Parking
Loma Alta Trailhead is at the north end of Camino Loma Alta. Passenger cars can reach its lot, but space is limited and often fills on weekends. Horse trailers must park in the lower area just beyond where the pavement ends.
Overview
About Ridgeview Trail
Why go
- Wide views over Box Canyon and toward Rincon Peak after a direct climb.
- A shorter ridge outing than continuing east on Hope Camp.
Heads up
- The open, moderately steep climb has little shade.
- The complete mapped distance is longer than NPS’s published figures.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Saguaro map
Full mapElevation3,133–3,484 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 Ridgeview 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
Loma Alta: Ridgeview’s Canyon View0:00 / 0:25
“You’re approaching Loma Alta Trailhead, where Ridgeview offers a shorter uphill outing with views into Box Canyon and toward Rincon Peak.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Saguaro Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Water From a Seed
- The Living Saguaro Harvest
- Javelina Picnic Area and Freeman Homestead
- Javelina Rocks: Stripes in the Stone
- 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 Ridgeview Trail
A compact climb to a wide viewRidgeview Trail is an out-and-back from Loma Alta Trailhead.
Ridgeview Trail is an out-and-back from Loma Alta Trailhead. Follow Hope Camp for about a tenth of a mile, then turn left onto Ridgeview and climb to the ridge turnaround. The full connected route measures about 2.6 miles round trip and usually takes around 1½ to 2 hours. It is a short, moderately steep desert hike, with the view opening as you gain ground. Do this one when you want a straightforward uphill walk and a broad look into Box Canyon and toward the Rincon peaks; skip it if you’re looking for shade or an easy stroll.
The mileage needs a little explaining: the NPS lists both 2 miles and 2.2 miles, while the Hope Camp connector plus the full mapped Ridgeview trail works out to about 2.6 miles round trip. No source marks an earlier turnaround, so this guide follows the complete named route and uses the longer measured figure.
Don’t miss the junctionStart at Loma Alta Trailhead and stay on Hope Camp for roughly 0.1 mile.
Start at Loma Alta Trailhead and stay on Hope Camp for roughly 0.1 mile. Turn left when Ridgeview branches off; going straight keeps you on the longer Hope Camp route. Ridgeview starts climbing soon after the junction. Rincon Peak comes into view after the first short slope, and the outlook widens as you continue toward the turnaround. The return follows the same path back to Loma Alta.
What opens up aboveThe upper hillside looks across Box Canyon and the rocky side canyons of Tanque Verde Ridge,…
The upper hillside looks across Box Canyon and the rocky side canyons of Tanque Verde Ridge, with Rincon Peak rising beyond. At the turnaround, keep a little of the rough ridge in the foreground if you want the canyon and mountain scale to read in a photo. In wetter periods, waterfalls can show on the ridge. Mexican gold poppies may bloom here after good fall and winter rains, but they’re an occasional bonus, not something to plan a trip around.
Old roads and line campsThe short approach follows an old homesteading road once used to drive cattle to a line camp.
The short approach follows an old homesteading road once used to drive cattle to a line camp. The Rincon Valley trail system reuses restored ranch roads, so even the first stretch of this hike runs through working-land history. The Rincons in the distance are a metamorphic core complex raised along the Catalina Fault; the broken, steep-sided mountain skyline is part of the view.
Heat and accessMuch of the climb is open to the desert sun. Carry water and time the hike around the heat.
Much of the climb is open to the desert sun. Carry water and time the hike around the heat. The surrounding Rincon Valley expansion still includes private parcels, so keep to the signed public route. Pets aren’t allowed on this trail; service animals are exempt.
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.
