Saguaro National Park West

I was so scared to drive this route because of other people’s reviews here and on TripAdvisor. It wasn’t that bad — just windy roads going up and down (lots of dips). It wasn’t crazy like high up in the mountains on the way to the ski slopes. The scenery was beautiful, so beautiful we missed the entrance to the park haha.
+ lots of parking at the visitor center
+ another national park so free pass for us but it’s basically honor system to go inside and pay your fare
+/​-​like the sister park in the East, there’s a loop around the hikes but this time it’s on a dirt road to be prepared to get the car DIRTY!
+ fun short hikes like going to see the petroglyphs
I wish we had more time at this park!

Who knew the desert could be so beautiful! Really enjoyed exploring this National Park. The volunteer staff at the Visitors Center were very knowledgeable and helpful. As usual, the National Park is well organized and interesting. Really enjoyed this stop!

Saguaro national park is really two separate parks with one name, split by the city of Tucson. The western section is more remote with relatively dense groups of tall Saguaro cactus. The east side is close in to the urban area of Tucson with homes visible from many of the trails. Each section has numerous hiking trails, interpretive nature trails, and a loop for driving and viewing the park by car.

Enjoyed our visit!
Surprisingly interesting and fun! Our visit was during the Labor Day weekend and Tucson was experiencing showers in the morning… debated if we still wanted to go and we really wanted to go as we missed visiting this park during our visit in early May this year. Forecast said that skies should clear around noon. We went and entered the park. Skies were gray with scattered showers but did clear around noonish.
We entered the park through the West side in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. As we proceeded to drive towards the Red Hills Visitor Center we were fascinated with the saguaro cacti that came in all kinds of sizes. Inside the museum and visitor center we watched the 15-​minute program called «Voices of the Desert», giving a Native American perspective of the Sonoran Desert. The rangers were very informative, friendly and helpful. As usual, in these National Parks I headed right to the front section to get my National Parks passport stamped. The visitor center had stunning views of the mountains and saguaros right on the back but the little hiking trail immediately outside was temporarily closed due to thunderstorms experienced the past week?
We drove to a Nature Trail northwest of the Red Hills Visitor Center, the Desert Discovery Trail. It is a short walk, perhaps less than a mile. It is a self-​guided nature level, looped trail on Kinney Road and is paved with wheelchair accessibility. Plenty of interpretive and educational signs along the way. What is nice are resting benches and shaded/​roofed arbors every few feet as you go along the trail. We were lucky that the weather (following scattered showers) was breezy and comfortable temps. We spent a lot of time in this nature trail before we headed to another national monument outside of the park. Took lots of pictures. I was fascinated with the different colors of flowers in bloom that was still left. The photos made my album colorful and pretty.

Since the Sonoran Desert Museum is so close to this park, my group sort-​of expected it to be more of the same minus animals. Boy, were we wrong! This park is wonderful! It’s surreal in a great way to drive and walk among these magnificent giant and sometimes twisted cacti. There is a vast array of other plant life and wild life that you could spot. We saw mainly birds and lizards on our hike. The view from the top of Valley View is breathtaking. Most trails are fairly flat. Make sure to prepare to be in the desert. Wear a hat and sunscreen, bring water.

tucson… the only thingy in tucson worth going too.
when old folks told me bout saguaro, i doubted them.
why? cause a forest filled with 30 to 50 foot cactus didnt register in my cranium. considering it takes decade for cacti to grow an inch…
upon driving through the west forest. my mouth dropped. the wondrous sight of cactus til the horizon, coupled with the beauty of unadulterated mountains on paved roads with glimpses of a sunset seen like no where else is the epitome of eye porn.
the forest is free. there is a station a few miles away where we are supposedt o pay $ 10 for a daily pass but that can be easily overlooked
i donated some money cause national or state parks are always severely underfunded.

