Trailheads

Five trailheads lead into the Saguaro Wilderness Area. To help you plan your trip, we have separated these trailheads by the level of difficulty it takes to reach a particular trailhead.

Access to the Saguaro Wilderness Area is not available from the south boundary of the park, which includes the Camino Loma Alta Trailhead and Madrona. There is no public access to Madrona, which is permanently closed and is not staffed at any time.

Access to the Saguaro Wilderness Area via the Miller Creek, Turkey Creek and Italian Spring Trailheads is through United States Forest Service (USFS) lands. For information about the Coronado National Forest, call [phone].

Trailhead Elevation
Douglas Spring 2,750 feet
Tanque Verde Ridge 3,100 feet
Miller Creek 4,200 feet
Turkey Creek 4,250 feet
Italian Spring 4,800 feet

 

Easy Access
The trailheads that offer the easiest, paved road access are as follows.

The Tanque Verde Ridge Trailhead is located off the park’s scenic loop drive, within the Javelina Picnic Area. Vehicle access to the Tanque Verde Ridge Trailhead is available from 7:00 a.m. to sunset daily. The scenic loop drive is closed and locked nightly.

The Douglas Spring Trailhead is located at the east end of Speedway Boulevard and is accessible 24 hours per day. Due to this easy access, vehicle break-ins have occurred at this trailhead. Do not leave valuables inside your vehicle - visible or otherwise. Many wilderness users choose to have a friend drop them off and pick them up rather than leaving a vehicle at this trailhead.

 

Moderate Access
The Miller Creek and Turkey Creek Trailheads are generally accessible by light truck or car. However, during or after heavy rainfall, access to these trailheads can be restricted or impassable. To reach either of these trailheads, get off Interstate 10 at exit #297 and head north. The road is paved for the first two miles and graded gravel for the remainder of its length. When you enter the Coronado National Forest, the road is named USFS Route #35. The turnoff to the Miller Creek Trailhead is 16 miles north of I-10.

The Turkey Creek Trailhead turnoff is one-half mile beyond the Miller Creek turnoff. Look for USFS Route #4408 and turn left. Vehicles without high clearance and 4-wheel-drive will not be able to negotiate the last 1.6 miles of road leading to the Turkey Creek Trailhead.

Both the Miller Creek and Turkey Creek Trailheads are located on USFS lands; you must hike an additional 1.5 miles on either trail to reach the boundary of Saguaro National Park.

 

Difficult Access
The Italian Spring Trailhead is the most difficult trailhead to access. To reach this trailhead, drive east on Tanque Verde Road. At the intersection with Wentworth Road, Tanque Verde Road will change names to Redington Road. At the boundary of the Coronado National Forest, the surface of Redington Road will change from pavement to gravel. While the gravel portion of Redington Road does not require 4-wheel-drive, high clearance is recommended as it is not regularly maintained and is usually in poor condition.

From the beginning of the gravel, travel 9.6 miles to USFS Route #37 and turn right. Vehicles with 4- wheel - drive and high clearance may drive an additional 2.6 miles to the Italian Spring Trailhead. This trailhead is located on USFS lands; you must hike an additional 5.1 miles to reach the boundary of Saguaro National Park.