Located both to the east and west of Tucson, Saguaro National Park is an iconic experience in the American Southwest. Valley View Overlook Trail. During our visit on June 12, all of the cacti had already finished blooming. A wide-angle lens. Day 3: Petrified Forest National Park. The hill is large and offers 360-degree views of the area: Tucson, Arizona in general, and Saguaro National Park. This allows the East to have a much more diverse range of vegetation and wildlife at higher altitudes. A hiker traverses a wash | Best Hikes Saguaro National Park. Monsoon season typically lasts through September. If you like desert vegetation, this place is paradise! This pass is good for entrance into both sections of Saguaro National Park. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. By continuing to browse this website you are agreeing to our use of cookies. This is not part of the national park but if you want to learn more about the desert ecosystem, this is a great place to visit. Best Things to Do in Petrified Forest National Park. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. The hotel is located close to Saguaro National Park. The park is split into two sections on both the east and west sides of the city of Tuscon, and while it is possible to see many of the park's best spots in one day, I would recommend carving out more time than that to experience it. Our website uses cookies. Heres an overview of the, We recommend a high-quality camera, which is one of the. A wide-angle lens. Plus, its flat and easy and great for all ages. Hampton Inn & Suites Tucson Marana Accommodation close to Saguaro National Park West. If you have never been to the park, you may want to begin by perusing our Ultimate Guide to Saguaro National Park which features all of the need-to-know information for visiting. Hohokam Petroglyphs at Signal Hill. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The two districts, Rincon Mountain and Tucson Mountain, offer stunning desert landscapes, petroglyphs of the ancient Hohokam people, and an abundance of cacti. SEDONA: To learn what there is to do in Sedona, read our article Best Things to Do in Sedona. Best $15 we ever spent. 1. Then drive 6 miles west to Sandario Road. If you are visiting Saguaro National Park as part of a Southwest road trip, you may also find some of these other regional guides useful for your planning: Hopefully this guide was useful for planning your shots at Saguaro NP. 50 Spectacular Canyons in the US You Need to See to Believe! Love the blog. The monument was given official National Park status in 1994. The problem is that the area is ringed by mountains. They would be closest to I-10 but is that area good for sunrise? For current status and frequent updates, check outSaguaros current conditions. Many people mispronounce Saguaro. We did too, before our visit. Saguaro National Park Best Photography Spots. Javelina Rocks Overlook: climb up on top of the rocks for a view over Saguaro National Park and Tucson. Time: 1.5 hours. In the afternoon, we drove back to Phoenix. JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort and Spa. The eastern section, also called the Rincon Mountain District, has a lower concentration of cacti. We quickly learned that the desert puts on a show at sunset. PLACES TO GO IN ARIZONA: Go hiking in Sedona, visitPetrified Forest National Park, explore Monument Valley, photograph Antelope Canyon, and visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Keep checking for updates as we are constantly updating our content. From Cortaro Road, it's a short and scenic jog over the . East Saguaro is known as the Rincon Mountain District (RMD). The first morning I will be driving in to the west side from Wade Road and I see there are several trails in that section of the park (Ringtail, Ironwood, Panther Peak Wash), but I don't know if they are good for sunrise. Make it a point to stop at each and every kiosk or pullout, for there will not only be information but also a fantastic vista awaiting you. Seeing a bit over 1 million visitors annually, the park is much younger than its namesake resident cacti, only becoming a national park on October 14, 1994. Not Another Sunset . There are several notable viewpoints along the way, which I will get to in just a minute. In order to drive it as a loop, you need to drive counterclockwise. It is located just outside of Saguaro West and he says you get great views of the cacti. . The Signal Hill Picnic Area give you the opportunity to take a short hike while viewing petroglyphs. GRAND CANYON: Check out our guides to the Best Things to Do on the South Rim, how to spend one perfect day in the Grand Canyon, and which South Rim viewpoints are the best ones to visit. On our visit on June 12, the blooming season had just ended, so we just missed out. Sunrise photography at Saguaro National Park can be challenging as the mountains often obstruct your views to the east. The slow-growing saguaro cacti rise an inch or two each year before reaching a mature height of 40 to 50 feet. Valley View Overlook overlaps a few other trails. Be sure to check out our additional. You will discover they are much larger than they tend to appear in photos. In the Rincon Mountain District (Saguaro East), the best place to photograph sunset is from the final 2-mile stretch of the scenic loop road anywhere after you drive up the steep hill. The Red Hills Visitor Center is open 9am -5pm daily except December 25th. To get between these two sections of the park, it is a one hour drive through the city of Tucson. Suitable for all abilities and ages. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. EXPLORE WITHOUT CARS - Spring is an excellent time of year to visit Crater Lake if you want no crowds or traffic. Set on two separate sides of the city of Tuscon, Saguaro National Park showcases the Sonoran Desert. ), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. Saguaro National Park is open year-round. There are several ways to get to the top of Wassen Peak. You can walk or bike into the park 24 hours a day. Monsoon sunset over the cactus forest of the Saguaro National Park West, Wednesday, August 10, 2016, Tucson, Ariz. . Is that a decent time to go? One trail is handicap accessible and paved.Allot plenty of time, 3 or 4 hours. Heres an overview of the best spots in Saguaro National Park to capture a beautiful image of these iconic cacti. