Signal Hill Trail

From the picnic area, a dirt path dips toward a wash and crosses it before climbing the rocky hill. Look carefully along the wash; some carved panels can be spotted before the main climb. Near the top, the path uses uneven ground steps and rough rock. The ascent is brief, but it comes quickly, so this isn’t a paved stroll or a good choice if steps and uneven footing are a problem. The trail is not ADA accessible. Turn around at the petroglyph area and return the way you came.

The rock art is the reason to come. Many panels sit on dark boulders along the designated path, with geometric, human-like and animal-like forms among designs that don’t fit an easy category. The carvings are associated with Hohokam people; their precise meanings aren’t known. Keep your eyes on the rocks as you walk, but stay on the marked trail. Touching or stepping on a panel can damage it, and you don’t need to climb onto the boulders to get a good look.

That dark surface is desert varnish, a thin coating that builds slowly as clay and iron and manganese oxides collect on exposed rock, with lichens and bacteria involved in the process. The carvings have been estimated broadly at about 550 to 1,550 years old, but they haven’t been directly dated with artifacts from this site. Over time, new varnish can darken a carved surface again. It’s a good reason to leave the rock exactly as you found it rather than tracing a design or rubbing dust away.

Signal Hill’s picnic area has parking, restrooms, tables and a shelter, so it works well as a short stop or a picnic break. There’s no food service or drinking water listed at the trailhead; bring water for the walk. Pets aren’t allowed on this trail, though service animals are exempt. The hilltop’s saguaro-and-mountain backdrop makes a memorable photo: frame a carving with the desert behind it, and take the picture from the path. In summer, heat can reach the mid-90s to low 110s; the park advises keeping outdoor activity before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.