March 1, 2019
Contact: Chief Ranger Ray O’Neil - Ray_O'Neil@nps.gov
Saguaro National Park has closed the Golden Gate Road to motor vehicles between Picture Rocks Road and the Sendero Esperanza Trailhead. The road remains open for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking.
The park completed a General Management Plan in 2008 and a Trails Management Plan in 2009. The permanent road closure is proposed through the two planning efforts as a way to provide a greater degree of naturalness through the center of the Tucson Mountains. The closure also provides the opportunity for a multi-use trail in the (west) Tucson Mountain District of the park.
Hard rains and washouts cause the road to become impassable to passenger vehicles several times each year. After summer rains necessitated a road closure in the summer of 2018, the park decided not to re-grade the road. The recent installation of gates and signs have formalized the closure. Hikers, bikers, and equestrians who wish to travel the road can park at the Sendero Esperanza Trailhead. A formal parking area at the junction of Golden Gate and Picture Rocks Roads is planned over the next several years.
Saguaro National Park
3693 S.Old Spanish Trail
Tucson, AZ 85730
https://nps.gov/sagu
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
