Saguaro National Park West

Just beyond the western edge of Tucson, you’ll find these Hohokam petroglyphs in Saguaro National Park. No one knows precisely when they were carved into the rocks, but Hohokam settlements in the Sonoran desert date back almost two thousand years. We went on a short hike among the saguaro to end up on this hilltop with this pre-Columbian art—not your typical suburban stroll.

Follow the yellow flower road in the Sonoran Desert; wildflower displays of poppies don’t necessarily happen every year. (Last year was a bust in Saguaro Nat’l Park near Tucson; this year the timing of the winter rains was just right!) So, spring, “are we there yet?” Yes, and several weeks early this year...

Few things are as evocative of the American Desert Southwest as the saguaro cactus. One of the best places to get up close to these spiky giants (as tall as 60 ft, as old as 200 yrs, as heavy as 2 tons!) is near Tucson. Arizona‘s second largest city is flanked on both sides by Saguaro National Park—East and West. A few driving routes are available, but plenty of hiking and horse trails should get you out of your car and into the foothills and canyons of the Tucson and Rincon mountain ranges. The Western division of the park is the better of the two for sunsets; the Eastern division leads to higher wilderness trails, and also hosts an annual 8-mile-loop Labor Day run. When the wind whips around these anthropomorphic cacti, you can hear the “whoosh” through the needles. May and June are hot, but you’ll be rewarded with the spectacle of their waxy blooms—a favorite snack-source for bats and doves. And Gila woodpeckers excavate their nests high up in the “trunks"—look for their red-capped heads peaking out... For more info: www.nps.gov/sagu