Valley View Overlook Trail
Some views feel like the Sonoran Desert revealing its full heart at once — the Valley View Overlook is one of them. This short, easy trail in Saguaro National Park West is a masterclass in desert scale: ridgelines stretching into hazy horizons, saguaros rising like cathedral spires, and open sky that swells with color as the sun dips toward the Tucson Mountains. This is Saguaro West at its most iconic — simple, accessible, and astonishingly photogenic.
The Hike
The Valley View Overlook Trail, located along the unpaved but well-maintained Bajada Loop Drive, is a 0.8–1 mile round-trip walk with only about 50 feet of elevation gain.
Built partly by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the trail winds through washes and up stone-packed steps. The path is lined with desert wildlife and thick forests of saguaros that seem to multiply the farther you walk. At the top, a simple wooden bench marks the official overlook — a quiet pedestal for taking in one of the best vistas in the district.
Photography Strategy
Where Signal Hill is about foreground detail, Valley View is about scale and depth.
Key compositions to look for:
· Saguaros aligned in rows against the distant mountains.
· Desert ridges creating leading lines toward the horizon.
Valley View Overlook is the kind of place that rewards simplicity. No long miles, no steep climbs — just a straight path to a perfect view of the Sonoran Desert laid out beneath your feet.