Parking
Start at King Canyon Trailhead in Tucson Mountain Park, just outside Saguaro National Park; vehicle parking is available at the trailhead.
Overview
About King Canyon Short Loop
Why go
- The sandy canyon wash and old-road return give this short loop two distinct halves.
Heads up
- Rocky steps in the wash and a narrow, steep section near the upper junction.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Saguaro map
Full mapElevation2,904–3,212 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Saguaro alerts
- CautionVehicle break-ins reported at trailheadsMentions this trailVehicle break-ins have occurred at King Canyon Trailhead and other park trailheads; secure your vehicle and valuables.Official details
- 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Saguaro Tour Guide
Your drive to King Canyon Short Loop, 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
King Canyon: Wasson Peak or Gould Mine0:00 / 0:26
“You're coming up on King Canyon Trailhead, where the climb to Wasson Peak starts.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Saguaro Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
- Red Hills Visitor Center
- Ez-Kim-In-Zin and Sendero Esperanza
- 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 King Canyon Short Loop
The short loopKing Canyon Short Loop is a 1.
King Canyon Short Loop is a 1.8-mile circuit from King Canyon Trailhead, just outside Saguaro National Park in Tucson Mountain Park. It follows the sandy wash between canyon walls to a junction, then returns on King Canyon Trail, an old mining road. Allow about 1–1.5 hours; rocky steps make this more than a flat stroll.
At the junction, take King Canyon Trail back to the trailhead. Continuing onto Sendero Esperanza leads into longer Gould Mine or Wasson Peak hikes. Pets aren't permitted on this trail.
Up the washThe outgoing leg follows the sandy wash bottom.
The outgoing leg follows the sandy wash bottom. Several sections climb over rocky, stair-step-like tread, so expect uneven footing through the canyon. Bees may be present in the wash when it is moist.
Back on the old roadKing Canyon Trail follows an old mining road back to the start.
King Canyon Trail follows an old mining road back to the start. Most of the return uses that roadbed, but the junction end narrows to about 1–2 feet and gets steep and rocky. The short loop turns around before Gould Mine; that site belongs to the longer Gould Mine route.
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.
