Parking
Loma Verde Trailhead is a small roadside pullout on Cactus Forest Drive in the Rincon Mountain District. Parking can be tight at busy times; larger vehicles and RVs have no parking along the loop drive.
Overview
About Loma Verde Loop
Why go
- A broad Pink Hill view over the cactus forest.
- A full desert loop with very little climbing.
Heads up
- Most of the walk is open to direct sun.
- Wash beds can make the tread harder to follow after water.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Saguaro map
Full mapElevation2,753–2,841 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Saguaro alerts
- CautionHazards in Rincon Mountain burn areasMentions Rincon Mountain, referenced in this guideStay on trails and use extra caution in high-elevation Rincon Mountain areas burned by the two 2020 fires; fire damage can leave unstable ground and other hazards.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 Loma Verde 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
Loma Verde: The Pink Hill View0:00 / 0:24
“Up ahead is Loma Verde Trailhead, a good choice for a mostly gentle desert loop with a viewpoint at Pink Hill.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Saguaro Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Riparian Overlook
- Cactus Forest North: The Lime Kilns
- Desert Ecology Trail
- Mica View: A Picnic and a Poem
- 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 Loma Verde Loop
The full circuitLoma Verde Loop is a 3.
Loma Verde Loop is a 3.8-mile loop from Loma Verde Trailhead, with about 60 feet of climbing and roughly two hours for the full walk, including the Pink Hill overlook spur. It is an easy desert hike with a short, steeper climb near the viewpoint. Some older trail material rounds the loop to 3 miles; the full mapped circuit with the overlook spur measures about 3.8.
From mesquite to Pink HillTake Loma Verde Trail north through mature mesquite.
Take Loma Verde Trail north through mature mesquite. After a broad sandy wash, the path climbs onto the gravel plain at the foot of the mountains and passes the old Loma Verde Mine. Turn onto Pink Hill Trail and take the short spur to the overlook; return to the junction and continue east to Squeeze Pen. Turn south there, then left onto Loma Verde for the short walk back to the trailhead.
The view and the minePink Hill opens across the cactus forest toward Tanque Verde Ridge and the Santa Catalina…
Pink Hill opens across the cactus forest toward Tanque Verde Ridge and the Santa Catalina Mountains. The overlook is the payoff for this otherwise gentle, open walk. A saguaro in the foreground helps show the scale of the ridges behind it.
The mine dates to 1901 and once produced copper from a 350-foot shaft. What you pass today is modest surface evidence: reddish spoil and traces of green minerals, rather than a developed mine stop.
Squeeze Pen and the returnThe Squeeze Pen name recalls the ranching days, when cowboys herded cattle into pens for…
The Squeeze Pen name recalls the ranching days, when cowboys herded cattle into pens for branding. This leg follows the foothills past ocotillo and a reported crested barrel cactus, then bends through grassier, more wooded ground with large multi-armed saguaros before it meets Loma Verde again.
Heat, washes and footingMost of the walk is exposed to sun.
Most of the walk is exposed to sun. Fall through spring is the comfortable season; in summer, choose the cooler part of the day. The route crosses seasonal washes. After water has run, it can be harder to see where the tread picks up on the far bank, and wet or loose rocks can make a crossing awkward.
Access and trail rulesStart at Loma Verde Trailhead on Cactus Forest Drive in the Rincon Mountain District.
Start at Loma Verde Trailhead on Cactus Forest Drive in the Rincon Mountain District. Parking is a small roadside pullout and can be tight at busy times; larger vehicles and RVs have no parking along the loop drive. Pets are prohibited on this trail. No drinking-water refill, food or restroom stop on the route was verified, so plan to arrive with what you need.
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.
