The Foothills Loop Hike in Kartchner Caverns State Park is a relatively easy hike with some moderate climbs that are not too long. Therefore, this makes a good "warm up hike" early in the season so that hikers can assess there relative hiking abilities.  If one does not take the spur trail to the highest viewpoint, the elevation change is only about 250 vertical feet from the trailhead to the saddle.  The optional hike on the spur trail up the the viewpoint adds another 200 feet of vertical climb to the hike.  There are some parts of the trail that have difficult rocky footing and other parts that are quite sandy.  The trail is well marked and anyone in fairly good physical condition can hike it with confidence.  It is important not to confuse the relatively easy Foothills Loop Hike with the considerably more difficult Guindani Trail. The Guindani Trail has more climbing and more difficult footing and should be attempted only by hikers who are in good physical condition and have all the appropriate hiking gear.  

The Foothills Loop can be hiked in either direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) and one can either start from the parking lot near the Visitor's Center or at the Guindani Trail trailhead.  The hike shown on this page starts from the parking lot near the Visitor's Center.   If one hikes the Foothills Trail in a counterclockwise direction, one quickly comes to a sign that identifies a very short spur trail that leads to some prehistorical mortars in the rocks where native americans ground mesquite beans and other seeds.  After the indian mortars the trail climbs up to a saddle with an excellent view of the landscape.  From this saddle, one has the option of more climbing up to a much higher viewpoint.  Hikers should be aware that this is a significant climb and there are some very rough sections of trail.  From the first saddle, the trail drops down a little and then up to another saddle before descending down off the hills and circling back to the Visitor's Center.  The Visitor's Center provides tired hikers with restroom and refreshment facilities.  This is one of the very few hikes with such nice facilities near the trailhead. 

If one chooses to start the hike from the Guindani Trail trailhead (see the Kartchner Caverns State Park Map) it is nice to hike the Foothills Loop clockwise such that one passes the Visitor's Center near the end of the hike and thus has the the option of stopping there to rest or to use the facilities as needed. Other hikers can continue back to the trailhead and then drive back to the Visitor's Center to pick up those who have chosen the easier option.

Kartchner Caverns is a State Park and a $6.00 parking-entrance fee will be assessed per vehicle. So, it is best to try to minimize the number of vehicles entering the park.