SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK AND TUCSON
If you find yourself in Tucson, Arizona, Saguaro National Park makes for a great day trip! Fun fact: Saguaro is not pronounced as you might think. It’s actually pronounced: suh·waa·row. The park is relatively small compared to some of the other National Parks. It’s broken up into two sections – the East Side and the West Side. The two sections are not THAT close to each other. It would take about an hour to drive between them. When we visited, we broke it up into two different days. We took about a half day at each section to explore, but you could easily combine it into a one day plan.
How Much Time Do You Need Here
Saguaro National Park is split into two sections that are about an hour from each other. You could easily fill a day exploring both sections, or plan to spend a day in each area.
How To Get Here
Tucson is right in the middle of the two sections of Saguaro National Park making it an easy day trip! Each section is about a 30 minute drive from Tucson.
Plants and Wildlife in Saguaro National Park
Saguaro is a great place to see huge, huge, huge cacti and a wide range of desert animals. Saguaro cacti are the largest in the US. They start growing upward, like a column, then sprout “arms”. Saguaro also grow very slowly. You can expect a 10 ft cactus to be about 40 years old! Similar to humans, cacti need protection when they’re young. You might notice young cacti under “nurse plants” which are trees or plants that provide shade and coverage from some of the elements, allowing the cacti to flourish.
Inside a Saguaro Cactus, you’ll find water, but also, surprisingly, wood. The internal frame is made up of wood which is often referred to as “ribs”. These ribs provide the structure for the cactus, allowing it to grow strong and tall. Now when you see wood in the park, you’ll know where it came from!
We were at the park for sunset and saw it come alive with animal life. We saw a bobcat, kangaroo rats, foxes, lizards, rabbits, roadrunners, and an owl! Be on the lookout for frogs, turtles, snakes, and tons of birds!
Saguaro East Side – Rincon Mountain District
Cactus Forest Scenic Loop Drive
Drive this 8 mile paved loop to access some short trails and view scenic vistas. If you drive straight through, it won’t take you too long, but adding in short hikes and quick stops will add up and take a few hours.
Hike
The Rincon Mountain area has a lot of short hikes and walks on paved or semi-paved/semi-packed dirt trails. You can meander through the cacti and choose your direction as you find adjoining trails. They’re all easy to navigate and you shouldn’t have trouble finding your way back to your starting point. We parked at the Mica View trailhead and used that as our base trail, then added on some short deviations on other trails.
Mica View Trail
Milage: 1.4 miles
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 35 minutes
This is a nice, chill trail. You’ll wind through cacti on easy-to-follow pathways. This is the perfect late-afternoon, early-evening sunset trail. You can also stack on additional trails if you want to make your hike longer. We saw a bobcat as we were leaving the trail!
Watch the Sunset
Stop at the Javelina Rocks Pullout to enjoy a magnificent sunset. When you’re done watching the sunset, you’ll need to head to the park exit. They do close the gate once the sun goes down.
Saguaro West Side – Tucson Mountain District
Saguaro West Side is said to be the more popular side of the park, but we didn’t see too many visitors in either section when we visited in late January. It was the perfect place to take a nice late afternoon stroll in almost complete solitude. We were blown away by the sheer size of the saguaro cacti.
Bajada Loop Drive
This scenic drive is 6 miles long and has plenty of trailheads, scenic viewpoints, and a scattering of places to picnic. Like the Cactus Forest Scenic Loop Drive, it won’t take too long if you drive straight through, but by adding in the stops, it’ll take a few hours.
Watch the Sunset
Gates Pass is a great place to watch the sunset near the park. While technically not within Saguaro National Park, Gates Pass is right outside of the entrance and offers an ideal sunset view. You’ll wind your way up a scenic road, leading to a parking lot at the top with a designated overlook area. This is the perfect spot for sunset viewing since you’re at a slightly higher vantage point.
Hikes
King Canyon, Sendero Esperanza, and Gould Mine Loop
Milage: 2.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 400 ft
Difficulty: Medium
Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
This trail has a little bit of everything and combines a bunch of smaller trails. You’ll see cacti, mine ruins, petroglyphs and plenty of wildlife – mostly birds and lizards. You’ll scale rock faces, walk in washes, and see great views from the mine. When we visited it was very windy and sunny, even late in the day in January. Don’t forget a sunhat and sunglasses to keep the flying sand and dust out of your eyes.
Petroglyphs via King Canyon Wash Trail
Milage: 1.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 259 ft
Difficulty: Medium
Time: 1 hour
You can see the petroglyphs by doing this short trail, or by combining it with the trail above. Definitely cool to see.
Desert Discovery Trail
Milage: 0.4 miles
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Difficulty: Medium
Time: 15 minutes
This is the perfect intro trail before going on a longer hike – a great way to warm up and see your first cactus of the day up close!
Cactus Garden
Milage: 0.2 miles
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 10 minutes
This is a very short, accessible trail near the Visitor Center. Walk among cacti and read interpretive signs offering information on the various plants and wildlife that you could find in the park.
Tucson Things
Tucson is a college town, home to University of Arizona. It has a small, walkable downtown with some shops and restaurants. Nearby there are desert hiking trails, the air and space museum, and beautiful Spanish colonial style architecture.
Tanque Verde Falls Trail
Coronado National Forest
Milage: 1.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 440 ft
Difficulty: Medium to Hard
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
This trail was our favorite from our time in Tucson. You walk straight down among rows and rows of cacti, then end up at the bottom of a canyon. Depending on the season and recent rainfall, you’ll hit either a wash or a stream. Follow it down and you’ll find a small waterfall. We felt so small and tiny in the vast canyon. You’ll hike straight up on your way out. Take breaks as you need to, it’s steeper than it seems. On our way out, we saw the most spectacular sunset.
Sabino Canyon Hike
Sabino Canyon Recreation area has a couple different hikes for varying skill levels. We were short on time so opted for a quick 2 mile loop, but the most popular trail in the park is a moderate 8 mile out-and-back that goes into a canyon and to some falls. If you visit on a weekend, you’ll want to get here pretty early – the parking lot fills up fast! It’s $8 per vehicle to hike here.
Pima Air and Space Museum
Stop at this museum to learn about the history and science of aviation and space exploration. See their massive historical aircraft collection, learn about spacecrafts, and play with their interactive exhibits.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum combines elements of a zoo, botanical garden, art gallery, natural history museum, and aquarium, all to show the Sonoran Desert. Here you can see animals, learn about the Sonoran Desert’s unique ecosystem, and stroll through beautifully landscaped desert gardens. We decided to skip it since tickets are $30/person and we felt like we’d see similar sights before, but if you’re looking for an approachable, kid-friendly view into the desert, this is your spot.
See Mission San Xavier del Bac and other cool architecture
Admire the beautiful Spanish colonial architecture at this mission. As you drive in the area, you’ll see other pretty architecture like the partially reconstructed Presidio San Agustín del Tucson and the Barrio Histórico.
NOT DONE TRAVELING?
Check out our guides of nearby areas:
Page, Arizona
Petrified Forest National Park
Sedona
Phoenix
Monument Valley
Scottsdale
Havasupai
Grand Canyon