Day 22: Saguaro National Park
National Park #8
Imagine a cactus.
Chances are you’re picturing a Saguaro [suh-waa-row], the tree-like cacti with arms jutting up and out. Yet despite its hold on the popular imagination, the Saguaro is only native to a small stretch of land in southern Arizona and northern Mexico. Saguaros are incredibly sensitive to cold temperatures (I empathize) and the elevation of the Sonoran Desert is one of the few places in the world these cacti can survive.
Saguaro National Park is a monument to these icons of the old west. Located in Southern Arizona, the park is split up between the Tucson Mountain District located east of Tucson and the Rincon Mountain District to the Southeast of Tucson. For us the park was a short stopover - we only had time for the Bajada Wash Trail - but it provided a magnificent backdrop for an Arizona sunset.
What you need to know:
Spend more time here than we did. Saguaro deserves a full day. No matter what though, make sure you are here for sunset.
Saguaro is divided into two distinct park areas, one to the east and one to the west of Tucson.
Cell reception is fairly decent and obviously there are great places to stay a short drive away in Tucson.