The west side of the Saguaro National Park is much smaller and “only” has about 40 miles of trails or 1/3 of what is on the east side. But the trails here gain elevation much quicker and provide more access to the areas of the park with great scenic overlooks. We stopped at the Visitor Center and got information about the various hikes and chose a 7ish mile loop including parts of the King Canyon Trail, Hugh Norris Trail and Gould Mine Trail, including a short hop to the summit of Wasson Peak (4687′.)

As it was in the middle of the week it was relatively quiet. The temperatures were great, mostly in the high 60’s so hiking was comfortable – couldn’t imagine being down here in the dead of summer – not much shade. As with the east side venture the day before, we barely scraped the surface of the trail system so this may be an Annual Pilgrimage? Joel, what say you?