Two above ground trails explore the Chihuahuan semi-desert grasslands and oak-juniper forests that surround Kartchner Caverns in Southern Arizona.
Mimicking the look and feel of a cultured botanical garden, the flat, easy 9.2-mile trail that circles the 2,400-acre preserve winds among pristine stands of cholla cacti, ironwood trees and the sites signature “candelabra” saguaros.
One of several highpoints in the hills south of the White Tank Mountains, Pyrite Summit anchors the western edge of Skyline Regional Park.
A climb up this isolated, 2,795-foot mound in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains rewards with amazing desert mountain vistas.
Start exploring the 315-mile, Valley-circling Maricopa Trail with a trek through its northmost reaches.