Saguaro National Park

Visited: Aug 2015

Nearby city: Tucson, AZ

The gigantic Saguaro, the "monarch of the Sonoran Desert" is an icon of the American Southwest. It's hard to picture a desert without picturing these tree-like, sometimes almost human-like, cacti. The majestic arms, its beautiful flowers, its strong, silent silhouette in the setting sun. It's what the desert is all about.

I can never remember a time when I didn't know what a Saguaro was. Growing up in Yuma and Mesa in southern Arizona, viewing a Saguaro was a daily experience. They are still a wonder to behold. But growing up among these giants I certainly take them for granted. Tara, who has spent pretty much her entire life in Idaho, was very impressed by the "forest" of Saguaro that greeted her in Phoenix and Tucson area.

Saguaro have adapted very well to the harsh environment of the Sonoran Desert. The Saguaro begins its life as a tiny black seed, they only measure a quarter inch after a year, one foot after 15 years, and after 30 years is when they finally flower and produce fruit. Saguaro can live to be more than 150 years old, reach up to 50 feet tall, and weigh up to 8 tons. The tallest Saguaro ever recorded was an arm-less specimen (known as a spear) found in Cave Creek, AZ that was 78 feet tall. The arms are my favorite part of the Saguaro, there may be none, one, or dozens, and they can grow in seemingly any shape, size, or direction.

We visited the Park at the wrong time of year. August is not the best month to trek around the Arizona desert. A winter visit would be much more pleasant, and if you want to see the Saguaro flowers blossoming, visit sometime in April - June. There are two sections of the Park, The Tucson Mountain District is just west of Tucson metro and the Rincon Mountain District is just east of Tucson metro. And by just outside of Tucson, I mean literally, just outside of Tucson. Tucson is super close to the Park. Saguaro is an easy park to visit and experience in a couple of hours and there's lots of other things to do in Tucson just next door. The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Old Tucson Studios (where many Westerns were filmed), Colossal Cave, Mission San Xavier Del Bac (known as "the White Dove of the Desert"), and the University of Arizona campus, etc. I spent my freshman year of college at U of A. Tucson is a neat town.

We drove down with my parents for the day. We started at the West region, the Tucson Mountain District. Unfortunately, the unpaved scenic drive, The Bajada Loop Drive, was closed due to bad weather the day before. We spent time at the Visitor Center and did the short, easy Desert Discovery Nature Trail.

remains of a dead Saguaro

Tara liked this prickly pear

Gives you an idea how massive these cacti are

with my Mom and Dad

We then headed across town to the Rincon Mountain District. Take the one way scenic drive, the Cactus Forest Drive. This region is a little higher elevation than the West Region.

this giant was the one we saw with the most arms by far. This is all one cactus!

we saw this desert tortoise crossing the road

I have ranked Saguaro down at the bottom of National Parks, but if you find yourself in the Tucson area it is definitely worth a visit. I love the desert, the longer I'm gone from Arizona, the more I miss it. All of our National Parks are natural treasures that need to be visited and protected. Next time we go, we'll make sure to go in a cooler month and maybe do some hiking. Saguaro is a perfect day-trip park. Entrance fee is $15. More info here: https://www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm