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8 AMAZING THINGS TO DO IN SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Cost: $25 per vehicle. This is good for 7 days and includes both sections of the park.
Hours: The Tucson Mountain District (Saguaro West) is open from sunrise to sunset. The Rincon Mountain District (Saguaro East) opens at 6 am and closes at sunset. You can walk or bike into the park 24 hours a day.
Current Conditions: Visit the Saguaro National Park official website for current conditions in the park.
PLANNING YOUR TIME
One day is all you need to visit Saguaro National Park, unless you plan to go camping in the backcountry.
If you only have half of a day, we recommend visiting Saguaro West. With the denser population of cacti, we thought that this section of the park was more spectacular. Drive the Bajada Loop drive and hike to Valley View Overlook and Signal Hill and do the Desert Discovery Walk.
If you like the idea of hiking, consider the hike to Wassen Peak. Or, walk a section of the Hugh Norris Trail or the Sendero Esperanza Trail.
If you are traveling with kids, a visit to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is worthwhile, as long as you have several hours to spend here to make it worth the cost.
With a full day, you can visit both East and West Saguaro. Visit one section in the morning, have lunch, and in the afternoon, visit the other section of the park.
WHAT WE DID:
On day 1, we drove down from Sedona, arriving in Tucson in the late afternoon. We spent several hours in Saguaro East and then checked into our hotel in Tucson.
On day 2, we visited Saguaro West, getting an early start to avoid the hot midday temperatures. But it was still incredibly hot in June, hitting 95°F by 8:30 am. In the afternoon, we drove back to Phoenix.
