There are six picnic areas within Saguaro National Park.The ½-mile Desert Discovery Trail at Saguaro West also includes shaded ramadas and trail guides in Braille for rent at the visitor center.

The ¼-mile Desert Ecology Trail at Saguaro East is graded to ADA standards and supports all types of wheelchairs.

Both districts have paved trails with resting benches and exhibits about the plants and wildlife in the area.

Additionally, Saguaro West's visitor center offers volume assist, audio descriptions, and neckloop telecoil couplers for its film program.

The visitor centers in both districts are fully accessible with assistive door systems, flat surfaces, accessible restrooms, paved cactus garden paths, a Braille version of the park brochure, and captioned orientation programs.

During the late spring and summer months, when temperatures range from the mid-90s to the low 110s, programs are offered on an intermittent basis. With daytime temperatures from the low 50s to the high 70s, the winter months (November to March) are the perfect time to join one of Saguaro National Park's guided walks covering some of the most notable areas of the park. During the summer solstice, the sun passing through nearby rocks forms a silhouetted arrow that gradually finds its aim in the center of the spiral.

Signal Hill Picnic Area is another popular destination where, after a short hike, you'll reach a lookout point with hundreds of petroglyphs etched into the rocks by the Hohokam-among them, one resembling a spiral. No wheels? There are more than 170 miles of trails to explore, ranging from shorter paved nature trails to a longer trek into the wilderness. On the west side, try the scenic Bajada Loop Drive, a 5-mile graded gravel road suitable for most cars. At Saguaro East try the 8-mile paved Cactus Forest Drive, a favorite among cyclists. The visitor centers also serve as the starting point for numerous hiking trails and scenic drives. Start your visit at either district's visitor center where you can browse museum exhibits, watch informational slide shows, see cactus gardens, or shop at the Western National Parks Association Bookstore. The area comprising Saguaro National Park is also the ancestral home of the Tohono O'odham people, who continue to play a role in the park's culture, visiting every year in the early summer to pick saguaro fruit. All told, there are more than 200 species of birds, 50 species of reptiles and 70 species of wildlife that have been documented in the park. These varied landscapes provide ideal habitats for a wide range of flora and fauna, including wildlife such as javelina, coyote, quail and desert tortoise in the lower elevations, and black bear, deer and Mexican spotted owl in the upper elevations.

In addition to the saguaros, which are unique to the Sonoran Desert (some reaching as high as 50 feet and 200-years-old), Saguaro National Park also features mountainous regions where pine and coniferous forests form a canvas of greenery-making this the most bio-diverse desert in Northern America. Historic Canoa Ranch - Raul M.Arguably more iconic than the Grand Canyon, Arizona's towering, giant saguaros are synonymous with the desert.įor almost a century, Saguaro National Park near Tucson has helped protect and preserve its namesake while attracting visitors from around the world to view these natural 'Kings of the Sonoran Desert.' Saguaro National Park's history and biodiversityįirst designated as a National Monument in 1933, it would be another 64 years before the area was designated as Saguaro National Park with two districts-East & West-separated by the city of Tucson. Gila Topminnow and other endangered fish Agua Caliente Park Bird Checklist Get out there and enjoy the show!įan Palms, Birds, Lizards, Fish, Turtles, Frogs Whatever you are into, Pima County has a place for you to explore. Keep your eyes peeled for beautiful lizards and stunning snakes, which can be found almost anywhere. Watch clouds of Brazilian free-tailed bats emerge from under local bridges at dusk in the summer. Visit the ponds and wetlands of Canoa Ranch, Agua Caliente Park, or the Santa Cruz River to look for waterfowl and dragonflies. Stroll through the picturesque saguaro forest of Tucson Mountain Park. Walk among the lush riparian cottonwoods at Cienega Creek. Habitat: Where to See Wildlife in Pima County ParksThanks to the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, we have preserved a wide diversity of habitats within Pima County - which means many opportunities to view different types of plants and animals in our community.

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