Picacho Peak and Saguaro National Park
March 17th 2015
March 17th 2015
We got up early and took the Hunter Trail to climb Picacho Peak. Picacho is a beautiful and distinctive mountain that has been used as a navigational tool for thousands of years.
The trail climbs steeply through some amazing wild flowers to a saddle below the summit.
After reaching the saddle you drop down the other side of the mountain on super steep rock along a set of cables. You then climb back up through a series of rock ledges and cracks using more cables and hand holds. Quite the adventure.
The view from the summit was beautiful and well earned, what a cool place!!
After leaving Picacho Peak State Park we drove to Saguaro National Park. It was our first time to the park and we really enjoyed the flowers and cactus. We did a short hike to some petroglyphs and did the full scenic drive through the park.
Looking for something to fill our afternoon, we decided to visit a local mission: San Xavier Del Bac. Wow am I glad we did! What an amazing place. The gardens were stunning and the sheer size of the mission was amazing. I thought it was a fake at first, it put most California missions to shame!
