Picnic area · Saguaro National Park
A shaded picnic stop with a little CCC history.
Overview
Map
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
Sus Picnic Area“Sus Picnic Area is coming up, the closest picnic stop to Red Hills Visitor Center. If you're ready for a sit-down meal, its roofed ramada shelters three tables, with more tables nearby.”
Plays as you drive up to Sus Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Saguaro Tour Guide.
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Guide
Sus is a developed picnic area beside Bajada Loop Drive in Saguaro’s Tucson Mountain District. It’s the picnic area closest to Red Hills Visitor Center. The roofed ramada shelters three tables, with more tables nearby. I’d use it for a sit-down meal during a west-side drive rather than a quick roadside pause.
The site has grills, parking, a restroom, a trailhead and picnic tables; it’s marked wheelchair accessible. The restroom type isn’t specified, and potable water isn’t confirmed, so bring what you need. Access depends on Bajada Loop Drive, so check current conditions before heading out.
Civilian Conservation Corps crews built picnic facilities at Sus in the 1930s. That gives an ordinary meal stop a small connection to the public works that helped develop this part of the park.
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
EasyBajada Wash Trail4 mi · 2 hr · 0.1 mi awayA sandy wash walk among saguaros below close desert hills.
ChallengingHugh Norris Trail to Wasson Peak10 mi · 5.8 hr · 0.5 mi awayA cactus-lined climb to the broad, bare summit of Wasson Peak.
ModerateHugh Norris Big Loop6.6 mi · 4 hr · 0.5 mi awayDesert ridgeline views, sharp switchbacks, and a loop through two washes.
EasyDesert Discovery Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 0.6 mi awayA gentle paved loop among saguaros, with signs about desert life.
EasyWild Dog Trail1.8 mi · 1.2 hr · 0.9 mi awayA 1.8-mile desert walk from Valley View to the Signal Hill turnoff.
EasyValley View Overlook Nature Trail0.8 mi · 36 min · 0.9 mi awayWash crossings lead to a wide desert view with ridge benches.
ModerateCactus Wren/Signal Hill/Manville Loop4.3 mi · 2.3 hr · 1.2 mi awayA 4.3-mile loop past petroglyphs and through saguaro flats.EasySignal Hill Trail0.3 mi · 30 min · 1.3 mi awayA quick rocky climb to Hohokam petroglyphs and desert views.Sight · 0.6 mi awayValley View OverlookA short cactus walk opens onto Avra Valley and its distant ridges.Sight · 1.3 mi awaySignal HillMore than 200 Hohokam petroglyphs on a short desert hill walk.
Visitor center · 1.4 mi awayRed Hills Visitor CenterStart here for desert exhibits, trail advice, and Red Hills views.
Scenic pullout · 1.7 mi awayKinney Road Sunset PulloutA quick sunset stop with only four parking spaces.
Picnic area · 2.6 mi awayEz-Kim-In-Zin Picnic AreaA stone shelter turns a desert picnic into a proper stop.
Picnic area · 2.7 mi awaySendero Esperanza Picnic AreaA simple picnic stop at the end of Golden Gate Road
Sight · 2.8 mi awayGould MineCopper mine ruins reached by a desert hike.
Picnic area · 3.2 mi awayMam-A-Gah Picnic AreaA covered picnic stop with desert views, nearly a mile uphill.Parkwolf’s Saguaro ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
