TrailSonoran Desert
Tanque Verde Ridge Trail
Strenuous8 mi round trip, partial1,700 ft gain
Climbs out of the saguaro belt into grassland and juniper, you can watch the ecosystem change under your boots. Most day hikers turn around about four miles in; the full trail runs 11 miles one way to Cowhead Saddle and gains nearly 4,000 feet.
- Distance
- 8 mi round trip, partial
- Elevation gain
- 1,700 ft
- Difficulty
- Strenuous
- Trailhead
- Saguaro National Park (East)
Before you go
Conditions, access, and honest warnings.
- Turn around whenever you like, the ridge climbs continuously and the mileage below is the common out-and-back.
- You pass out of saguaro country into grassland and juniper, watching the life zones change as you gain elevation.
- Fully exposed on the ridge with no water. This is a cool-season hike only.
Trailhead park
Where this route begins.