#1 of 24 sights in Saguaro
Sight · Saguaro National Park
More than 200 Hohokam petroglyphs on a short desert hill walk.
Overview
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Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Saguaro Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Saguaro National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Saguaro audio tourRecorded for this place
Signal Hill Petroglyphs“You're approaching Signal Hill, where more than two hundred Hohokam petroglyphs cover the dark boulders. Keep this stop if you want a little history alongside the cactus scenery.”
Plays as you drive up to Signal Hill in the Parkwolf Saguaro Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Signal Hill is a low, rocky hill in Saguaro's Tucson Mountain District, just north of the picnic area. More than 200 Hohokam petroglyphs cover its boulders, making this the park's best place to see its rock art. A short trail crosses a wash and climbs the hill, with desert and mountain views opening up around it. If you want more than a cactus-lined drive, keep this one near the top of your list.
The path from the picnic area is short, but the final climb is uneven and stepped. The trail isn't ADA accessible, so the carvings aren't reachable by wheelchair. Stay on the marked path: the panels are fragile, and touching or stepping on the carved rock can damage them.
Look for geometric, human-like and animal-like shapes. Many were pecked through the dark desert varnish, exposing lighter stone underneath. The contrast makes the designs stand out; some old marks have darkened again as the varnish slowly forms over them.
The National Park Service attributes the carvings to the Hohokam, who lived in southern and central Arizona from about A.D. 450 to 1450. It estimates the Signal Hill images were made roughly 550 to 1,550 years ago, but direct dating is difficult and that range is broad. There isn't a reliable way to assign a meaning to each panel. Ideas such as stories, markers or wishes are speculation, and the artists' intent may be unknowable.
The picnic area and trails were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Parking, picnic tables, grills and restrooms make it easy to stay a little longer. For photos, frame a carved boulder with the saguaros and ridge beyond, then turn toward the open valley from the hilltop for a very different view.
Wildlife
19 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
56 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
266 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
113 sightingsCollared PeccaryMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
53 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
127 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Saguaro. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateCactus Wren/Signal Hill/Manville Loop4.3 mi · 2.3 hr · At the trailheadA 4.3-mile loop past petroglyphs and through saguaro flats.EasySignal Hill Trail0.3 mi · 30 min · At the trailheadA quick rocky climb to Hohokam petroglyphs and desert views.
EasyWild Dog Trail1.8 mi · 1.2 hr · 1.1 mi awayA 1.8-mile desert walk from Valley View to the Signal Hill turnoff.
EasyValley View Overlook Nature Trail0.8 mi · 36 min · 1.1 mi awayWash crossings lead to a wide desert view with ridge benches.
EasyBajada Wash Trail4 mi · 2 hr · 1.3 mi awayA sandy wash walk among saguaros below close desert hills.
ChallengingHugh Norris Trail to Wasson Peak10 mi · 5.8 hr · 1.3 mi awayA cactus-lined climb to the broad, bare summit of Wasson Peak.
ModerateHugh Norris Big Loop6.6 mi · 4 hr · 1.3 mi awayDesert ridgeline views, sharp switchbacks, and a loop through two washes.
EasyCactus Wren/Encinas/Manville Loop1.7 mi · 45 min · 1.7 mi awayA short, mostly level loop through classic Sonoran desert.Sight · 1 mi awayValley View OverlookA short cactus walk opens onto Avra Valley and its distant ridges.
Picnic area · 1.3 mi awaySus Picnic AreaA shaded picnic stop with a little CCC history.
Picnic area · 2.3 mi awayEz-Kim-In-Zin Picnic AreaA stone shelter turns a desert picnic into a proper stop.
Picnic area · 2.5 mi awaySendero Esperanza Picnic AreaA simple picnic stop at the end of Golden Gate Road
Visitor center · 2.5 mi awayRed Hills Visitor CenterStart here for desert exhibits, trail advice, and Red Hills views.
Scenic pullout · 2.8 mi awayKinney Road Sunset PulloutA quick sunset stop with only four parking spaces.
Picnic area · 3.3 mi awayCam-Boh Picnic AreaA shaded meal stop with Panther and Safford peaks to the north.
Sight · 3.3 mi awayGould MineCopper mine ruins reached by a desert hike.Parkwolf’s Saguaro ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