This park is surprisingly close to my mom’s house in Marana… which I was happy to discover when I decided to head out and explore for my birthday before the Binocular Stargazing Program that evening (this program is not affiliated w/​the NP, but hosted in the visitor center parking lot by an astronomer from the Kitt Peak Observatory on special dates).
The drive into the park is pretty and the abundance of saguaros is jaw-​dropping! The visitor center has some great viewing areas and the deck that is attached in the back is the perfect spot to watch the sunset.
The gift shop itself is tiny and the restrooms are detached outdoors, but are kept very clean.
The Park Ranger staff is very informative and they have a resident tarantula (Zola) for viewing in the gift shop.
I didn’t have as much time as I thought to explore, but there is a trail right off the visitor center that follows the riverbed. I wasn’t able to do this one due to time constraints, so I went to do the much shorter Discovery Trail just down the road. It is a quick circuit with benches and some nice views of the wilderness and some really funky looking saguaros. Going through the park and finding saguaros that look like they are hugging, throwing up a peace sign, or like they have 8 tentacles is half the fun!
You also see some great wildlife here. I saw a very pretty yellow bird with a distinct chirp (I am not an avid birdwatcher so I have no idea what it was). I also saw a HUGE vulture pick at some roadkill and then flap its gigantic wings and perch on a tall saguaro, which was just a sight to see! I saw several coyotes on the drive out, so beware because they will jump into the road like squirrels!
I finally met up with the small group for the Bincolar Stargazing and it really is an awesome program! Plus, aside from spectacular sunset views and hues, the night sky here is just flawless! You get a little residual light pollution from Phoenix (if you can believe it!) but on a clear night, the Milky Way comes into view and you can see planets and clusters/​nebula with binoculars! With the telescope that our astronomer, Sherry, brought we were able to see Jupiter’s cloud bands and its four Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto). I highly recommend for the novice to seasoned astronomer or even if you have never seen a true night sky, this is someplace close to experience the Cosmos!

This is a natural treasure that really needs to be experienced. I came to the west unit in order to see the petroglyphs that are available to see. First stop though is the visitors center. I recommend taking the time to view the film that they present. Kids probably would be bored with it, but it gives you the perspective of the native peoples and the relationship with the land. I took a couple of small hikes off the main road (graded gravel/​dirt). There are so many opportunities for great photographs.
My only disappointment is that I didn’t get to see any wildlife, but that was due to unseasonably cold weather in December.
This place is definitely worth a visit or two for the outdoor lover.

Great visit to one of our National Parks. Really enjoyed it and looking forward to seeing some more!

Saguaro national Park is located just outside of
is home to thousands of the Majestic saguaro cactus.
My bucket list contains the goal of visiting each national Park, this one is not to be missed.
The key to a successful visit at this national Park depends on your planning, do not go during monsoon, it could be disastrous. The weather is extraordinarily hot in the summer, therefore if you are planning a hike it’s best to plan your visit for the spring. This park is great for all ages and activity levels. I took a small nature trail walk with my 89-​year-​old father, He loved it.

A spiritual experience. Very peaceful. Being surrounded by a forest of ancient saguaro cactuses is amazing. The setting is breathtaking. Clearer trail signs and a sign that indicates the way to the petroglyphs are needed. Bob in the visitors center is wonderful! Very friendly and informative– obviously loves his job and people. Can’t wait to go back for a longer hike.

I was a little disappointed at the lack of flowering cactus and upkeep. Didn’t see as many variety of cactus on the loop trail as others had said. The road wasn’t paved and very bumpy. Glad I had a SUV. still glad I went.

Lush is not how I would describe a desert, but the sandy cactus fields in Saguaro are very lush with vegetation. With many types of plants including multiple varieties of cactus, the desert floor was painted green with growth. Clearly, my Looney Toons childhood education incorrectly presented the background landscape as barren and the giant Saguaro cactus too small compared to Wile E Coyote.
Our brief sunset visit was a quick drive along Hohokam Road through the Scenic Bajada Loop Drive. It’s a dirt road which my little subcompact easily handled. We stopped along the Loop Drive for an easy hike on the Valley View Overlook Trail. Granted, cactus growth is common in and around southern Arizona, but this trail wanders through a denser number of Saguaros. Although a short path, it took 50 minutes due to our leisurely pace and enjoyment of the surroundings. Watch your surroundings because getting pricked in the backside by a cactus can be a real Pima (Pain In My Ass).
Saguaro National Park is split into two locations — the area east of Tucson and this smaller one on the western side of Tucson near the Arizona-​Sonora Desert Museum. Check the National Park Service website for «park alerts» before going — particularly for road closures and delays.

Love it. Quite possibly my favorite place in the world. There’s something beautiful about the Sonoran desert I can’t quite put my finger on it. Like other reviewers I find myself truly drawn to this place. The majestic saguaro cactuses, blooming ocotillos, even the not so cuddly teddy cholla bear cactus all are quite a sight to behold. The drive to the western district has awe inspiring views of a saguaro valley. There are many photo ops on top of gates pass. The bajada loop drive is also a very scenic loop for those who want to enjoy the desert in the comfort of an air conditioned car. There were two short hikes I did as well. The valley view overlook and the signal hill hike which takes you to ancient Hohokam petroglyphs
These two short hikes are very easy and my 5 year old daughter managed very well. I believe they’re each about 1.5 miles round trip. There’s also an excellent visitors center with a bookstore and video about saguaros too. For those who think the desert is barren and desolate a visit to this park should change your mind. Trust me, I’ve been to the tropical forests of Jamaica and Puerto Rico, visited nearly every beach and hiked to waterfalls in hawaii. I hail from the redwood forests of northern California so I know a thing or two about nature and beauty. To me the Sonoran desert and saguaro national park rival all of those! Only wish I had more time to explore this national park.

