While organizing past pictures in my computer, I realized that I never posted about some of the National Parks we visited during our Southwest summer road trip, so I am now playing catch up! Due to having to replace our tires in Tucson, we only spent a half day in Saguaro National Park over the summer and that is a shame because it is a beautiful place to explore. Here’s what I remember most when thinking of Saguaro National Park– amazing hiking views, unbelievable heat, cacti that almost look like people, friendly park rangers, unforgettable Mexican food in Tucson and a poorly timed flat tire. And also a hunger to visit again and see more.
Visiting Saguaro National Park
For future visits, I hope to not be exploring in the heat of summer because it made camping impossible and I would have loved to stay at on of the backcountry sites at Saguaro East. Since it was so hot, we spent a good deal of time at the hotel pool instead of enjoying Saguaro National Park. I also hope we don’t lose a bunch of time replacing tires while visiting so that we can visit both sections of the park- Tucson Mountain District to the west and the Rincon Mountain District to the East.
Tucson was a convenient home base and we used Hotwire to find a budget hotel choice, staying at the Country Inn and Suites which was clean and comfortable. When visiting in the future, we also will make sure to plan for time to visit the amazing Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Every single person we talked to in Tucson, inlcuding the Saguaro National Park rangers suggested we visit here, but we sadly didn’t have time. Definitely on the list for a future visit!
But even with the limited time we had in Saguaro National Park, we loved it. The wildlife was amazing! We saw a huge snake slithering through the desert, a group of javelina running to hide in the brush, a coyote and numerous species of birds. The unique personalities of the saguaro cactus, interesting Ranger Programs, informative park orientation video, scenic drive and beautiful short hikes all add up to another amazing National Park.
I love Saguaro! I live near Saguaro East and have the pleasure of visiting often. You should definitely come back during the fall or spring, although our winter is mild so anytime except summer is a good idea. 🙂 I love spring because all the cactus are in bloom. You definitely have to check out Saguaro East next time you’re here. There’s a seven mile scenic drive that is fun to drive and doubles as a popular running/biking trail. There are a lot of hills though so be prepared for a good workout. The Desert Museum is a must. A drive up Mt. Lemmon is fun as is a hike in Sabino Canyon. I’m glad you enjoyed your short stay in town!
Caroline- you are lucky to live near so much beauty! I loved Arizona, even with the summer heat. I can’t wait until we visit again.