Little Wildhorse Tank

Little Wildhorse Tank is a natural tinaja, a pool in the rocky stream channel of Wildhorse Canyon in Saguaro's Rincon Mountain District. It is one of the park's more reliable natural water stops, but the level and flow still vary; one visitor found the tank dry in March 2025. Come for the shaded pool and its unusual recovery story, not as a drive-up stop.

From Wildhorse Trailhead, follow Wildhorse Trail and the final 0.3-mile spur for 1.9 miles one way, 3.8 miles round trip. From Douglas Spring Trailhead, the route via Douglas Spring and Garwood is 2.2 miles one way, 4.4 miles round trip.

The last spur ends in Wildhorse Canyon. On the Douglas Spring approach, the route crosses five major desert stream channels before reaching the tank. The park prohibits stock beyond the Wildhorse-Carrillo junction on the spur.

Flow is most likely after rain, especially summer monsoon rain. Stay out of the washes during storms; flash floods can race through these channels.

The 1989 Chiva Fire stripped vegetation from the steep slopes above the tank. Erosion carried enough sediment downhill to fill the deep pool within 15 years, wiping out habitat for nearly all aquatic species. After slope stabilization, the tank had re-formed to more than 20 feet deep by 2018, and aquatic habitat had returned.

The pool sits below pale, weathered bedrock, with smaller potholes in the same seasonal stream channel. The final path drops to a gravelly edge beside the shade. A park-managed repeat-photo station at Wildhorse Pools records seasonal changes in the water and riparian plants such as deer grass and desert cotton.

From the bank, include the pale rock ledges on both sides of the water; they show how the channel narrows around the pool. A saguaro on the ridge adds the desert setting and a sense of scale.