I must admit this was one of the main reasons why I wanted to come down here to Arizona was to visit the Saguaro National Park (SNP). There are two sections of the SNP: the Rincon Mountain District and the Tuscon Mountain District – or East and West. I had visited the East section on my last trip so I wanted to check out the West side on this go round. Unfortunately, we had spent too much time at the Arizona Señora Desert Museum, and that didn’t leave much time for hiking the SNP. Normally you would start out your trip by heading into the Visitor’s Center to purchase Daily (or Weekly) hiking passes, but since all we had time for was a drive there would be no pass necessary. If you’re visiting the East section be advised that you need a pass just to drive around, but on the West side all the navigable roads are public.
I really adore the Saguaro Cactus and I feel myself strangely drawn to them. They’re such magnificent «trees,» and are extremely fascinating. They’re way bigger than you can imagine, and the more you learn about them the more compelling they become. Here’s a quick list of some fun Saguaro facts, for those who aren’t familiar.
–It takes them about 70 years to first sprout «arms” – so, the more arms the older it is.
–Saguaros can live for 150 – 200 years.
–The larger ones can weigh up to 10-​tons!
–Their shallow (4−6») roots spread out as wide as the plant is tall.
–The Saguaros are built on a wooden structure consisting of «ribs» that the Native Americans used for building materials.
–The Saguaro flower is Arizona’s state flower, and they open up at night and close during the day.
These are just a few of the facts that you’ll learn about the Saguaro as you get to know more about these amazing cactus. They only grow here in Arizona’s Senoran Desert, so you won’t find these any where else in the world. I highly recommend everyone stopping by on their Arizona Adventure and getting up close and personal with the Saguaro. I think you too will fall in love.

What a place to drive thru. What all you can see is awesome. Not other place in the world is like this. a desert is such a cool (not refering to the temp) place. Will be back.

Love the new visitor’s center! Great landscaping outside and realistic desertscape inside which is cool, but a bit strange. The staff were talking amongst themselves so I got to hear all about haircare products the two women used, but they were friendly though not super knowledgeable about some of the finer points of the park.
There are a number of different 0.5 mile hikes plus longer one’s if that’s what you’re in the mood for.

What a gorgeous spot of desert. I’m a Sonoran Desert native, yet ashamed to say I have not formally visited this National Park until this past weekend! I have been out to Gates Pass & the Sonoran Desert Museum, but never this far west. It was absolutely fantastic and breathtaking. The visitor’s center is gorgeous and seems new. The staff was thrilled when we decided to purchase an inter-​agency pass.
We saw lots of cyclists out and about, but not a ton of cars (it was a cold day!). We hiked part of the Hugh Norris trail and took in the sights. It really is a fantastic place. If you are visiting from out of town — GO! If you are a native, it is a truly unique and gorgeous piece of desert that has to be seen to be appreciated!

This is a very nice national park where you can go and not be surrounded by so many people that it feels like the city. I enjoyed visiting the west unit of the park because I really like the red rocks in the park. The visitor center is nice, has an enjoyable 15 minute slide presentation and a well stocked gift shop.
The educational displays at the visitor center were lacking, but if you really want to learn about the park, I would highly recommend the Junior Ranger program. Designed for youth this informative book of exercises really helps you learn all about the park and the ecosystem of the desert. I enjoyed following along as my daughter completed her program.
We took the short loop drive by Susan picnic ground and Spring Hill picnic ground. While it is a dirt road, it is well maintained and very passable in any form of vehicle. A the Spring Hill picnic area we took the short walk up to the petroglyphs which were amazing to see and to tank about how they were created over 1,000 years ago.
I would like to return to this area to take advantage of some of the hiking trails. I believe that there is much more to be seen and enjoyed if you are willing to venture out into the desert a little bit.

I think it’s sort of weird to be writing a review of a National Park (am I supposed to capitalize that?), but Saguaros are such ridiculously awesome forms of plant-​life, I couldn’t not do it! Well, I’m from NYC, so I don’t see too many cacti growing in the wild. That’s the plural, right? Cacti? Yeah, I’ve seen them in movies before, but here they just f-​ing grow every-​f-​ing-​where. I especially enjoyed looking at them in the afternoon, when their shadows lengthened athwart the arid landscape. There’s a loop road you can drive and a few short hikes you can do. No visit to Tuscan would be complete without a stop here. In fact, skip Tuscan if you don’t need to eat a Sonoran Hot Dog and just head straight over the hills to Saguaro West Side. Give yourself more time than I did. Bring water and a sense of wonder. Leave your East Coast cynicism and/​or Southwest ennui behind.
Very friendly rangers at the visitors center. Bring a map.