How to Explore Saguaro National Park

National Parks are the best, right? I’m here to share how to explore Saguaro National Park. It’s not one of the most popular, so you can get away from crowds and enjoy this lovely spot.

Saguaro National Park is 1 of 3 National Parks you can explore in Arizona, and this one borders Tucson. The main feature of Saguaro NP is the saguaros – the largest cacti you can find in the United States. The park also boasts beautiful desert scenery and some old petroglyphs.

Saguaros are pretty cool. They are sloooow growers and only grow 1-1.5 inches in their first 8 years of life! Saguaro is pronounced Sa-WAH-ro. Their flowering season is April through early June, which is when they get pollinated to make baby saguaros. In addition, you can only find them in the Sonoran desert, and their biggest threat is the always-growing human population.

Must Knows about Saguaro National Park

  • This park is split into 2 districts that are found on either side of Tuscon; the 2 districts do not touch. The Tucson Mountain District is to the West, and the Rincon Mountain District is to the East. More about these below.

  • Cost of admission is $20 per car or I highly recommend a National Parks Pass that gets you into all National Parks and federal recreation sites for $80 per year.

  • The best time to visit is anytime but the summer – summers can be unbearably hot. Hours vary depending on the time of year (check their website) but are generally from 7am until sunset.

  • Bring your own reusable water bottle and snacks. To reduce waste, you won’t find any food or water bottles for sale in either side of the park. There are drinking fountains at the visitors centers. I. Love. This.

  • It can get HOT. It’s the desert, remember? Bring water and sunscreen.

  • No Wifi. Enjoy the beauty 🙂

How to Get to Saguaro National Park

Get yourself to Tucson, Arizona, which is 2 hours from Phoenix, 60 miles from the Mexican border, and 4.5 hours from El Paso, Texas. Flights to Phoenix tend to be cheaper than flights to Tucson, but check out either city. You will need a rental car for this adventure.

West District vs East District

The Tucson Mountain District (West) is 30 miles/30-45 minutes away from the Rincon Mountain District (East).

The Tucson Mountain District (West) has more saguaros and the Rincon Mountain District (East) is wilder with backpacking options and more wildlife (think Gila monsters and Caotis).

What to Do in the Park

yellow wildflowers in saguaro national park

Wildflowers from the trail.

Go hiking!

This is the obvious choice. To me, getting out on the trail is the best way to experience a National Park, and this was no different for Saguaro NP. One of the perks of Saguaro is that its not as popular of a park as some others, therefore the trails weren’t packed with people.

The park boasts 150 miles of trail, so you have lots of options – just know that none of them start from the visitors centers. From the research I did, these are the best hiking options in the park.

Rincon Mountain District (East):

Mica View Loop Trail – 2 miles round-trip – A short, open trail with views of the surrounding mountains.

Bridal Wreath Falls Trail – 5.5 miles round-trip – If you go after rainfall, you might get to see the falls. But even without the falls, the trail has beautiful views.

Sendero Esperanza Trail for a half-day in Saguaro National Park

View from the Sendero Esperanza Trail

Tucson Mountain District (West):

Valley View Over Look Trail – 0.8 miles roundtrip – Perfect if you don’t love hiking but still want a great view.

Wasson Peak Trail – 7.9 miles roundtrip – This is one of the parks most popular hikes because of the views when you get to the top/the highest point on the West side of the park. However, it’s mostly uphill for the first half.

Sendero Esperanza Trail – 5 miles – This trail can continue on to the top of Wasson Peak, but it’s a great option for a shorter but still beautiful hike. When you get to the first ridge, with views of both sides, turn around. If you feel up for it, keep going and hike up to Wasson Peak.

Gould Mine Trail – 2.3 miles – With beautiful desert views and glimpses of an old mine, this trail is a nice short option.

See the petroglyphs!

You can view petroglyphs (rock art) from 550-1550 years ago in this park by the Hohokam people. Imagine someone making these so many years ago and what their life was like.

Petroglyphs, rock art

Some of the petroglyphs.

Check out the Saguaro National Park Visitors Centers

Each side of the park has a Visitors Center, and they are worth checking out. Visit to learn more about the desert habitats, buy park merchandise, or view their “recent wildlife photos” that were taken in 2013. (It is 2019.)

Go camping!

If you want to camp IN Saguaro National Park, you will have to do so in the East Rincon region of the park, and you will have to backpack to your site. For backpacking options, click here. 

If you want to camp ALMOST IN Saguaro National Park, I highly recommend Gilbert Ray Campground near the West side of the park. This campground was really beautiful, had plenty of sites even on a perfect Saturday night in April, offered RV and tent sites, had clean bathrooms, and was only $10 per night for tent campers.

A reminder while you are in Saguaro National Park – Leave no trace.

Desert sunset with saguaros

Sunset from Gilbert Ray Campground

A bit about Africanized Honey Bees

Saguaro National Park is home to Africanized Honey Bees aka Killer Bees. I accidentally went down a dark tunnel of researching these beasts and almost canceled my trip. (Don’t cancel; I’m dramatic.) But these bees are horrifying.

Bees were brought from Africa to mate with bees here in the USA to try to get them to make more honey. Unfortunately, that didn’t work. But they did succeed in making bees that will hunt humans down in order to sting them.

I read that they will chase you for up to a half mile (that is far), it’s not recommended to go underwater to escape them because they will hover and wait for you to emerge (I would almost rather drown), and they aim for your eyes, ears, nose, and mouth (good luck running for a half mile with your entire head covered). WTF.

If you encounter them, you are supposed to run as far and as fast as you can until they are no longer chasing you. No idea if this actually works, but I also googled “deaths from Africanized honey bees in Saguaro National Park” and found none.

My friend and I heard intense buzzing while we were hiking, and we saw a swarm of them. We ran until we couldn’t hear them anymore. Nature is crazy sometimes.

Other Safety Concerns / Nurse Advice

  • Bring more water with you than you think you need. It can get extremely hot, and there is almost no shade.
  • In regards to that, apply sunscreen before hiking and during your hike if it’s a long one.
  • Most hikes are clearly marked, but if you are going to wander into the backcountry be sure to have a map and compass. And always tell someone your itinerary.
  • Be aware of where you are stepping. Snakes scare the crap out of me, so I always keep an eye on the ground. If you see a snake, avoid it completely. If a snake bites you, seek medical attention immediately.

Enjoy Saguaro National Park! The colors are stunning, the saguaros look like they are straight out of a Dr. Seuss book, and lizards are everywhere. In conclusion, whether it’s a half-day trip (I wrote an itinerary for this!) or backpacking trek, you are sure to have fun at this amazing National Park.

If mountains and glaciers are more your thing, I have a Comprehensive Guide to Glacier National Park (the best NP, in my opinion).

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