Parking
Start at Broadway Trailhead off East Broadway Boulevard in the Rincon Mountain District.
Overview
About Shantz, Cholla, and Cactus Forest Loop
Why go
- A long cactus-rich loop with little climbing
Heads up
- No shade and no major overlook
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Saguaro map
Full mapElevation2,703–2,815 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 Shantz, Cholla, and Cactus Forest 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
Broadway Trailhead: Pink Hill0:00 / 0:24
“You're nearing Broadway Trailhead, a starting point for the walk to Pink Hill and its view over the cactus forest. Allow about two hours for the three-mile round trip, with a steep, closely stepped climb at the end.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Saguaro Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Mica View: A Picnic and a Poem
- Watch the Roadrunner Hunt
- Desert Ecology Trail
- Cactus Forest North: The Lime Kilns
- 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 Shantz, Cholla, and Cactus Forest Loop
What this loop isShantz, Cholla, and Cactus Forest Loop is an easy 5.
Shantz, Cholla, and Cactus Forest Loop is an easy 5.1-mile circuit from Broadway Trailhead, linking Shantz, Vanover, Loma Verde, Cholla and Cactus Forest. Its payoff is varied Sonoran Desert plants at close range rather than a major overlook. Plan roughly two hours; the route has little climbing. Dogs are not permitted on Saguaro National Park trails.
Follow the circuitFrom Broadway, follow Shantz, then turn onto Vanover and Loma Verde; take Cholla south and…
From Broadway, follow Shantz, then turn onto Vanover and Loma Verde; take Cholla south and Cactus Forest back toward the start. Keep that sequence handy at the junctions. The mapped line covers about 4.73 miles and ends roughly 80 metres from its start in the Broadway trailhead area; no footpath connector is mapped across that final short gap, so the saved trace does not close exactly. The full walking loop is reported as 5.1 miles.
Exposed desert walkingThe grade is easy, with about 125 feet of reported climbing, but there is no shade along the…
The grade is easy, with about 125 feet of reported climbing, but there is no shade along the loop. Carry water and avoid the hottest part of the day. The main interest is the changing mix of Sonoran Desert vegetation; creosote bloom adds a seasonal detail worth noticing.
A trail with a namesakeShantz Trail honors Homer Shantz, a University of Arizona president who helped establish…
Shantz Trail honors Homer Shantz, a University of Arizona president who helped establish Saguaro National Park. It forms the opening leg of this circuit before the route turns onto Vanover.
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.
