It’s the iconic image of the American Southwest: The giant saguaro cactus, standing tall among the baked desert, arms eternally raised to the sky as if they are reaching for the heavens. This subtropical plant thrives only in the Sonoran desert of southern Arizona.
At Saguaro National Park, you can see more than 1.6 million giant saguaro; the largest forest of its kind on the planet.
Saguaro National Park protects and preserves a giant saguaro cactus jungle that stretches across the valley floor near Tucson, Arizona. Unique to the Sonoran Desert, the park’s giant saguaros sometimes reach as much as 50 feet in height. They have been described as the kings of the Sonoran Desert. Saguaros have a relatively long life span and take up to 75 years to develop a side arm. Harming a saguaro in any manner, including cactus plugging, is illegal by state law in Arizona, and when houses or highways are built, special permits must be obtained to move or destroy any saguaro affected.
Though the saguaro may be the park's foundation, after wet winters the spring wildflower display can be breathtaking. The brilliant gold of the Mexican poppy is often the first to bloom, while penstemons, lupines, desert marigolds, brittlebushes, and globe mallows contribute their lively colors of red, lilac, blue, and yellow. Many trees, shrubs, and cactuses also bloom, including creosote bushes, paloverdes, ocotillos, chollas, and hedgehogs. Saguaros bloom in late spring. Any time of the year if you are graced with rain, there is a smell that if bottled would make someone a millionaire. There is nothing more beautifully fragrant than the rain in the desert.
The park is composed of two separate sections; Saguaro East, also known as the Rincon Mountain District and Saguaro West, also known as the Tucson Mountain District, which lie on the opposite side of the city of Tucson.
This is a park you can visit all year round. From October through April, temperatures reach the upper 60s to mid-70s and can drop below freezing overnight. From May through September, highs routinely exceed 100 degrees. July through September is characterized by brief, fierce thunderstorms. Saguaros bloom nightly from late April into June. On a one-day visit, begin early and view the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum before heading to Saguaro West; then pause at the Red Hills Visitor Center for an overview. Take the Bajada Scenic Loop Drive, stopping en route to walk the paved Desert Discovery Nature Trail. Return to Tucson, continuing east to Saguaro's Rincon Mountain District. Take the Cactus Forest Drive and walk the Desert Ecology Trail. For a scenic rest stop along the drive, visit Mica View Picnic Area.
Rates & Fees: Saguaro West and East
$10.00 entrance fee per vehicle.
$5.00 for pedestriansor bicyclists.
Stores/Museum
Both districts have Visitor Centers that offer books, brochures, maps, trail and drive guides, exhibits, and a slide program about the Saguaro and the Sonoran Desert. Rangers are available if you have questions about what to see and do.
Programs/Events
Guided walks are offered at each visitor center. Schedules of ranger-guided walks and other park activities that are offered in the winter are posted in the Visitor Centers. Published schedules of programs are available during the winter season. Special environmental education programs are frequently conducted for local school groups. Several Junior Ranger Programs are available.
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