Saguaro National Park

This was the first national park I visited out west and I can see why the parks on the west side are so much more hyped. Saguaro is absolutely break taking. It is nothing but beautiful views of the dessert mountains and giant cacti. We visited the park and mainly did the driving trails which was good if you did not want to get out in the Arizona heat.

One of my former colleagues went to college at the University of Arizona and often spoke fondly of her time in Tucson. She highly recommended Saguaro National Park when I finally got to visit Tucson on a work trip in 2024, and it did not disappoint. I decided to head straight to SNP from the airport on Sunday, and I was baffled when I discovered the park is split in two: East & West SNP on opposite sides of the city. I decided to stop at a local coffeeshop, hoping for some local insight on the differences between East & West SNP, and that effort was completely fruitless. So, I turned to the always reliable AllTrails app instead, where I found recommendations for the perfect hiking trail & scenic drive through the national park that was also near the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (which I visited immediately following my hike). Hiking Trail: Wasson Peak via Kings Canyon, Hugh Norris, and Gould Mine - 10/10Scenic Drive: W Gates Pass Rd - 10/10

Completely worth it if you are in the area. I am not the biggest nature person, but they have plenty of easy and more difficult trails if you are looking to get out of the car. The drive around the park is easy and scenic so if you have limited mobility you can easily see the beautiful saguaros that line the drive.They are so massive and seeing how expansive the park is and all of the different ways that they grow is beautiful. I would go a little later in the day so the sun is not as strong, the sunset is beautiful and make sure you do layers because the sun gets a little beating when you are doing miles across the park. Pack snacks and plenty of water because there is not really anything within the park for you to get otherwise. Make sure to leave plenty of time beacause it is a drive from the city as well.

One of 63 national parks, and the 21st one that I have been to.It is a nice national park, with a short loop trail to drive through in addition to some trails to walk, a visitor center, etc.We saw a Coyote, some birds, and plenty of flora, saguaro, etc.This is Saguaro National park (East) but there is also another part of the park, referred to as west, about 35-45 minutes away. It has a more dense population of Saguaros and there are some great places nearby like the AZ Sonoran Desert Museum, plus several great hiking trails, gates pass, and other beautiful spots. Definitely worth visiting the west SGNP as well, well worth the drive across town.

If your in the area and want to explore desert and cactus this is great. Thanks to to marrying a veteran we get into national parks for life. The cactus are huge and iimpressive and have been on the decline due to years of drought. you check iit Out while you can. Definitely check the national park website before come to see what is closed and alerts. Bring plenty of water, ssunscreen and hat. There are 2 locations in prefer the newer but the older has largest Saguaros. I recommend downloading merlin app to help identify and attract birds.

Go! Just go. If you find yourself near and are able to go, this is such a great site to experience.There is a driving loop that takes you throughout all these amazing cacti with frequent pull outs for taking pictures. There are hiking trails, biking trails, bike tours as some of the many ways to experience this park.What a unique ecosystem. It is hard to describe the beauty. I was in awe of the size of these giants. I learned that if one has not yet grown "arms" but has reached its height, it is already 60-70 years old. The staff in the visitor center provided all the info needed. There is a parking lot at the visitor center, but most folks are driving through. It is 15mph in the park. Even though there were many folks at the visitor center getting information, the park itself never felt crowded.

I'm a big fan of the National Park Service and I finally made it to one of my bucket list items. I've been to a number of NPS parks and monuments and this was my 34th. Yay.So, it's the desert with lots of Saguaro and other cacti of various types and species. It's a very cool landscape and environment, definitely so different from my home in the San Francisco Bay Area.There are a couple of driving loops and we took one of those. They're short, but you definitely should them if you have the time and there are hiking trailheads along the way.My visit was in December, the temps were in the low 70's, it was definitely ideal and delightful.

We were in town for a week and had a great time hiking in both the East and West sides of the park. We loved the wide range of trails from easy walks on the desert floor among the cacti to more challenging climbs up the mountains. We alternated days of harder vs easier hikes to keep our midwestern selves from getting too sore. The trails off the Mica View picnic area on the east side are easy and offer great opportunities to see the saguaros and other cacti up close. For our bigger hikes we enjoyed the Hugh Norris trail on the west side which climbs pretty rapidly via some stairs but requires no technical skill. The views are amazing and worth the effort. We also did a longer trail from the Douglas Springs trailhead on the east side. Again, the views were worth the climb! Bring hiking poles, wear good boots and bring lots of water as there is no water anywhere other than the visitor center. Volunteers at both the east and west visitor centers were extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the trails. We really enjoyed our time here and the break from the cold! February was lovely here with highs in the 70's. We definitely want to come back!

I liked the park the sites but I don't think the trails are labeled very clearly. We thought we were on the trail that was 37 mins and maybe we were but it seemed like we hit a dead end but we aren't sure that we actually did lol! I liked the welcome center too.

Incredible Park! I'm so glad I drove around it and spent time at the visitor center. Visiting this park is like experiencing another planet... the landscape is dotted with massive saguaros and other unique and beautiful desert plants. It's surreal and very special. Don't miss this park the next time you visit Tucson!