Bridal Wreath Falls and Little Wildhorse Tank Loop

Bridal Wreath Falls and Little Wildhorse Tank Loop is a long circuit through Saguaro’s Rincon foothills: 8.3 miles from Douglas Spring Trailhead, with a short out-and-back to Bridal Wreath Falls, another to Little Wildhorse Tank, and a road walk to close the loop. The route line measures 8.28 miles; you may also see it rounded to 8. Allow four to six hours and expect about 1,050 feet of climbing. The reward is two very different water-shaped stops and broad valley views. The tradeoff is a half-day of rocky footing, wash crossings and junctions that need attention.

Take Douglas Spring Trail away from the parking area to the Three Tank junction, continue a little farther to the Bridal Wreath Falls fork, then retrace to Three Tank. Follow Three Tank west to Carrillo, then Carrillo to Wildhorse. Detour south to Little Wildhorse Tank and back; continue north on Wildhorse to its separate trailhead. That exit is roughly 0.2 mile west of your car on East Speedway, so walk the road back to finish the loop. Dogs are not allowed on this route.

Three Tank Trail climbs across drainage cuts to a saddle around 3,800 feet, where the view opens over the Santa Cruz Valley toward the Tucson Mountains. The open grass-and-brush flat above the falls drainage grew over land burned in the 1989 Chiva Fire. Lower down, Mica Tank can be hidden in the wash; Steel Tank is the conspicuous rusted basin. “Tanks” here are old livestock-water places: only Steel Tank is a standing structure, while the others are seasonal pools.

The short southern spur crosses a red-and-gray wash, climbs above a string of bedrock pools and drops to a gravel edge in the shade. The tank is a seasonal rain- and snow-fed pool, not a water source to count on. Retrace the spur to Wildhorse before continuing north.

Expect sandy tread, stone steps, rocky drainages and repeated short climbs. Much of the route is exposed, so carry all your drinking water and start early on hot-season days; neither the falls nor the tanks are dependable. Bajada Wash is the easiest place to lose the line: follow the broad channel north/downstream for about a tenth of a mile and look on the right for the worn exit at a leftward bend.

The Douglas Spring hike to Bridal Wreath Falls and back is about 5.9 miles and skips the tank circuit. A separate 6.4-mile Garwood Dam and Wildhorse Tank Loop reaches Little Wildhorse Tank but does not visit Bridal Wreath Falls.