Arizona is known for its home to Saguaros [pronounced: suh-waa-rows], which are one of the well-known cacti species that are almost the size of a tree. I didn’t know about saguaros until I came to Phoenix so hiking the trails full of saguaros was the coolest experience I’ve ever had. Tucson is a city located in the southern part of Arizona and is the sunniest city in the US!
Saguaro National Park hiking was something I wanted to do while in Arizona (as you all know I am a national park geek) so I woke up early and drove down to Tucson from Phoenix. It was sunny when I was in the Phoenix area before heading to Tucson but starting from Day 1 of my road trip, it was raining and the weather turned very inclement. I ended up hiking in the rain and hail but it was nice how the trails weren’t as crowded (pretty similar to what it was like when I was up north in Sedona- check out my previous Sedona blog post). It’s weird how the weather was nice and sunny every time I came back to Phoenix from my road trips but the weather suddenly changed and started raining when I hit the road. I don’t mind too much about the bad weather unless it makes it difficult for me to hike but I can’t believe I was hiking both Sedona and Tucson in the rain.
Some helpful information about the park:
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The national park is spread apart between Saguaro National Park West and Saguaro National Park East. If you don’t have the annual pass and are buying the national park entry ticket, you can purchase a 7-day entry ticket from either side of the park at the visitor center.
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Make sure to carry your America the Beautiful pass or the 7-day entry ticket with you when hiking. Park rangers at Saguaro do not check parking lots for your payments. The rangers are on the trail instead. I didn’t see anyone on the trail while hiking due to harsh weather but don’t leave your pass in your car since there could be rangers who can check your ticket.
3. If you hike at least 3 miles at any of the trails at Saguaro NP (either East or the West), you will get the national park brooch at the visitor center.
4. Hiking trails are different when you are in the west versus the east. I liked the west because there were so many saguaros to see with scenic hiking trails. The east was great too-I did some waterfall hikes but they were not “wow” type of waterfall hikes. I would spend more time in the west than in the east.
5. Rangers programs are worth checking out. It was pouring hard when I was hiking the east side of the national park, so after my morning hike, I decided to stay indoors at the visitor center (the one in the east) and take a break. One of the rangers at the visitor center asked if I’d be interested in joining ranger programs, where people hike in groups, and ask away any questions they have regarding the park, vegetation, wildlife, etc. I’ve been to numerous national/state parks in the US but I don’t think I’ve ever participated in these free programs so I decided to join the “Explore the Night” program @6pm at the visitor center to hear stories about nightlife and explore what it’s like in Saguaro NP at night. I thought this would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I would not want to miss. I highly recommend the program at night! It went beyond my expectations and we even did stargazing through a cloudy night sky. There are many other programs run during the daytime (see below) as well as in the morning, so feel free to check out the full schedule/calendar on Saguaro National Park here.
I had a blast time in Tucson and would recommend hiking in Saguaro National Park. The park itself is very underrated and there are so many hikes to do for anyone at any level.
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