Meetup time: Sunday, Aug 28th at 11:30 am
Mica View Loop is about 2 miles round trip and will take 1 hour to complete. There is no elevation gain! This is ideal for a rookie hike to enjoy being outdoors and the scenery; wouldn’t recommend if your after a challenge.
Here are some details about the park and the Mica View Loop:
The hike will begin at the Mica View Picnic Area. From the Picnic Area, go north on the Mica View Trail. Look carefully to see many young saguaros under their palo verde “nurse trees”. This is also a good place to look for Gila Woodpeckers and Gilded Flickers and their nest holes in saguaros.
At Broadway trailhead turn right on Shantz Trail then a quick right onto the Cactus Forest Trail heading south. This area offers good views of Tanque Verde Peak and Mica Mountain. Return to your starting point, by turning right on the Mica View Trail.
Link to Saguaro National Park: https://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/saguaro_hiking.htm
Link to park map: https://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/newCactusForestHikingMappg-2-map-2.pdf