If you’re visiting Arizona, you won’t want to miss seeing Saguaro National Park near Tucson. This beautiful park preserves a small portion of the Sonoran Desert with its majestic Saguaro cacti, which is a really unique and spectacular sight!
So whether you have one day in Saguaro National Park or a whole week, here are some of the most amazing things to see in the park that you will want to add to your plans. From hikes to desert features to sunsets, this list will help you plot out some of the best things to do in Saguaro National Park!
About Saguaro National Park
Before you visit Saguaro National Park, there are a few things you need to know about this beautiful part of the Sonoran Desert. First and foremost, you need to know that Saguaro is actually divided into two sections—the east and the west. These sections are not connected but instead are separated by the city of Tucson, Arizona. It can take an hour and a half to drive between the two sections of the park, so be sure to plan for this when visiting.
This national park is an excellent one to visit in America, as it is home to the giant saguaro (sa-WAH-ro) which is often considered one of the most universal symbols of the American West (next to cowboys! 😂). The park itself has quite varied elevation, which means that many different species thrive here and there are over 1200 plant species in the Rincon Mountain (east) part of the park while over 400 species make the Tucson Mountain (west) part of the park their home. You’ll also find that plenty of animals call this desert their home, from mammals to birds to reptiles and amphibians.
Before planning your visit, you will want to note that this is primarily a hiking park. There are a few places you can drive around to see the area, but overall if you are looking to experience this park you will need to do some walking. There are some shorter trails, some longer trails, and even a lot of backcountry trails you can enjoy.
Because this is a hiking park, it can be more pleasant to visit in the cooler months instead of the summer months when it is SO HOT. Spring and fall are particularly lovely times, with spring bringing plenty of flowers to the cacti and other plants. If you do visit during the summer months, you’ll want to explore the park in the morning or in the evening when it is cooler rather than during the middle of the day when it is the hottest and most miserable (even the snakes don’t want to be out in that weather so you certainly don’t want to be either!)
Things to Do in Saguaro National Park West
Wondering what to do in Saguaro National Park? On my most recent trip to Saguaro, I spent the day in Saguaro National Park West. Here are some of the things I really enjoyed doing and would recommend!
1. Stop by the Red Hills Visitor Center
I think one of the best things you can do when you first arrive at a national park is stop by a visitor center. If you’re visiting the west side of Saguaro, then the center you should go to is Red Hills.
Stopping by the visitor center allows you to pick up a map of the park, talk with a ranger and get personalized recommendations for what to see and do, watch a short film (the one at Red Hills has a particularly spectacular ending!), and learn a bit about the animals and plants that call this place their home. You can also pick up activity books for children (or yourself) if you are so inclined…just ask for a Junior Ranger booklet.
The Red Hills Visitor Center is also a good place to start as they have the cleanest restrooms and even have a water station here where you can refill your bottles (I usually hike with this bottle or this one and refill them at water stations).
2. Walk the Cactus Garden Trail
After you’ve discovered a bit about the park and enjoyed the air conditioning at the visitor center, it’s time to start exploring! Start your time at Saguaro with a short 0.3 mile walk right outside the door of the visitor center. This trail is wheelchair accessible and offers a look at many desert plants that call Saguaro their home, and starts to acquaint you with the landscape.
This trail is short and easily doable even in the heat of the summer months, particularly because it is right near the visitor center so you can get cool again quickly. But it is also a good introduction to the park during the rest of the year as well!
3. Explore the Javelina Wash Trail
Jutting off from the Cactus Garden Trail, you will soon see another path called the Javelina Wash Trail. If you’re already doing the Cactus Garden Trail, then it’s easy to add this on to explore an sandy wash area nearby. It feels like you’re a little closer to just exploring the desert on your own, as it is an unpaved trail and takes you close by some cacti and other cool plants and features!
4. Hike the Desert Discovery Nature Trail
As you leave the visitor center and turn right on Kinney Road, you’ll soon drive up to the Desert Discovery Nature Trail on the left side of the road. This is another excellent, short hike to take as it is flat, paved, and only a 0.5 mile loop.
This is a great trail to take as there are lots of huge saguaros. And on this trail you definitely get a sense for why they’re called giant saguaros! But while you’re gazing up toward the sky at these giants, don’t forget to take a look at the ground as well and see if you can spot some fuzzy little baby saguaros too.
The park ranger I spoke to during my most recent trip said that this is also a nice place to view sunset, and since it is on the main road you can stay for as long as you like after it gets dark.
