Saguaro National Park

Last stop in Arizona! Only 2 states left after this! Saguaro National Park is one of the few places where the Saguaro cactus thrives. These are some of the largest cacti in the world, and we wanted to see what that really means! There are 2 parts to this park, the eastern section that has a bit more ecological diversity among the plentiful saguaro, and the western section that is mostly covered in a saguaro forest. We chose the western section since our primary interest is the namesake cacti!

We arrived at the park visitor's center bright and early before sunrise! After an excellent breakfast, a quick chat with the ranger (who was nice enough to give us some guidance even though the VC was closed), and a walk along the Cactus Garden Trail (which winds around the VC) we headed out to see the park!

We decided to drive the 5 mile dirt scenic loop, stopping at one or two locations to explore and take pictures. With the sun just coming over the backdrop of hills the cacti were limned with a glow from the sun hitting the needles, which looked quite spectacular! It wasn't just the saguaro that were interesting, there were all types of cacti thriving in the desert environment as we wound our way through the park landscape. Eventually we returned to the vehicle, full of appreciation for the desert growth, not full of cactus spines (thankfully), hopped in the car, finished the loop, and headed out.

Personnel:
The park ranger who came out to give us some advice was going above and beyond we felt. The VC didn't open for an hour or so, but we happened to see him as he was walking by, hailed him, and he offered to grab a map and show us the highlights. He reflected very well on the NP staff.

Climate/weather:
Before the sun was up it was quite cool, but once the sun rose it warmed up significantly to the point where we were down to one jacket each during our hike! New Arizona Record! The sky was a clear deep blue, and there was very little wind making this excursion quite a pleasant experience. November seems like a good time to visit, doesn't get too hot, not many people, and the weather (at least today) was clear and beautiful.

Facilities/signage:
Everything seemed to be functional, but on the edge of not well maintained. The restrooms had running water, soap, and hand dryers, but no hand sanitizer. The bathrooms did feel very clean, we felt very safe and comfortable using them. The entrance sign was OK, had potential to be cool, but it looked weathered. The signs inside the park were also good and unremarkable.

Hiking experience:
The Cactus Garden was a good was start this visit because it had many of the species of plants labeled so you could sound like you knew what you were talking about as you continued through the park. Out in the scenic loop you are walking right down in the heart of the cactus forest, right among the plants. In summer it would probably have been beastly hot, but the temperature was very pleasant when we were there.

Driving experience:
When we arrived at the park it appeared that the entire park scenic road was closed. Fortunately our ranger friend enlightened us to the fact that we could still reach it by another route! The scenic loop was indeed scenic. A dirt road that wound through the valleys filled with saguaro and other cacti. The loop was fairly well maintained as far as dirt roads go. Some bumps, some washboard, but any vehicle could manage it.

Camping options:
There are no campgrounds, but backcountry camping is allowed in the eastern part of the park with a permit (for a fee).

Hammockability:
Well... if it weren't for all the prickliness of the cacti, they could probably support hammocks. Unfortunately not only is it probably not allowed, it would probably be unpleasant!

Scenery:
Saguaro cacti are cool! That is the primary draw here (at least for us.)

Nearby food:
There is no food available in the park. The city of Tucson lies directly between the two halves of the park and has plenty of food options.

We feel like it is worth a one time visit for people who haven't seen a saguaro cactus before (definitely neat to experience), but we don't feel like a return trip is something that we will seek out. We didn't spend a lot of time in the park, and we don't feel like we missed out on anything the park has to offer.

Next stop: California and Joshua Tree National Park!