Parking
Use A-5 North Belmont Access, about 1.2 miles west on Belmont Road from Silverbell Road. Park in the small dirt area before the gated access road; the official map gives space for about four to six vehicles.
Overview
About Vertical Cliffs Long Loop
Why go
- A real loop through saguaro country, with an old windmill as a clear destination.
- Mostly hard-packed tread with broad sections that resemble an old road.
Heads up
- The dirt lot fits only about four to six vehicles.
- A soft wash and several short steep pitches break up the otherwise firm tread.
Vertical Cliffs Long Loop is a 3.9-mile circuit from A-5 North Belmont Access. It follows Belmont to Vertical Cliffs, crosses Abington, joins Veteran’s, drops to Animal Wash, and returns to A-5 on Belmont. The extra Abington leg makes it longer than the 2.6-mile Vertical Cliffs Short Loop. Allow about two to two and a half hours, with time for the windmill.
Parkwolf’s verdictA loop worth the extra mileMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Saguaro map
Full mapElevation2,326–2,516 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 Vertical Cliffs Long 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 tourMore stories near here in the app
- Box Canyon and Ringtail Loop
- El Camino del Cerro: Sweetwater to Wasson Peak
- The Tree That Works Without Leaves
- Cam-Boh Picnic Area
- 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 Vertical Cliffs Long Loop
Mostly firm, with a soft washMuch of the tread is hard-packed dirt, broad in places like an old road.
Much of the tread is hard-packed dirt, broad in places like an old road. A substantial stretch follows a wide but soft wash. There are several short steep pitches, with the steepest measured at 26.4%, and one surveyed rut deeper than a foot. Follow the small metal junction signs and watch your footing where the route enters and leaves the wash.
Cliffs and a windmillThe circuit passes among saguaros and reaches an old windmill, its most distinctive landmark.
The circuit passes among saguaros and reaches an old windmill, its most distinctive landmark. Along the western Vertical Cliffs section, rocky cliffs rise just north of the trail and the views open up as you approach the west end. The windmill is the route’s clearest landmark, but no dated history for it is established.
Start at North BelmontA-5 is a small dirt parking area before a gated access road, about 1.
A-5 is a small dirt parking area before a gated access road, about 1.2 miles west along Belmont Road from Silverbell Road. It fits roughly four to six vehicles. Pets aren’t allowed on park trails, and the park map lists drinking water only at the visitor center. An accessibility survey described the mostly firm trail as typically 41 inches wide (24 inches at its narrowest), but also reported a board blocking adaptive devices at the entrance as of February 2023. That entry condition wasn’t updated in the later map; check with the park before relying on mobility-device access.
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.