5. See the Flowers and Fruit of the Sonoran Desert
If you’re visiting in spring, you’ll want to keep an eye out for the many beautiful flowers of the Sonoran Desert! The desert simply explodes with beauty at this time of year.
And if you visit in summer, you’ll be treated to a few flowers still on the landscape as well as the mature fruit of the Saguaro cactus. I think it’s fascinating to see this bright red fruit with its thousands of seeds and to learn about how the people of the Sonoran Desert still use this fruit today! Be sure to check out the exhibit about picking and cooking Saguaro fruit in the Red Hills Visitor Center.
6. Drive the Bajada Scenic Loop
No matter what time of year you visit, you should definitely drive the Bajada Scenic Loop. Not only is this the way to get to several amazing trails in the park, but it is also a treat in its own right.
The Bajada Loop is not paved so make sure you’re driving a car you don’t mind taking up a dirt road. Most of the loop allows for two way traffic, but a small portion allows for only one way traffic so be aware of this before you start driving here.
Do note that the Bajada Loop is a gated road and it is closed at sunset, so you cannot stay here after sunset and will need to drive back to the main road.
7. Find the Petroglyphs on Signal Hill
While a lot of Saguaro National Park involves seeing Saguaro cacti and enjoying hiking, one of the more unique things to do in the west part of the park is seeing the petroglyphs (rock carvings) on Signal Hill.
You can access Signal Hill by driving on the Bajada Loop and taking a short 0.3 mile trek up to signal hill, where there are a variety of cool petroglyphs to see. As you walk up the hill you will be able to see them on both sides of the rocks, plus you get amazing views from up here so this is definitely one of the best hikes in Saguaro National Park even though it is short!
8. Hike the Hugh Norris Trail
The Hugh Norris Trail is another beautiful place to visit along the Bajada Loop, and is possibly one of the best Saguaro National Park hikes (it was definitely my favorite one I visited).
This trail is around 9 miles out and back, and offers excellent views across the valley as you hike up. You can do the full trail if you like, or can do only part of the trail depending on the time you have available…but either way it is an excellent place to explore! If you can, try to time it right so that you hit sunset as you descend the trail to get gorgeous views over the park.
9. Watch Sunset in the Park
If you can, try to stay for sunset at Saguaro national Park. This is one of the most beautiful times of day to be here, as it is starting to get cooler and the sun offers beautiful colors in the sky!
I enjoyed watching the sunset from Hugh Norris trail, but you really can’t go wrong anywhere you choose to watch it from. I do recommend trying to watch it somewhere with a little elevation so you can see the cacti with the mountains in the background, but there’s lots of places that fit this bill. Wherever you do watch the sunset, be sure it’s an easy jaunt to your car so you are ready to leave as soon as the sun sets if you are on the Bajada Loop (because the gates of this road close just after sunset).
If it worries you to stay so long somewhere that closes right after sunset, then you may want to consider watching the sunset from one of the main roads. The ranger I spoke with mentioned that the Desert Discovery Nature Trail is an amazing place to view the sunset, so this is worth considering too!
10. Look for Animals at Night
Because it’s so hot throughout the day a lot of the time, many of the animals of Saguaro like to come out into the open at night. So if you stay around, you may be treated to the sight of some amazing creatures including Mexican Long-tongued and Lesser Long-nosed bats! If you’ve ever read the cute childrens’ book Stellaluna about a lost bat, then you’ll have an idea of what it’s like to experience wildlife at night here…especially when the cacti are blooming!
Things to Do in Saguaro National Park East
Although I didn’t have time to explore the east section of the park during my last visit to Saguaro, here are a few ranger-recommended activities to do on the east side of the park!
11. Visit the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center
As mentioned above, I think it’s a good idea to stop by a visitor center whenever you first visit a national park. It just helps you get the lay of the land as well as prepare to head out on your explorations!
If you’ve already visited the Red Hills Visitor Center on the west side of the park, then it may not be necessary to stop by the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center. But if you’re just starting your journey on the east side, then you may wish to stop here first before starting your time in the park.
12. Drive the Cactus Forest Loop
One of the highly ranger-recommended things to do in East Saguaro National Park is to drive the Cactus Forest Loop. It’s an eight mile one-way drive that takes you through the great variety of life and scenery in the Sonoran Desert. Like the Bajada Scenic Loop, the Cactus Forest Loop is open sunrise to sunset.
