Foothills Loop Trail at Kartchner Caverns Trail is a 2.9 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Benson, Arizona that features a river and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
kid friendly
hiking
nature trips
walking
bird watching
running
cave
river
views
wild flowers
wildlife
muddy
rocky
washed out
We loved hiking in and out of the Guindani Wash just barely moving from the recent monsoon. Very muddy but really fun for those who are new to hiking.
Nice hike. Went with my entire family ages 14, 7, 4 and 1. I carried the baby in a backpack. Grab the trail guide from the Rangers in the office to get information at each of the stops along the trail. We liked that the trail is clearly marked along the way. The scramble up Mountain Viewpoint is totally worth it.
I would recommend this trail for the wildlife sightings, but be careful. We saw an entire family of wild javelinas!
Nice hike. Did this one in the morning. We took time for photos and a little rest..saw some pretty wild flowers didn’t see any wildlife.
Jeremy W. recorded Foothills Loop Trail at Kartchner Caverns Trail
The trail is pretty easy, and well marked most of the trip, the Mountain View trail is a nice little add on with incredible views. Though it’s a little steeper.
Good workout. Lots of loose rock. Great views of San Pedro Valley and surrounding mountains.
I gave this trail a 5 for views and interest but this is NOT an easy trail! The park rates it moderate to difficult and I agree with their assessment. My husband and I are fairly experienced hikers and by no means consider this easy. We did the trail starting on right as another review mentioned. A fair amount of elevation gain but nothing particularly difficult, but coming down the other side is definitely harder, steeper and more scrambling over rocks.
Too windy for us to go to the peak... wife almost blew away...
Ended up enjoying the hike more as we continued through. Went with my two year old in a carrier. Wouldn’t recommend going with a stroller if you intend to complete the loop around. Very rocky with loose rock in certain areas.
great little hike with beautiful views. paired with a cave tour makes for a perfect day.
Great desert hike!
Best to hike right to left as you see more of the mountains in Coronado.
My family really enjoyed this trail! We took our 3 & 1 year old and managed. We brought a BOB stroller and it worked most of the way besides some spots we had to lift over large rocks. The views are spectacular and there is a nice bench at the top for a lunch break!
Michael B.
good trail, well maintained, and well marked.
nice trail
i like to trail run. good for beginner trail running or hiking!
Need good hiking shoes, rocky with some loose rocks. Not hard. View every which way. Benches nice to chill on.
MaryLou P.
Fun little trail!
beautiful view all the way throughout the loop
A great hike not very hard but very pretty. We did it in the spring so saw no water in “river” but still a pretty Trail
Nice trail with good views
March with Michael, took 70 minutes walking fast to get finished before sunset. Great panoramic views.
Great hike. This was our second time using this trail. We also added in the mountain viewpoint trail and was not disappointed although this part of the trail is steeper and a bit harder to navigate with some of the rock "steps". The view is worth it though. We stopped to catch our breath a few times. Did this with two teens and a dachshund.
Great hike for me and my two small dogs. The views are incredible you forget you’re so close to the highway.
Very Easy and nice views!
Great hike! Trail is a little rocky.
This park is a 5 star because of the nature center and cave. The trail is very well marked and pretty easy. Saw a couple deer, heard quail and saw a wild pig. Great hike.
Definitely an easy difficulty. Take the free trail map in the welcome center if you want. I ran it at 10 am and I was the only soul around. It was 87 degrees so not too hot, I had a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water and I was fine. View at the top is pretty decent, its just slightly more steep to get there. I definitely had my eyes peeled for snakes the whole time. Most of the trail was Rocky.
Jason B.
This was a nice dessert hike. The trail is fairly easy, but it was a bit warm and I think it was closer to moderate for the kids. There is an option to hike to a summit off the main loop, which I did by myself while others rested. I'd say that was moderate to difficult and not kid or dog friendly. Good hike overall. I could see doing it again if I was doing a caverns tour.
