Saguaro: Javelina Wash Trail Closed After Flash Flooding

If you were planning a hike on the Tucson Mountain District side, here's something to add to your plans right away. The Javelina Wash Trail, right next to the Red Hills Visitor Center, is currently closed. The reason is simple. Flash flooding hit the area recently and damaged the trail.

The water tore up the path, and crews are now working to repair it. The park would rather keep it off-limits to visitors than let hikers through on unstable ground. The potential for more flooding is still there, and that's exactly the danger, for the public and for staff, that's behind the closure.

This kind of thing is no surprise in the Sonoran Desert. Washes, those riverbeds that sit dry most of the year, turn into violent channels of water within minutes once a storm breaks upstream. A trail that runs along or crosses a wash becomes the most exposed spot around, even when the sky looks clear right over your head.

None of this really changes your plans, though. The rest of the Red Hills Visitor Center area is still the ideal starting point for exploring the western side of the park. Just hold off on the Javelina Wash Trail and switch to another route while the repairs wrap up. No reopening date has been announced yet, so assume the closure stands until further notice and check trail conditions at the visitor center before you head out.

To plan the rest of your trip, line up your other hikes, and understand how the park's two districts fit together, you'll find everything in the Saguaro park guide. And whatever the season, keep that desert instinct. Never set foot in a riverbed when a storm is threatening, even far off.