Kartchner Caverns State Park is known for its spectacular caverns but it also is home to some worthy trails. Trails like the Guindani Loop Trail are great for beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and foothills. But if you’re looking for a trail on the easier side, you might want to consider the Foothills Loop Trail.

Foothills Loop Trail Overview

The Foothills Loop Trail is a an easy to moderate loop trail offering a diverse range of vegetation and some pretty great scenery. The trail gives you the option to head up to a viewpoint to make the hike more moderate but you can also settle for the flatter loop. Either way, you will have great views!

Plus, you don’t have to deal with the cow manure you find on the Guindani Loop Trail.

• Distance: 3.1 miles
• Elevation Gain: 538 feet
• Route Type: Loop
• Pets: Yes (on leash)
• Difficulty: Easy to moderate
• Time needed: 1.5 hours

Getting to the park and trailhead

The Foothills Loop Trail trailhead is located within Kartchner Caverns State Park, about 50 minutes east of Tucson. Simply take the exit from I10 and head south on Highway 90 (take exit 302 for AZ-90 E toward Ft Huachuca/Sierra Vista) and you will arrive at the park.

The park entrance fee is $7 but we used our annual pass to get in. As for park hours, gates are closed from 10:00pm to 6:00am. The park rangers should issue you a pamphlet and map when you arrive and also be able to answer any questions you might have.

The parking lot is in the middle of the park near where you enter for the cavern tours. You will see the trailhead marked in the corner of the parking lot.

Trail conditions

The trail is in good condition and also easy to follow. Once you begin to climb the summit to the viewpoint, the trail is less defined and may require scrambling at a couple of points. Also, the route can be a bit rocky at times. If you are doing this hike early in the morning be prepared to knock down spiderwebs.

Route description

The first mile of the hike is going to be relatively flat and easy to navigate. (We chose to do the loop clockwise.)

Some nice views quickly emerge. Again, the path will be pretty flat but there are some large rocks so keep an eye out for those.

You’ll see a lot of vegetation at this mid-level elevation such as prickly pear, ocotillo, agave, and mesquite trees. You’ll also run into some oak trees.

At about half a mile in, you’ll then head down into the lush wash where there is plenty of shade. No water was running when we did the hike in late June but I imagine this would be a very peaceful setting with some water trickling through. You’ll find a bench to relax on here and there will also be a few benches located throughout the trail.

Shortly after that you’ll come to a junction with the Guindani Loop Trail. You’ll need to head right and get ready for a little bit of an elevation gain. As you make your way through this portion of the trail, you’ll head through some rocky areas. But it’s nothing too intense.

You’ll then start wrapping around the foothills and that is when some pretty great views will start to come in to play. If you are hiking this in the morning, you should have plenty of shade on the side.

One mile into the hike, you will see the junction for the new Ocotillo Trail. That trail does not take you up to the top of the viewpoint and instead wraps around the lower portion of the foothills. So if you want the better views, you want to stick on the Foothills Loop Trail.

By the way, the trails are well marked with signs and maps so it would be difficult to get lost here.

As you begin to head east, you will have a short bump in elevation gain and then the trail will level out for a little bit though the trail will continue to be a little bit rocky at times.

Finally, just under 1.5 miles into the hike you will come to the spur for the summit of the “Mountain View Point,” which you should see the sign for.

I highly recommend that you do that viewpoint because it makes the hike much more rewarding and the views are pretty good. It’s about .3 miles to the top and the elevation gain is about 225 feet. This is the portion of the trail where you will have to scramble up a couple of points (unless you are pretty good with your balance).

Here’s a look at the largest scrambling point (sorry for the butt, lol). As you can see, it’s nothing serious and you may not even need to scramble if you have a good balance but if you have mobility issues you would want to be ready for it.

Before you know it, you will be up to the top and able to appreciate the views! There’s a nice little bench on top to relax on and you will have views in every direction.

Be careful on the way down, because there is a lot of rocks/gravel and I actually slipped at one point.

As you continue to head back to the beginning of the loop, the views are pretty good.

Once you finish with making your way back down the foothills at about 2.5 miles into the hike, the path will begin to flatten out and you will cross over several washes that may have flowing water at other points of the year.

At 2.7 miles into the hike be sure to check out the short spur to the mortar rocks. You should see the sign for the site and you can check out the interpretive panel to learn more. It only takes a second to check out so I highly recommend it.

After that, you just need to continue on the flat trail and you will eventually come back to where you started.

Final word

I loved this hike and it is perfect for someone who wants something on the easier side. It has some great views and the terrain, while a bit rocky, is very doable for hikers of all experience levels. The short climb to the summit is a great way to make this hike a little bit more rewarding so I would also advise to do that as well!