Parking
Start at the Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic Area off Bajada Loop Drive; NPS lists auto and bus/RV parking, picnic tables, grills and restrooms. There is no designated parking at the west exit near Sandario Road.
Overview
About Encinas Trail
Why go
- A gradual old-road traverse with a documented CCC history.
Heads up
- Exposed full-sun walking and a gradual uphill retrace.
- No loop or designated pickup parking at the far end.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Saguaro map
Full mapElevation2,300–2,963 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Saguaro alerts
- ClosureTucson Mountain District road closuresSeveral Tucson Mountain District roads are closed; follow posted closures and use McCain Loop to bypass the Kinney Road closure.Official details
- CautionVehicle break-ins reported at trailheadsVehicle break-ins have occurred at King Canyon Trailhead and other park trailheads; secure your vehicle and valuables.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Saguaro Tour Guide
Your drive to Encinas Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Ez-Kim-In-Zin and Sendero Esperanza0:00 / 0:31
“Up ahead are Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic Area and Sendero Esperanza Trailhead. For a meal break, I'd choose Ez-Kim-In-Zin's stone-and-timber shelter, with views toward Wasson and Amole peaks.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Saguaro Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Two Shifts at a Saguaro Flower
- Valley View Overlook
- The Smell of Desert Rain
- Hugh Norris: A Long Ridge Hike
- 43 audio storiesacross Saguaro’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Mule Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 74 trails, 40 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Encinas Trail
A long road walk across the desertEncinas Trail is a 6.
Encinas Trail is a 6.6-mile out-and-back from Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic Area to the western Manville Trail junction near Sandario Road. The named trail runs about 3.3 miles each way along an old vehicle track across an open Sonoran Desert cactus plain. Allow about three to three and a half hours: the outbound leg descends gradually, and you retrace it uphill. Choose it for a long, easy-to-follow historic road walk rather than a summit or a loop.
What the route is likeThe old road crosses broad, open terrain north of Apache Peak.
The old road crosses broad, open terrain north of Apache Peak. The tread is generally smooth but sandy in places, especially where the route shares ground with the shorter Cactus Wren/Encinas/Manville loop. Turn around at the Manville junction near Sandario Road; there is no designated parking at that western exit, so plan to walk back to Ez-Kim-In-Zin.
A road from the park's early buildoutThis route follows an old access road.
This route follows an old access road. The National Park Service's district map says Civilian Conservation Corps crews used it in the late 1930s to enter the park and build trails and picnic grounds.
Make the walk workThe Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic Area has parking, picnic tables, grills and restrooms.
The Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic Area has parking, picnic tables, grills and restrooms. Bring water for the exposed 6.6-mile walk. Summer heat can be dangerous, and heavy late-summer or early-fall monsoon storms can cause flash floods in washes. Pets are prohibited on Encinas Trail. If you want a much shorter walk nearby, the 1.7-mile Cactus Wren/Encinas/Manville loop uses only a section of this trail.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Saguaro
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.
