 |
| The saguaro grows only in southern Arizona and northern Sonora. NPS photo. |
 |
| Deer Loop Trail map. Click for larger version. |
The roughly 3.5 miles route at Saguaro National Park (East) consists of several connecting trails. As a number of trails crisscross this area, the route easily can be shortened or lengthened. The loop described here, however, tends to give the most scenic views.
The best season to hike the loop is March through May when temperatures are pleasant. Summer will be unbearably hot and winter potentially cool. Many desert plants bloom in April and May, making for a colorful view.
To reach the trailhead, from the junction of Interstate 10 and Speedway Boulevard in Tucson, take the latter east. This heads to the north side of Saguaro National Park East. Park in the pullout at the Wildhorse Trailhead on the road's right/south side.
Begin the loop by heading southwest on Wild Horse Canyon Trail. You'll pass the Shantz Trail on the right, an unnamed connector on the left, then the Creosote Trail on the right.
Growing up
Close to the road, you'll see small saguaro cactus still shorter than the shrubs they grow amid. The farther from the road you walk, though, and the saguaro quickly become much taller and are all around you.
An icon of the American West, these lords of the desert can grow up to 50 feet high and weigh several tons. With so little rainfall, decades are needed for the saguaro to reach its dominating size.
As approaching the Bajada Wash, one cool saguaro cactus to look for is one that's crested. Only about 1 in 10,000 saguaros are crested, biologists estimate. Near that sight, the Bajada Wash Trail comes in from the right and then after a bit departs to the left.
Saguaro cacti begin their lives by sprouting under small trees, such as the little leaf palo verde, growing only about an inch a year. They soon dwarf the tree and with taproots that reach a yard deep and almost 30 years in diameter, they kill the very tree that first sheltered them.
Saguaro flower
At 1 mile, the route reaches Garwood Trail. Go right/south onto it. You'll gradually head uphill.
The giant saguaro sometimes blooms only once every 35 years, so they must live an extremely long time for the species to survive. The typical saguaro stays on the earth for 150 years, but some at the national park are more than 200 years old.
Upon reaching the 1.5 mile mark, go right/west onto the Carrillo Trail. This will take you to a ridge overlooking a wash. Great views of Rincon Mountains to the southeast are to be had.
If hoping to visit when saguaro's pretty white flowers bloom, plan your hike for April through June. The flower opens during the night and closes in midafternoon.
Animal interactions
At 1.8 miles, the route comes to Deer Valley Trail. Go right/north onto it and continue downhill.
The saguaro's primary pollinators are honey bees, bats, and white-winged doves, but a variety of songbirds help as well. Pollination leads to ruby red fruits that ripen in June. Though each fruit has around 2000 seeds, only about 1 percent of them will germinate.
At 2.2 miles, the route reaches the ascent's bottom, where the Squeeze Pen Trail awaits. Take it right/northeast.
Several animals rely on the saguaro cactus not just for nourishment but as a home. The saguaro's sharp, regularly spaced thorns provide perfect protection for nests. Gila woodpeckers and gilded flickers will cut holes into the saguaro and upon moving in, other birds become squatters.
Horses and lizards
This leg of the trail passes the Bajada Vista Trail on the right. At 2.7 miles is the Vanover Trail junction; at it, continue straight-right/north onto the Kennedy Trail.
In addition to songbirds using saguaros, during any hike of this loop you're certain to see harmless small lizards darting about. Horse riders often will be about using the equestrian trails, giving you a feel of being in the Old West.
At 3.1 miles, the route arrives at the Shantz Trail junction. Turn right/northeast onto it and head back to the Wild Horse Canyon Trail, where you'll go left/north to the trailhead.
There's absolutely no shade along the loop, so if be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat. In addition, if caught in a storm do not stand near the saguaro, as it’s a natural lightning rod, having absorbed salt from the desert floor.
