Just two hours south of Phoenix you’ll find a National Park named after the iconic cactus of the American Southwest, Saguaro. If you just said “Sug-war-oh”, then you’re like us and you’re wrong! It’s pronounced “Suh-waa-row”! We definitely recommend practicing this for a week prior to visiting! 🙂
An important thing to know about this park is it is separated into two parts east and west on each side of Tucson. The Tucson Mountain District to the west and Rincon Mountain District is in the east. We read that more Saguaro forests are in the west, so with only one day we chose that side. The eastern side extends into the mountains containing more pine and fir trees.
Hiking Trails
Unlike many National Parks we’ve visited, you can fully experience the park by car if you’re short on time. We did the Scenic Bajada Loop Drive, a 5-mile loop of unpaved road. There are some overlooks and short trails to stop at while on the loop. We especially liked the Signal Hill Trail for viewing petroglyphs and the picnic area was scenic.
We prefer to do at least one hike in each National Park we visit, so we ventured over to the King Canyon Trailhead where you can combine different trails to make anything from a 2-mile loop to a 10-mile adventure. No matter what you choose, bring plenty of water! It was a truly unique experience to walk among the towering Saguaro forest.
Best time to visit:
Visit anytime other than in the summer if possible. Summer temperatures can exceed 100 degrees!
Where we stayed:
We thought this was a fairly easy day trip from the Phoenix area. We loved our VRBO in Litchfield Park. It was a great place to spend a week in the Phoenix area. The highlight is the backyard with a solar heated pool and spa, and a putting green.
Other things to do:
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum looked really neat. Basically a zoo and garden showcasing plants and animals from the area. Definitely plan to spend an afternoon there.
Rincon Mountain District (east) for wildflowers and more mountain landscape.
