Tucson - King Canyon - Hugh Norris - Esperanza Gold Mine Loop

Rating	*****
length	7.1 mile - 3 hour 45 minutes (round trip). Moderate/Easy.
Height	2880 - 4580 feet
Access	All Cars, From Tucson, take Speedway, Gates Pass Road, Kinney Road. Just as you pass the Desert Museum at your left, the trail head parking is on a dirt parking lot on the right side.
Other Trails
Data	To download these files, right-click the link and choose 'save as' |--| GPX (GPS file) |-----| KML (Google Earth file)

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Nice loop with views along Wasson Peak.

You can take the old jeep road or as we did go more left, past the sign (photo) into the wash.
Go right uphill (if you turn left, downhill, just before the road on the right starts the unmarked, Gold Mine Trail)

Uphill in the wash is more difficult but more interesting. At a crossing with a trail sign, going 2 ways, go right uphill, on the King Canyon Trail.
When you reach a saddle, the crossing with Sweetwater, turn left uphill.
You pass a couple of mines and at the next crossing you may go right if you didn't climb Wasson Peak (easy).
Go Left on Hugh Norris Trail and the trail almost immediately descents, the trail follows a rocky ridge.
At the crossing with Sendero Esperanza Trail go left. Just past another mine you find the trail head of Gold Mine Trail. Follow this trail up to the parking.

There is no shade.
In early May the Saguaro where blooming. Start early as the flowers close during the day. (We started around 8:00am (80F) and ended at 94F)
There is no fee on this parking lot as it starts outside the park.

Another way to climb Wasson Peak is taking Sweetwater Trail or Hugh Norris Trail.







Disclamer: Read this first before you start your hike.
Contact: usa/at/e/f/m/e/r/.eu (leave out the /)
All hikes recorded on pocket loox (pocket PC) using gpsTuner(.com)
Hiking Tucson - King Canyon - Hugh Norris - Esperanza Gold Mine Loop Arizona, Hike with gps, gpx and kml (Google Earth).