Looming like a giant battleship alongside the I-10 freeway, 75 miles southeast of Phoenix and 45 miles northwest of Tucson, 3,374-foot Picacho Peak has served as a Sonora Desert landmark for as long as there have been people here. Native Americans, Spanish explorers, American pioneers, you name it, they’ve used the volcanic peak to keep them on track. Now a state park, Picacho Peak also played a role in the Civil War, as the official westernmost battlefield of the War Between the States fought here on April 15, 1862, when a dozen Union soldiers skirmished with 17 Confederate cavalrymen. These days, people come here to enjoy the saguaro cactus and the desert wildflowers (in March mainly, when they’re at their most colorful), or to hike to the summit for a desert panorama (two miles each way, with a roughly 1,500-foot elevation gain). The park ($6 per car; 520/466-3183) is open for day use and camping.
Along the freeway at the foot of Picacho Peak, a sprawling ostrich farm lets you feed the ungainly beasts or purchase a variety of ostrich-derived products.
