When it comes to easy strolls through beautiful desert terrain, Saguaro National Park is packed to the brim with options. One of these trails is the Loma Verde/Squeeze Pin Trail that is readily accessible from the main loop drive. In this article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Loma Verde/Squeeze Pin Trail.
Loma Verde/Squeeze Pin Trail Overview
The Loma Verde/Squeeze Pin Trail is an easy loop hike about 3.8 miles and with an elevation gain of 157 feet. This is a perfect hike for a leisurely stroll with plenty of great views and encounters with saguaro cactuses and other desert vegetation, not to mention potential wildlife. This route also has a rare crested saguaro.
- Distance: 3.8 miles
- Elevation Gain: 157 feet
- Route Type: Loop
- Pets: No
- Difficulty: Easy
- Time needed: 2 hours
Getting to the trail head
The trailhead is located at the Loma Verde (LV) trailhead in the East district. This trailhead can be easily accessed via Cactus Forest Drive which is the main road that runs from the main entrance of the park. (Be sure to turn left on the Loop Drive when you enter the park.)
Look for the trail head sign shortly after passing the Cactus Forest Trailhead and just before the Loop Drive heads south.
There will be a small parking lot with a handful of spaces and the trailhead will be directly adjacent to the parking area.
Trail conditions
The trail is very well marked and easy to follow. You will need to transfer to a couple of trails and pass through a few washes so you will need to pay attention to make sure you don’t go down the wrong path but the signs are very easy to read and interpret. The vast majority of the route is sandy.
Route description
This loop trail is part of the complex network of trails found in the north portion of the national park.
I love this area of the park because it’s a lot of fun to navigate through the web of different trails and you feel pretty secluded as you make your way back into these parts.
Because of all of the different trails and washes that you cross, you definitely want to have a map and probably a GPS to make sure that you stay on your desired path.
Anyway, the trail starts out pretty flat and open. The sand is a little thick in the beginning but not a major issue.
Personally, I like these wide trails because you don’t have to worry about a rattlesnake hiding in bushes along the trail in a tight space.
The first portion of the hike does not showcase a lot of saguaro cactuses but has a lot of green in other forms such as mesquite trees.
It actually can look pretty lush at times.
As you head north, you will be joined by the Mesquite Trail on your left and soon after that you will see where the Squeeze Pin Trail joins you on the right. (This will be where you will eventually finish up your hike.)
After making a couple of wash crossings and about half a mile into the hike, you will veer west towards the Cholla Trail and then turn right to follow the Loma Verde Trail North. As you head north, there are some pretty good views of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
At this point, more saguaro cactuses should start coming to view.
We did this hike towards the middle of May so most of the wildflowers were already dead at this point. But had we done this hike about a month or two earlier, I’m sure it would’ve been a pretty good showing for wildflowers.
Once you are on the Loma Verde Trail, you will eventually encounter the site of an old copper mine from the early 1900s. (This will be about .7 miles into the hike.)
You’ll find a sign where the mine site is and you can wander through some trails that take you meandering through some mounds which are the remains of the old 350-foot shaft. It’s not a terribly interesting site to see to be honest but it is cool to think about the history that took place on that site. Plus, you can look for greenish rocks on the site that are copper ore.
After you pass up the old mine, you will continue north along the trail.
At just under 1.4 miles into the trail, there will be a crested saguaro cactus on your left. These are rare cactuses and this particular crested saguaro is a pretty one. It’s not the most dramatic one that you will see in the park but it’s still is interesting site along the trail.
Shortly after you pass this cactus, you will then take a right and head east along the Pink Hill Trail. Continue on the trail, admiring many of the beautiful saguaros and the backdrop of the Rincon Mountains.
You will soon cross Monument Wash which is the lowest elevation point of the hike and from that point you will begin to make your ascent which is not a steep one at all.
During this portion of the hike, we saw quite a few chipmunks and tons of rabbits. In fact, we saw some pretty large rabbits which I think were black-tailed jackrabbits. I’ve never seen rabbits so big before so it was actually kind of trippy — they almost looked like kangaroos!
Eventually, at 2.2 miles into the hike you will encounter the Squeeze Pin Trail which is what you need to head south on. You’ll continue climb up a hill and make your way south back towards the Loma Verde Trail. There are some great views of the nearby foothills as you gain elevation and lots of ocotillo as well.
Once you join back up with the trail, it’s only a short walk to the main trail head and you will wrap up this hike at about 3.8 miles.
Final word
Overall, this is a good hike for an easy stroll through the desert. It offers some great views and cool encounters with different types of desert vegetation including a rare crested saguaro cactus. I was impressed by the site of large jack rabbits during the hike and felt like this was a nice two hour leisure hike to do in the evening.