Parking
Use Loma Alta Trailhead at the north end of Camino Loma Alta. Passenger cars can continue to the end of the road, where space is limited and often fills on weekends. Horse trailers must park in the lower area just beyond the pavement.
Overview
About Ruiz and North Coyote Wash Loop
Why go
- Large, unusual saguaros in North Coyote Wash
- Expansive Rincon Valley views from the Ruiz ridge
Heads up
- Limited weekend parking and a rough final half-mile to the trailhead
The Ruiz and North Coyote Wash Loop is a 5.8-mile circuit from Loma Alta that follows Hope Camp Trail to a sandy wash, then returns by the low Ruiz ridge. It’s a good pick for a quieter, longer desert walk with two distinct landscapes rather than a summit day. Allow about 2½ to 3 hours. The wash has the unusual saguaros; the ridge gives the broadest views across Rincon Valley.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Saguaro map
Full mapElevation3,015–3,320 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 Ruiz and North Coyote Wash 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 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 Ruiz and North Coyote Wash Loop
Follow the loopFrom the north end of Camino Loma Alta, follow Hope Camp east for 0.
From the north end of Camino Loma Alta, follow Hope Camp east for 0.8 mile and turn right onto North Coyote Wash. Follow the wash south to Ruiz and turn left. Ruiz climbs to a low ridge; when it reaches Hope Camp again, turn left and follow it 1.3 miles west to the trailhead. The loop shares part of Hope Camp at the beginning and end. An older 4.2-mile figure still appears in park material; the current route directions describe the longer 5.8-mile circuit mapped here.
The wash has the odd saguarosNorth Coyote Wash is a sandy channel, and the park calls out its large, unusual saguaros.
North Coyote Wash is a sandy channel, and the park calls out its large, unusual saguaros. This is the part to slow down and look around: a wider view with the wash and a few distinctive cactus shapes says more than a close crop of one plant. The wash is a natural low point in the circuit, before the route turns onto Ruiz.
Views from the Ruiz ridgeRuiz leaves the wash for a low ridge with expansive views.
Ruiz leaves the wash for a low ridge with expansive views. Across Rincon Valley, the skyline runs from Tanque Verde Peak to Mica Mountain and Rincon Peak. The Rincons are a metamorphic core complex rising above the Catalina Fault, which helps explain the steep, rugged mountain wall beyond the desert flats.
Old ranch countryThe Loma Alta trail system follows old ranch roads that have been restored and revegetated as…
The Loma Alta trail system follows old ranch roads that have been restored and revegetated as trails. Interpretive signs around the area tell the story of settlement and ranching in the valley. After good fall or winter rains, Rincon Valley may also show Mexican gold poppies, a flower noted as rare elsewhere in this district.
Getting to Loma AltaPassenger cars can continue to the trailhead at the end of Camino Loma Alta, but parking is…
Passenger cars can continue to the trailhead at the end of Camino Loma Alta, but parking is limited and often fills on weekends. Horse trailers must use the lower area just beyond the pavement. The final half-mile is rocky and unpaved; if Rincon Creek is flooding the road, turn around rather than trying to cross. Dogs aren’t allowed on this loop, and some nearby parcels remain private and closed, so stay on the designated 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.