13. Go Horseback Riding
Horses are allowed on most trails in the east part of the park, so horseback riding is a fun way to explore! You will, of course, want to check with park rangers first to know about trail conditions before you ride.
If you don’t have your own horses but still want to experience the park this way, then there are several tours you can take. One good option is Houston’s Horseback Riding, which has several amazing tours you can take!
Click here to check out some fun horseback riding tours in Saguaro National Park!
14. Take a Backcountry Hike
The east part of the park is also an excellent place to explore the backcountry, with several longer trails that lead into more remote parts of the park. This is a fun opportunity as it is a part of the park that fewer people ever experience! Talk with a ranger if you need help planning a backcountry hike, and be sure to have all the permits and reservations you need before you go!
Saguaro National Park Tips & FAQ
Here are a few tips for visiting Saguaro National Park as well as a few FAQ that you may want to know the answers to as well!
What should I bring to Saguaro National Park?
Saguaro gets quite hot for a lot of the year, but regardless of the season you will always want to bring supplies including water and food with you. There is no food in the park and nowhere to buy water either, although there are a few water filling stations in the park where you can refill your bottles (both visitor centers have filling stations as well as the Rincon Mountain District bike ramada). Learn more about Saguaro’s commitment to reduce, reuse, and refill here.
So on your trip to Saguaro, here are some things you will want to make sure you have with you:
- Refillable water bottle: Bring a refillable bottle so you don’t contribute to plastic waste, and also so you can refill it at one of the park’s water stations. I like my Camelbak Eddy or Nalgene reusable plastic bottles for hikes in hot places like this, as many stainless steel bottles can attract lots of heat and become really hot to the touch on the outside.
- Snacks: There are no places to buy food in the park, so you will want to bring snacks and lunch items or any other food you need with you. I like making my own trail mix out of various nuts, dried fruits, etc. as well as bringing granola bars I love and fresh vegetables for snacking on the trails.
- Sunscreen: I can’t emphasize this enough: wear lots of sunscreen. Especially during the hot months…or you will get burned to a crisp. I like this Neutrogena sunscreen as it’s not greasy and is easy to apply on-the-go.
- Hat: Don’t forget a hat either! You’ll be grateful for the shade and grateful that your nose and forehead won’t end up burned too. Grab a baseball cap you have on hand, or pick up a wide brimmed hat to help shade more of your head.
- Sunglasses: Sunglasses are certainly an essential, so definitely remember to bring along a good pair with UV protection to protect your eyes.
What are the Saguaro National Park hours?
While the operating hours of the park and visitor center are 9am-5pm everyday, the west side of the park (Tucson Mountain District) is actually open to vehicles from sunrise to sunset every day. Meanwhile, the Rincon Mountain District (east side of the park) is open from 7am to sunset.
Do note that these are the hours for vehicles on the park maintained roads like Bajada, but if you so choose you can walk or bike into the park 24 hours a day.
How do you pronounce Saguaro?
Saguaro can be a tricky word to pronounce for some, so as mentioned above the correct way to say it is sa-WAH-ro. Essentially, the “g” is silent and you put the emphasis on the second syllable. You can listen to the correct pronunciation here.
When to visit Saguaro National Park?
I would say that the best times to visit Saguaro are during the spring and fall months, as it is not quite as hot as during the summer so you can enjoy your time there more. It is also wonderful to visit during the spring because the desert is in bloom!
Should I worry about snakes while visiting Saguaro?
There are plenty of rattlesnakes in the park, so it’s always good to be cautious as you hike and explore. However, if you follow a few simple rules you should be fine.
First, stay on the trail…if you do this, then you should have full sight of the path in front of you and as long as you are observant then you won’t accidentally run into a snake while walking. Second, make sure to keep your hands and feet in the open and in sight at all times. Do not go reaching or stepping into bushes, rock groupings, or hidden areas…this is where rattlesnakes like to hide!
But if you do happen to hear a rattle (and you will hear it…they are LOUD!) then you should stop moving and listen to hear where it is coming from. Identify the direction and then move the opposite way while staying on the path, of course. Following these few safety tips should help you stay safe from snakes and enjoy your time at Saguaro!
Is there WiFi or cell service in Saguaro National Park?
There is no WiFi at Saguaro, and very little cell service. I recommend downloading this section on Google Maps before you go so that you can access directions offline, and of course make sure others know where you are going or hiking in case you get into trouble and don’t have cell service to call for help.
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