I return to the amazing Saguaro National Park to hike an amazing trail in the wilderness.
I visited Saguaro National Park in February 2018. I only hiked a short trail, so I decided to return this year. I chose the Sendero Esperanza Trail up to a ridge line in the western side of the park. It was a good choice.
It was a cloudy day, with a chance of rain. The weather held out but it sure was windy towards the top of the ridge line. Luckily, I was almost the only one on the trail for the most part, which allowed me to see some wildlife and listen to the birds. It was fantastic.
Near the start of the trail. My destination was the low ridge between the two mountain peaks, about 3.5-mile round trip.
I saw many birds on top of saguaro cacti. This guy (or gal) sat there for a while.
That is one truly impressive saguaro. It takes over a hundred years to get a saguaro that tall.
One of the two desert hares I saw along the trail.
Luckily, the trail was super wide through this area. So many prickly pears.
Tucson has had a damp winter leading to lots of green plants in the desert.
The sun finally peaked out. It was an unusually cold February day. It was nice to finally be able to ditch the jacket I was wearing.
The humidity led to rolling fog in the lowlands below the mountains of Saguaro National Park. You can kind of see it in the distance there.
Such a beautiful area of the park.
A coyote decided to share the trail with me. He was actually pretty far away from me. I had to zoom in a lot to get this photo. He scampered away on his own a couple of minutes later.
Getting closer and closer to the mountains.
I love this hill covered with saguaros. It’s so cool.
Starting to get higher in elevation, bringing some amazing views.
Just simply gorgeous.
Some surprisingly green mountains.
Made it to the top of the ridge line.
Quite a view from up here.
Trail along the ridge, complete with saguaros.
I can finally see the other side of the ridge.
This is now one of my favorite trails ever.
I had a fantastic time hiking this trail. The weather was cool and windy but the peace and quiet that I experienced on this trail truly made up for being a little cold at times. Saguaro is an amazing park that is perfect for winter hiking. Beats the temps of Northern Arizona, that’s for sure.
Check out my next update where I visit Chiricahua National Monument and its weird rock formations.
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Check out all my other posts on the great state of Arizona!
