Going on a cool, leisurely hike during the Arizona summer does not necessarily mean waking up with the sun.

Phillip Brown, a ranger at Saguaro National Park West, leads 2.5-mile twilight hikes at King Canyon, a trail on park grounds, where visitors can see desert animals in the wild and petroglyphs in natural rock outcroppings as the sun sets.

“The whole point of the twilight hikes is to see the wildlife waking up for the night, while the others are going to sleep,” said Park Ranger Richard Hill.

Brown said the experience is different with every hike.

“The wildlife explodes after the monsoon rain,” Brown said, noting that deer, tadpoles, and dragonflies are commonly seen on the hike during that time. “Anything can happen.”

Brown has the expertise to educate hikers on whatever they come across during the hike. He is known around the Red Hills Visitor Center as an “extensive naturalist.”

His love of the environment is evident as he describes the natural behavior of every animal he sees, such as the zebra-tailed lizards that dash across the trail.

Entering the canyon, Brown said that the grounds of Saguaro were declared a monument by President John F. Kennedy.

Brown explained the Hohokam petroglyphs and the various meanings they could hold. While Brown has said it is impossible to know what the artist had in mind, he points out a particular design he believes to be a snake. Reaching the top of the canyon, he takes a break at the scenic picnic area, and talks about how Saguaro is fortunate to be one of the 58 natural preserves declared a National Park by Congress.

The hike concludes with a relaxing walk down an old and rocky mining road that gives a panoramic view of the canyon and the park surrounding it.

He works two days per week at the park, and four days per week down the road at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. In both settings, Brown is in charge of putting together programs that educate visitors about the natural atmosphere of the environment around them.

This is the third summer of the twilight hikes. In the beginning, twilight hikes were available year-round, but Brown was unable to lead the hikes this winter because he was having trouble with his knees.

Hikers who attend multiple walks around the same time of year also get to see different aspects of the continually changing desert.

“It is nice to come back to get a different perspective and notice things in different ways,” said Ken Ventura, a hiker who went on his second walk in the canyon. During his first twilight hike, Ventura and others saw a deer near the trailhead.

“I would definitely recommend this hike. I plan on coming on more myself,” Ventura said.

The Red Hills Visitor Center offers a variety of other activities, such as “Moonlight Talks,” which are walks used to educate visitors about the desert nightlife, programs on the Civilian Conservation Corps, a program that employed workers previous to WWII, and wildlife slide shows for those interested in learning more about the Sonoran Desert.

Brown said he thinks that sometimes Arizonans forget that the park is there.

“The park belongs to everyone,” said Brown, “and it’s always worth it to come down.”