SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK - West | Signal Hill, Overlook, Discovery Trail, Gould Mine Trail | Tucson, AZ 

Saguaro National Park, broken into west and east sections, offers many trails, views, and well... saguaros! We set out to explore some of the quick stops one finds in the western section of the national park.
There is no other symbol more synonymous with the Sonoran Desert than that of the Saguaro cacti. With two parks to the west and east of Tucson, AZ, there are miles of trails to get close and experience the ultimate Southwest icon.
The west side of the park is the smaller of the two at about 25,000 acres. Here visitors will see a higher density of younger saguaro at a lower elevation.
If you're looking to see the highest density of saguaros, look no further than the Valley View Overlook Trail. The trail is a quick 0.8-mile out and back trail with minimal elevation that reveals a vast view of the valley below dotted with saguaros as far as the eye can see. Benches and rocks allow hikers to sit, take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery.
Should you be desiring a touch of history on your visit, the Signal Hill Trail has you covered. This stop is super quick at 0.3-miles with 26 feet of elevation. At the end is a cluster of rocks featuring Hohokam petroglyphs and views of the surrounding mountains.
Within this side of the park is the Desert Discovery Trail. This trail is an easy 0.4-mile paved loop trail with educational signs explaining the flora and fauna of the area. This trail makes a great start to any visit to this national park.
One of the more interesting hiking trails is the King Canyon/Gould Mine Trail. This 2.4-mile loop trail goes by an old mine with the remains of buildings located nearby. The mine dates back to 1906 when S.H. Gould created a mining company in hopes of finding precious metals. Unfortunately for him, only copper was found and the cost of mining quickly outweighed the amount of return.
VIDEO FILMED: 01/29/2022
▬▬ L O C A T I O N I N F O ▬▬
⚪ Saguaro National Park (West) - www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm
⚪ Directions to Saguaro National Park (West) - goo.gl/maps/mH8BsRBJdxLSTNSk7
▬▬ T I M E S T A M P S ▬▬
00:00 Intro
00:30 Signal Hill Trail
07:10 Valley Overlook Trail
09:17 Discovery Trail
13:20 Gould Mine Trail
▬▬ L I N K S ▬▬
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Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! We are Glenn and Amy and invite you to join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American West. We tour both natural and man-made attractions.
Our base of operations is in the Phoenix, AZ area. We do a lot of hiking and day trips as well as campground reviews and hope that we will be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the American West. We also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures!