Saguaro National Park

Less than 1 million people visit Saguaro National Park each year, a number that means there are more cacti in the park than annual visitors. Saguaro National Park boasts an estimated 1.9 million saguaros within the park’s 92,000 acres just outside of Tuscon, Arizona.

• 

• 

Saguaro National Park is divided into two parts; the east side (Tucson Mountain District) and the west side (Rincon Mountain District). We spent a couple hours in the park’s west side. Just enough time for a picnic lunch and a short hike. Though brief, we left feeling like we’d seen some of the best the park has to offer.

• 

Upon entering the park, we made our way to the picnic area near the Cactus Forest Trailhead. We packed in a lunch knowing the park offers no food service and we were arriving right after a mid-morning tour at nearby Colossal Cave.

• 

Little time, lots to see

We chose to spend our limited time in the Rincon Mountain District because it’s home to an 8-mile paved scenic drive. The drive offers sweeping views of densely packed saguaros. The Rincon District also has a 2-mile round-trip paved trail called Mica View. This trail allows visitors up-close contact with the cacti. Many of these slow-growing saguaros are over 40 feet tall.

• 

• 

Mica Trail

Along the Mica View trail, you’ll also find barrel and prickly pear cacti as well as jumping cholla. Our time in Saguaro was before the cactus were in bloom; which is typically between April and May. Our early March visit meant we didn’t see any blossoms, but we did enjoy pleasant temperatures.

• 

I was stunned by these grand cacti. It takes a saguaro about 50 years to grow its first arm. Given this fact, many of these giants are over one hundred years old.

For more tips on family adventures to national parks, see our posts on Yellowstone and Grand Teton, Glacier and Death Valley National Parks.

Happy adventuring, Rochelle