King Canyon Trail

The King Canyon Trail is located in the Saguaro National Park and it serves as an alternate route to the reaching Wasson Peak. Along the way you can see the Mile Wide Mine and the remnants of many of the old roads used to reach the mines. The goal of miners was to find a great deal of copper in the King Canyon mine, but time showed that it was not worth the effort. Very little copper was found and the mines were soon abandoned. The Saguaro National Park flanks Tucson to the east and west and is filled with numerous Saguaro cacti. This is the largest species of cactus in existence and they live for up to 200 years. Some of the grow to more than 20-feet tall. There are two mountain districts in the park and a number of trails in addition to King Canyon. If you are planning to hike the King Canyon Trail, be sure to bring along plenty of water. The elevation of the trail climbs 1,700-feet and at the top the view is amazing. There are a few unmarked paths that splinter off the main trail and a few of them have picnic areas and clearings for resting. There is a nearby visitor center that provide information for hikers in the area.