Porcupine–Desert Tents, 5 sights is a 3.4-mile out-and-back in Papago Park near Papago Peaks Village, AZ. The route passes Papago Ponds, Oryx and Porcupine before reaching Desert Tents at the turnaround, 1.7 miles in. It is mostly level, with 135 ft of elevation gain, and mostly dirt. It scores 0/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.
Elevation
0 mi1,243 – 1,326 ft4.2 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Unnamed 33.46241, -111.96072
Nearest town Papago Peaks Village, AZ
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Porcupine–Desert Tents, 5 sights
3.4 mi · ▲ 135 ft · 1 hr 12 min
Elevation 1,244–1,324 ft
Out & Back · Papago Park
Trailhead: 33.46241, -111.96072
Weather Sep 4: Overcast, high 101°F / low 84° · precip 5% · wind 3 mph · sunrise 6:05 AM · sunset 6:51 PM
Transit-accessible: McDowell Rd & Bushmaster Blvd stop 318 m from the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start at the trailhead, heading NE.
- 0.1 miContinue straight onto 5k Trail, heading NE.
- 450 ftTurn right, heading SE.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading E.
- 50 ftContinue straight onto Elliot Ramada Loop, heading NE.
- 150 ftContinue straight onto 5k Trail, heading E.
- 450 ftContinue straight onto Double Butte Loop, heading SE.
- 50 ftTurn right onto 5k Trail, heading E.
- 0.4 miTurn right, heading SE.
- 100 ftTurn left, heading E.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading S.
- 300 ftPass Papago Ponds.
- 150 ftTurn right, heading E.
- 0.1 miBear right, heading S.
- 0.1 miTurn left, heading S.
- 350 ftTurn right onto Zoo Staff Only, heading SE.
- 450 ftPass Oryx.
- 50 ftTurn right onto Desert Discovery Zoo Trail, heading S.
- 300 ftBear left, heading S.
- 0.1 miSharp left, heading S.
- 50 ftPass Desert Tents.
- 50 ftReach Porcupine, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 150 ftSharp right, heading S.
- 0.2 miTurn left onto Zoo Staff Only, heading S.
- 500 ftTurn left, heading S.
- 300 ftTurn right, heading SW.
- 0.1 miBear left, heading N.
- 0.1 miTurn left onto Hole-In-The-Rock Trail, heading E.
- 450 ftTurn left, heading N.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading N.
- 100 ftTurn left, heading N.
- 0.1 miContinue straight onto 5k Trail, heading NW.
- 0.2 miTurn left onto Double Butte Loop, heading N.
- 50 ftContinue straight onto 5k Trail, heading N.
- 450 ftContinue straight onto Elliot Ramada Loop, heading W.
- 100 ftContinue straight onto 5k Trail, heading W.
- 50 ftBear left, heading W.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading W.
- 0.4 miArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
68% dirt6% sand5% gravel5% paved16% unspecified
Weather
OvercastTemperature 101°F84°
Feels like95°Precip5%Wind3 mphUV8Humidity27%
Rained 0.2″ 4 days ago
Hourly temperature
105°80°
Sunrise 6:05 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM9 PMSunset 6:51 PM
Sat
101°81°
Sun
102°79°
Mon
103°90°
Tue
105°93°
Wed
104°91°
23%
Thu
103°87°
28%
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.1 mi in (~2 min). Leave by 6:29 PM for the 6:51 PM sunset. Back at your car by 7:08 PM — 9 min before dark.
Good to know
- Transit-accessible: McDowell Rd & Bushmaster Blvd stop 318 m from the trailhead
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from this trailhead
- 5k Trail & Elliot Ramada Loop Loop 2.1 mi · ▲ 89 ft
- Indian Bend Canal–Papago Ponds, 3 lakes 4.6 mi · ▲ 343 ft
- Indian Bend Canal & Papago Ponds via 5k Trail 4.7 mi · ▲ 343 ft
Get outside more
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