Saguaro National Park

We visited Saguaro National Park in November 2018 while staying in Tucson during Big Trip #2.

Close your eyes and picture a cactus standing in the desert. I’m going to guess your imaginary cactus friend is a saguaro! Am I right?

Saguaro (pronounced “sah-WAR-oh”) cacti, standing tall with cartoon arms, are all over pop culture, but only grow in the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona and Mexico. The densest stands are near Tucson, home of Saguaro National Park. Saguaros are the largest cactus species in the US, but grow only about an inch a year. They can grow up to 60 feet tall, 4800 pounds, and 200 years old, with anywhere from zero to over 25 arms. Those arms normally don’t start appearing until the cactus is over 50 years old! Walking through a forest of saguaros, with their variety of regal and bizarre postures, is surreal and wonderful.

rainbow over cacti in Saguaro National Park

The city of Tucson splits Saguaro National Park into two sections: Rincon Mountain District to the east, and Tucson Mountain District to the west. The western side is smaller, with a denser cactus population and a dirt scenic drive, while the eastern side has a paved scenic drive and more backcountry hiking opportunities.

Camping

tucson's neon cactus

There’s no vehicle camping in Saguaro NP; that includes RVs. So you can ditch your trailer and tent camp in the backcountry, or you can park your RV in Tucson, like we did. We picked Sentinel Peak RV Park for its proximity to downtown and were not disappointed. See one of our Tucson posts for more about our stays in Tucson.

Hiking

hiking in Saguaro National Park

No great surprise: dogs are not allowed on the trails in Saguaro National Park. Bugsy stayed in the Airstream in Tucson while we humans spent several hours in the Park.

Rincon Mountain District

Since our time was limited on our first visit, we thought we’d get the most bang for our buck in the Rincon Mountain District, soaking up vistas on the eight-mile scenic drive and stopping for hikes along the way.

hiking in Saguaro National Park

With the help of the rangers in the Visitor Center, we pieced together a fun loop hike of just under six miles, chaining together the Loma Verde, Pink Hill, and Carrillo trails, up to Garwood Dam, then back down Carrillo and Squeeze Pen trails to the trailhead. Here’s a detailed trail map.

heart pad on prickly pear cactus
heart pad on prickly pear cactus

I especially enjoyed hunting for heart-shaped prickly pear cactus pads as we hiked. It turns out they’re everywhere, but I still got excited each time I saw one.

desert jackrabbit in Saguaro National Park

A rarer sight greeted us toward the end of our hike: a big old jackrabbit chilling in the shade. Is he an antelope jackrabbit? They’re the largest rabbit species in the Western hemisphere, and rare in the Park.

Saguaro National Park

Tucson Mountain District

hiking to Wasson Peak in Saguaro National Park
hiking to Wasson Peak

Wasson Peak in the Tucson Mountain District was at the top of our to-do list for a longer-distance hike, and it did not disappoint! We hiked to Wasson Peak along this pleasant eight-mile loop and man we really love those kooky saguaros.

For our next trip, Tanque Verde Ridge trail in the Rincon Mountain District is at the top of my wish list. Let us know if you have trail recommendations!

5 Replies to “Saguaro National Park

  1. I’m sure you guys have spent enough time in the Tucson area to know that the absolute to die for hiking is in the Tucson Mountain Park District.. My all time favorite is the Hugh Norris Trail where you can go up one side and down another.. Getting to the top I’m pretty sure I could see all the way to west Tennessee—well, not quite but it is quite a view.. There are a myriad of other trails in the park and you could easily spend a week or two just hiking around that area.. And behold, there is the Gilbert Ray campground right in the middle.. Yeah, I know its too far from the beer, wine and party time but you kids really need to slow that down now that you’re getting “older”..

    1. I really want to go back and hike in the Tucson Mountain side! J wanted a break from hiking and to focus on beer in Tucson, so I didn’t get as much hiking as I wanted… next time!

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