How to Hike to Wasson Peak in Saguaro National Park
Wasson Peak is the tallest peak in the Tucson Mountains and is one of the longest trails in Saguaro National Park. It is a strenuous, but very enjoyable, trail with exceptional views, plenty of cacti, and a panoramic vista over Tucson at the trail summit.
This is also a very off-the-beaten-path trail in the West section of Saguaro National Park, with most visitors choosing to do shorter and easier hikes in the park. I loved doing this hike – it was probably my favorite of all the hikes I did in Saguaro National Park, and I would recommend it to any hiking enthusiasts visiting Saguaro.
In this guide, I’m sharing exactly what it’s like to do the hike, how to access the trailhead, the different trail options available, how long to plan for, and more!
Trailhead Options
Many of the trails in Saguaro National Park intersect and you can hop between many different trails as you are hiking in the park. Wasson Peak is fairly centrally located between several trailheads, and so there are 3 main trails that you can start from to reach the summit.
These trails are:
- The Sendero Esperanza Trail – 8 miles round trip, with 1727 ft elevation gain
- The Hugh Norris Trail – 10 miles round trip, with 2207 ft elevation gain
- The King’s Canyon Trail – 7.6 miles round trip, with 1807 ft elevation gain
All of these trails are fairly similar and will connect to the Wasson Peak trail at some point, so there aren’t major differences between them.
However, the Sendero Esperanza trail is one of the shorter options, and starts from a slightly higher elevation (so less total elevation gain on the hike), and this is the trail I chose to do.
For the rest of this post, I’m going to talk about what it is like to do the Sendero Esperanza trail to climb to Wasson Peak. However, before we get there, I want to quickly touch on what the Hugh Norris Trail and the King’s Canyon Trail are like, because I did do a portion of each of these trails separately while hiking in Saguaro.
Hugh Norris
The majority of the elevation gain on the Hugh Norris Trail comes in the first mile, with a long stretch of fairly steep stairs up to the top of the mountain ridge. It’s very pretty, though, and the saguaros are right next to the trail as you hike.
King’s Canyon
King’s Canyon is a gentler incline, with a wide path right next to a canyon filled with saguaros. There aren’t as many saguaros right next to the trail, though, at least on the first mile.
Sendero Esperanza Trailhead
The Sendero Esperanza trailhead is the end of Golden Gate Road, an unpaved road that serves as part of the scenic drive through Saguaro West. Although it’s unpaved, any vehicle should be able to drive the road in dry conditions.
If you look at this hike in Alltrails, it shows the trailhead at a totally different spot, and the hike is 12 miles round trip. While you can add on another section of hiking trail, this is not the official part of the trail – drive to the end of Golden Gate Road for the official trailhead (location here) and save yourself that extra 4 miles of hiking.
The parking lot is rather large and very nice, and there are vault toilets right at the trailhead.
When to Start the Hike
Because this is a long hike and you’re hiking in the desert, the time of year you visit will dictate when you should start hiking. I visited in early May, and daytime highs were about 88°F. I started hiking right at sunrise to avoid hiking in the heat of the day and it worked out very well for me.
If you’re visiting during the winter, daytime highs are generally in the 60-70’s, and you can hike comfortably at any point during the day.
If you’re visiting between the end of May through the end of September, you will experience very hot temperatures, in the upper 90’s to well over 100°F. During these months, I would think carefully about doing this hike, as lows are already in the upper 70’s and it will quickly become very hot.
If you do want to do this hike in the summer, I would start hiking before dawn (yes, in the dark) and might as well stay at some accommodations in Saguaro.
Starting the Hike
The first mile of the trail is wide, flat, and very pleasant. There are a lot of saguaros and other cacti and desert plants around you. This is a beautiful trail, especially at sunrise, when the sun is coming up behind the mountain ridges and cacti on your left.
Truly, I really loved this part of the trail, and if you don’t want to go all the way to Wasson Peak, just hiking about 1.2 miles on the Sendero Esperanza would be a nice experience.
Climbing to the Ridge
At about 1.2 miles, the trail starts climbing dramatically and you quickly gain elevation. For the next half mile, you will climb up a series of tight switchbacks going from the valley floor to the top of the ridge.
The trail gets rocky and narrower, but the elevation changes let you see more of the beautiful mountains in the distance, and you now have a vantage point to admire the saguaros in the valley.
When you arrive at the top of the ridge, you’ll enjoy some nice views over the valleys on both sides of the mountain. This is also the intersection of the Hugh Norris trail with the Sendero Esperanza trail. You’ll be turning left and continuing forward on the Hugh Norris trail – the Sendero Esperanza trail goes back down the other side of the mountain.
From about 1.75-2.75 miles, the trail is generally on a nice, gentle incline as you walk along the ridge, passing various hills and peaks. The views here are very pretty, as saguaros still surround you and have viewpoints down the mountain.
I LOVED this part of the hike, walking right next to the ridge and seeing the saguaros cascading down the mountainside all around me.
The Summit
The last ½ mile or so there are some tight, steep switchbacks, where you gain a lot of elevation pretty quickly. The King’s Canyon trail joins the Hugh Norris trail that you’re on just 0.3 miles before the summit. The trail finally rounds the front of the mountain, and voila, you’re at Wasson Peak!
From here, you can see Tucson and the mountains in the east, which is very cool. You also get a great 360° view of the area. To the south are lots of really pretty mountain peaks and ranges. Overall, it feels fantastic to be on the tallest peak in the mountain range and enjoy panoramic views around you.
I will also say that, excluding the view of Tucson (which was a bit hazy the day I was there), I think you get overall better views from a little bit farther down on the trail. Even just a little lower down, you are surrounded by more of the cacti and you are closer to the different ridges and smaller peaks around you.
A Few Cautions
Animals: When hiking in Saguaro, be aware of the rattlesnakes, scorpions, and Gila monsters (all venomous animals). Wear closed-toe shoes, be careful around rocky areas where the reptiles like to relax in the shade, watch where you are stepping, and just generally be aware of your surroundings.
Saguaro National Park has aggressive bee colonies that will attack if you get too close. Don’t approach a swarm and run as fast as possible if you start to get attacked (the bees will leave you alone once you get 1/4 to 1/2 mile away from the hive).
Maps: This trail is pretty straightforward, but it’s a good idea to have at least a paper trail map (you can pick it up at the Visitor Center). I always use the paid version of AllTrails so that I can use navigation as I hike and see exactly where I am.
Water: Finally, don’t underestimate how hot and dry the desert is. General recommendations for water are to have one-half to one quart of water every hour you’re hiking (4 quarts equal a gallon). I would make sure you have at least a gallon of water per person for this hike.
The Wrap Up
This was a fantastic hike and I had a great time hiking it. Although it is 8 miles and a strenuous hike, I still think it’s manageable for anyone who is a confident hiker. I loved the views and actually loved waking up at sunrise to start the hike – the ambiance early in the morning was amazing.
Hiking to Wasson Peak took me just over 4 hours and was a great start to my second day exploring Saguaro National Park.