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. One warning -- last time I drove through there, a couple of months ago, there was a sign warning about reports of bee activity at the rocks. Ranger programs are available year round in Saguaro National Park, but the January through April high-season offers the largest availability and selection. Most of the road is wide enough for two cars to pass. Similar to yours, I am thinking of doing Saguaro East on the day i land (afternoon to evening) and then Saguaro West all day Thursday. The . There is a pullout at the high point of the loop, about 5.2 miles out, that is ideal for a magnificent desert sunset shot, if the cloud conditions are present. To start the drive, turn right from N Kinney Road onto Hohokam Road. This directs the viewers eyes to the top and emphasizes the size of the cactus. The area you're talking about is Picture Rocks, and there have also been bee attacks in the recent past up there of people going off-trail. Although its good to be aware that there are rattlesnakes around, theyre nothing to fear and the typical visitor is not going to come into close contact with one. Be sure to check out our additional photography guides. As mentioned above, the White Tank Campground is a great place to photograph sunrise and sunset to feature isolated Joshua Trees rather than the fields you will find throughout most of the park. Brooding sunset light surrounds a lone Joshua Tree from White Tank Campground. The staff knew nothing about our travel blog (and we always book and pay for our hotel stays), so our upgrade had nothing to do with running this website. But the desert is home to some of the most adaptive and interesting plants and animals on our planet. Through the years the amount of protected land has grown. If you plan on visiting a few National Parks this year, the best deal for most people is the Interagency Annual Pass, affectionately called the America the Beautiful pass. His photos have won awards fromNatures . This was high on our list do to but we skipped it due to high temperatures in the park. Saguaro National Park Best Photography Spots 1. Saugaro National Park encompasses two separate sections: the Saguaro National Park West (Tucson Mountain District) and Saguaro National Park East (Rincon Mountain District). Other 10-year-old Saguaros feel like getting swole and end up towering around 60-feet tall. Day 2: Saguaro National Park. On this short, easy walking trail, get up close to the Saguaro cactus, prickly pears, and ironwood trees. 531. The Bajada Scenic Loop is not paved and this section is closer to the city. Continue to the end of the trail for a great viewpoint of the park. On the easy-to-access Desert Discovery Trail off of Kinney Road in the West District, catch sunset views through a forest of saguaros. Were headed there late March for the first time at 67 & 68 years old. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson. Saguaro National Park Best Photography Spots. Personally, I like to start off long strenuous hikes either at sunrise or a little before sunrise. Next . ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-60041637', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Tucson doesn't have the most spectacular sunrises. On day 2, we visited Saguaro West, getting an early start to avoid the hot midday temperatures. Stubby Cactus Plants Dot the Hillside in Saguaro National Park along the Gould Mine Trail. Photo: Dan Nevill. 4. My family spent several hours here, both at the East and West side. If you only have time for one, dont miss our article Should You Visit Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon? 21 Absolute Best National Parks to Visit in May You Can't Miss February 14, 2023 - 4:24 . guides. Saguaro National Park is split into two sections -- the Tucson Mountain District sits west; the Rincon Mountain District sits east; and the city of Tucson and its 1-million residents sits in between the two. This site has been a popular attraction among hikers, photographers, and nature enthusiasts for decades. : Located in the Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park, Bajada Loop Drive is a scenic dirt road through the Sonoran Desert. If you dont have the lens you need, do not fret, the same lens should perform just fine. Saguaro National Park West Tucson AZ Welcome Sign features giant Sonoran saguaro cactus. Bajada Loop Drive offers the best opportunities to capture dramatic vistas of rugged rock formations, desert grasses, and cacti. They are often humanized in cartoons. Best Time to Visit Saguaro National Park. Required fields are marked *. The park is technically open, however, but you will have to bike or hike in if you want to do any night photography in Saguaro National Park. West Saguaro is known as the Tucson Mountain District (RMD). Crested saguaro cacti can be found wherever saguaro cacti grow. We do have the Africanized honey bees ( "killer bees")here in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Call the park's visitor center at 520-733-5158 for updates the day of the program. Saguaro National Park was definitely the highlight. That road has an eastern view that is not of mountains, and it's lined with open desert. I never would have known about that road. Desert Ecology Trail. If you only have half of a day, we recommend visiting Saguaro West. more, You seem to have JavaScript disabled. Peak season for the park is January through March, when temperatures are pleasant (with high temperatures in the 60s) and rainfall is low. A half day is all you need to see the highlights, but with more time you can tour the entire park, go on a day hike, or camp in the backcountry. East and West park are different but both have impressive desert scenes. Current Conditions: Visit the Saguaro National Park official website for current conditions in the park. Saguaro National Monument was created by President Herbert Hoover in 1933. Saguaro National Park Best Photography Spots. Take your pick, take your camera, and start scurrying for Tucson sunset spots. Depictions and descriptions of desert wildlife and varieties of cactus will help you identify examples as you drive on. Day 7: Grand Canyon. The Saguaro is one of the most creative cacti on the planet, and to thank them for their beauty, we gave them their very own spot: Saguaro National Park. 8. Besides the . This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. June through September receives the lowest number of visitors. Best Sunset Spot in Saguaro National Park. This events draw thousands of visitors each . Those suggestions help a lot. This elevation gain provides pristine views to the west with numerous lookouts to consider. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. They can live 200 years. Distance: 0.5 miles round trip Location: Signal Hill Picnic Area on the Bajada Loop Drive. Sure to check out our additional photography guides a purchase using one these! Located in the Tucson Mountain District ( RMD ) has an eastern that. Through a forest of the Rocks for a great viewpoint of the Sedona: learn... Javelina Rocks Overlook: climb up on top of the most adaptive and interesting plants and animals on visit. The eastern section, also called the Rincon Mountain District ( RMD ) Hikes Saguaro National.. 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Has a lower concentration of cacti, Saguaro National Park showcases the Sonoran desert lookouts to consider lens Should just. They are much larger than they tend to appear in photos our visit on June 12, all the.

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