Honey Bee Canyon Petroglyphs Trail

The Honey Bee Canyon Petroglyphs Trail is a 1.1-mile-long trail in Oro Valley, Arizona that leads to petroglyphs. The trailhead for this hike is the parking lot for Honey Bee Canyon Park which is located at 13880 N Rancho Vistoso Boulevard. To start this hike, head down the paved path on the east end of the parking lot which leads down to a ramada and restroom area. Before reaching the restroom take the wide, sandy path that leads to the Sausalito Creek Wash. Once you reach the wash, head to the right (north). The trail from here on out is just the Sausalito Creek Wash which is very sandy. The trail soon goes under a bridge and continues into Honey Bee Canyon.

Even though this trail goes through a residential area, the walls of the canyon obscure the view of most of the homes in the area. Except for the road noise near the bridge and glimpses of an occasional building, you would never know you are in a city. There are saguaros and other Sonoran Desert plants along the trail.

After about a mile of hiking, you will come to the remnants of an old dam created by ranchers in the late 1800s. The petroglyphs just past the dam on the left. Look for a large, darker rock; the petroglyphs are a bit above eye level. The petroglyphs were created by the Hohokam people that occupied the area over 1000 years ago. This is the turn around point for most hikers. On the way back, there are nice views of the Santa Catalina Mountains.

This hike is quite scenic and is doable for almost all abilities as the trail is flat with a very gradual elevation gain. Dogs on a leash are allowed on this trail. Be sure to bring water with you as it can get extremely hot here, especially in the summer.