Desperado Trail & Saguaro Loop
10.3 mi · ▲ 720 ft · 3 hr 48 min
Desperado Trail & Saguaro Loop is a 10.3-mile out-and-back in Peralta Regional Park near Gold Canyon, AZ. It climbs 720 ft. It scores 76/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Desperado Trail & Saguaro Loop
10.3 mi · ▲ 720 ft · 3 hr 48 min
Elevation 1,931–2,275 ft
Out & Back · Peralta Regional Park
Trailhead: 33.35551, -111.40571
Weather Sep 4: Overcast, high 97°F / low 81° · precip 10% · wind 1 mph · sunrise 6:03 AM · sunset 6:49 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start at the trailhead, heading NW.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading N.
- 500 ftBear left, heading N.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading NW.
- 0.2 miBear right, heading NW.
- 0.2 miTurn right, heading NW.
- 0.2 miBear right, heading NE.
- 1 miBear right, heading NE.
- 0.5 miBear right, heading NE.
- 0.3 miTurn right, heading N.
- 0.5 miBear right, heading E.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading NE.
- 0.4 miSharp left onto East Peralta Road, heading E.
- 200 ftSharp right, heading E.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading S.
- 150 ftTurn right, heading SE.
- 0.3 miTurn left, heading SW.
- 50 ftTurn right onto Saguaro Loop, heading S.
- 0.2 miContinue straight onto Desperado Trail, heading SE.
- 0.7 miReach Desperado Trail, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.7 miContinue straight onto Saguaro Loop, heading W.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading W.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading W.
- 0.3 miTurn left, heading NW.
- 150 ftTurn right, heading N.
- 0.2 miSharp left onto East Peralta Road, heading NW.
- 150 ftSharp right, heading NW.
- 0.4 miTurn right, heading N.
- 0.2 miBear left, heading N.
- 0.5 miTurn left, heading W.
- 0.3 miBear left, heading W.
- 0.5 miBear left, heading S.
- 1 miBear left, heading SW.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading SW.
- 0.2 miBear left, heading SW.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading W.
- 50 ftBear right, heading W.
- 0.1 miTurn left, heading W.
- 500 ftArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is right at the trailhead, so there is no walk out. Be there by 6:28 PM to have the sun's last 20 minutes of sky before it sets at 6:49 PM. Your car is right there — dark at 7:14 PM.
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from this trailhead
- Old Horse Trail 4.2 mi · ▲ 169 ft
- Old Horse Trail 5.7 mi · ▲ 135 ft
- Lost Goldmine Trail 6.3 mi · ▲ 331 ft
- Old Turk's Head 7.6 mi · ▲ 999 ft
- Oro Vista Loop 8.3 mi · ▲ 725 ft
- Serenity Loop via Saguaro Loop 9.4 mi · ▲ 718 ft
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