a better understanding of how desert plants and animals use the little bit of water they get every year.
4. Manning Camp.
There are several challenging trails on this end, where the mountains are almost twice as high as in Saguaro West. Manning Camp sits at the 8,000-foot level, where weary hikers will find a small park shaded by ponderosa pines and fanned by aspen trees. A small waterfall and a lake complete the picture. The cabin on the site was built by a former Tucson mayor and now serves as summer headquarters for fire fighters and trail crews.
