Route Editor
Route Scout
Nobody wakes up with the urge to just do this trail. by markthurman53  Hike Nobody wakes up with the urge to just hike the Deer Valley Trail. It is a short connector trail in Saguaro National Park that links the Carrillo Trail to the Squeeze Pen Trail. The Deer Valley Trail is a short 0.4 mile trail that would be used as part of a loop hike. It can be used with what I call its sister trail the Deer Valley Wash Trail to connect up with the Vanover Trail. From the Carrillo Trail it ascends about 8 feet to the high point on the trail and spends the rest of the .35 miles descending 90 feet into Deer Valley Wash. On the trail down to Deer Valley Wash there will be a wash on the left (South) about 0.3 miles in and that wash is, Wildhorse Creek/Wash. This is the same creek that runs along the south side of the Carrillo Trail where the Deer Valley Trail started. These two washes connect up along the Deer Valley Wash Trail and eventually dump into Monument Wash at the now abandon Saguaro trail. The Deer Valley trail is interesting to walk because it is one of only about 4 trails in the Northwest side of the park that descends into a thick Mesquite tree “forest”. Most of the trails in this portion of the park that have similar environments are along the Monument Wash which Deer Valley Wash drains into. It is nice walking through the Mesquite cover because it is quite a bit different from the more open desert most of the trails pass through. There are plenty of opportunities to see the wildlife that uses the cover for shelter and heat avoidance. There are also some of the larger saguaros along these washes. To continue trails under Mesquite cover take the Deer Valley Wash trail which is about 100 yards south on the Squeeze Pen Trail to the Vanover Trail. Be aware though that walking in the sand of these washes is more difficult and that as the washes get larger the mesquite cover gets less (can’t have everything). If hiking in Washes during the Monsoon season be aware of storms that are in the area or ones that occurred a few hours before. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community.
One-Way Notice This hike is listed as One-Way. When hiking several trails on a single "hike", log it with a generic name that describes the hike. Then link the trails traveled, check out the example. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.
