VALLEY VIEW OVERLOOK TRAIL
How easy: The trail, in Saguaro National Park West, is 0.8 of a mile long and gains only about 100 feet in elevation. It ascends to a ridge, but the uphill stretch is short and gently graded.
Sights to see: From an overlook point at the end of the trail, hikers get an expansive view of the sprawling Avra Valley and Picacho Peak in the distance.
There's also much to see on the walk to the overlook: gargantuan saguaro cacti, sandy washes meandering through the landscape, and some small but shapely rock formations.
Get there: Drive west out of Tucson on Speedway, which becomes Gates Pass Road. Cross the pass, continue to Kinney Road and follow Kinney Road northwest to the Saguaro Park entrance. Stop at the visitor center, where you'll pay a $10 per vehicle fee and get a map showing the way to the trailhead along the park's Hohokam Road.
