We visited Saguaro National Park in February 2022 while we were visiting family. We figured we were close by why not check another park off our list! Here's what we learned:
Basic Information:
1. It is pronounced "Sauaro" the "g" is silent. It's nice to know if you want to look like you know what you are talking about. It is named for the large amount of Saguaro Cacti that are native to the area.
2. It's located in Tucson Arizona, in the Sonoran Desert.
3. It cost $25 to enter the park for 7 consecutive days
4. It is important to plan ahead and be prepared for this park- you are literally in the desert. Water is an absolute MUST! Also hats, sunglasses, sunscreen. If you plan on hiking a long distance I would plan on starting early in order to try to beat the oppressive heat of the afternoon. Also it is so dry there so I would recommend lotion and Chapstick!
5. There are two sections of the park the Rincon Mountain District and the Tucson Mountain District. They are about an hour away from each other through the city of Tucson. Theoretically this could all be completed in a day if planned correctly but we decided to devote a day to each section of the park.
6. I had a hard time finding trails in the park that were somewhat medium length. There are some that are quite short and then there are many others that are crazy long.
Tucson Mountain District (West Side)
We travelled to this section on the first day because it was the farthest from where we were staying.
Desert Discovery Nature Trail
This is a easy 0.4 mile completely paved trail. It's the only trail in the park that allows dogs. There are many signs explaining the geological history of the park. While not a difficult trail we found it to be a nice one to explore.
Bajada Loop Drive
This is 5.2 mile loop that features multiple trailheads within the park. Be warned this is a completely dirt road and is quite dusty. It provides scenic views of the park.
Valley View Overlook Trail
This is a 0.8 mile round trip easy-ish trail that provides a beautiful view at the end. Yes, it is a bit of hike up hill but it is not difficult. Make sure you have water. Parking is a little sketchy along the side of the road but there isn't really a designated parking lot. We loved the view at the top and found the hike to be well worth it.
Signal Hill Trail and Picnic Area
We ate lunch at the Signal Hill Picnic area. They have nice picnic tables that were built by the CCC in the 1930's which is a cool little piece of history. The best part of the picnic areas is they have SHADE. They also have pit toilets in this area. Next to the picnic area is Signal Hill Trail. The trail itself is only 0.4 miles up signal hill. On top of the hill are really cool petroglyphs from native americans that once inhabited the park. It make's me laugh that we don't actually know what the petroglyphs say. They could be curse words for all we know. Still they are neat to look at and study. From the trail you can choose to go back or continue on to other trails in the area depending on how you are feeling.
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Ok so this isn't technically considered part of the park but it is very close to the Tucson Mountain District section and I would highly recommend it. This is a giant-mostly-outdoor museum dedicated to the Sonora Desert and the plant life and animals that inhabit it. You could fairly easy spend a whole day here if you wanted to. There are a lot of animals to see including beavers, bobcats, snakes, fish, turtles, and big horn sheep.
It is quite large so come prepared to walk around. There are some indoor parts to give you a break from the oppressive heat and they do a good job of trying to provide as much shade as possible as well as having water bottle refill stations. It is a little more on the expensive side to visit the museum so I would recommend planning on devoting a few hours to really get your money's worth. General admission is $25 per person.
Website: https://www.desertmuseum.org/
Rincon Mountain District (East)
Most of this section of the park is hard to access. There are many very long trails! If I were to come back to this section I would like to try to do one of the trails on horse back. I think this would be super difficult to hike any of these trails because of the length and the heat.
Rincon Mountain Visitor Center
This is the first thing you see as you enter the park. There is plenty of parking as well as water and bathrooms. It appears to have a museum but this was also still shut down because of covid. I was still able to get a national parks stamp so I was happy! I'm sure it would be a great visitor center if not for covid.
Cactus Forest Drive
This is the road that goes in a circle around the main area of the park that is semi-accessible. If you want to drive the whole thing in a circle you should turn left once you get past the visitor center because it turns into a one way road for a section of the park. It provides scenic views and access points to different trailheads in the park. We were shocked that it was actually fully paved after driving on Bajada loop drive the previous day.
Cactus Forest Trail
This is a 5 mile round trip easy-moderate hike that cuts through the main section of the park that you can drive through. The trail continues on out of the park for many miles- but if you want to stay within the park it is 5 miles total out and back. Because we got a late start and were worried about the heat and the amount of water we had we did a modified hike instead. Halfway through the trail there is a section that veers off to lime falls. This is supposedly a waterfall but I doubt it's a waterfall for most of the year. Still we decided to veer off the trail and find the nonexistent waterfall. We really enjoyed this trail- it was quite different from the hiking in the other section. Obviously there were plenty of cacti but there was a lot more shrubs and trees (hence cactus forest). We would highly recommend it.
When you drive past the visitor center many people choose to go left to access the trail. There is limited parking for this trail on both ends. Instead we went right and hiked from the "bottom" of the trail up. We were able to find parking but it was still a tight fit even semi early in the morning. But from what we heard from other people it was impossible to find parking at the beginning of the trail so we were glad that we started from the bottom.
Other trails that we wanted to try but ran out of time and energy
We wanted to try Freeman Homestead Trail. We ate lunch at Javelina which near the trailhead. There were nice picnic tables and bathroom here. The trail itself is 1 mile round trip and you can glimpse remains of early settlers to the area.
Desert Ecology Trail- this is in the north section of the park. It is 1/4 mile total and fully paved and dogs are allowed on this trail.
Overall
Overall we really enjoyed exploring this park while we were visiting family in Tucson. If you are mid-level hikers (3-6 mile hikes) this isn't a great park for you but it is still enjoyable and informative. Make sure you are fully prepared for the heat, exposure and dryness!!
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