Valley View Overlook Nature Trail
in Arizona · centroid 14 mi from Tucson
The Valley View Overlook Nature Trail is an easy 0.8 mile (1.3 km) roundtrip trail, starting at the Valley View Trailhead along the Bajada Loop Scenic Drive in Saguaro National Park's west district. This short trail was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The trail drops into and out of a couple of washes and then gradually ascends to a ridge.
Along the way, you will travel through typical Sonoran Desert vegetation. Signs along the way identify and interpret several of the more common species of plants. The trail ends at a ridge with benches that allow you to relax and enjoy sweeping views.
From here you can see Avra Valley to the west, Signal Hill, which looks like a small black mound from here, and the jagged ridge of Picacho Peak to the north.
- States
- Arizona
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Tucson, AZ · 14 mi · ~25 min drive
- Centroid coords
- 32.2771°, -111.1978°
About Saguaro National Park
This trail is inside Saguaro National Park, a national park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $25 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/valley-view-overlook-nature-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Valley View Overlook Nature Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Javelina Wash Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Cactus Wren Trail, Access Point 3
3 miles from this trail's centroid
Pull-off along Cactus Forest Loop Drive
29 miles from this trail's centroid
Arizona National Scenic Trail
30 miles from this trail's centroid
Self-Guided Tour - Anza Trail Junction
50 miles from this trail's centroid
Tumacácori - Anza Trail Junction
50 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.