Saguaro National Park
Saguaro National Park is an American national park in Pima County, southeastern Arizona. The 92,000-acre (37,000 ha) park consists of two separate areas—the Tucson Mountain District (TMD) about 10 miles (16 km) west of the city of Tucson and the Rincon Mountain District (RMD) about 10 miles (16 km) east of the city—that preserve Sonoran Desert landscapes, fauna, and flora, including the giant saguaro cactus.
The volcanic rocks on the surface of the Tucson Mountain District differ greatly from the surface rocks of the Rincon Mountain District; over the past 30 million years, crustal stretching displaced rocks from beneath the Tucson Mountains of the Tucson Mountain District to form the Rincon Mountains of the Rincon Mountain District. Uplifted, domed, and eroded, the Rincon Mountains are significantly higher and wetter than the Tucson Mountains. The Rincons, as one of the Madrean Sky Islands between the southern Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico, support high biodiversity and are home to many plants and animals that do not live in the Tucson Mountain District.
Earlier residents of and visitors to the lands in and around the park before its creation included the Hohokam, Sobaipuri, Tohono O'odham, Apaches, Spanish explorers, missionaries, miners, homesteaders, and ranchers. In 1933, President Herbert Hoover used the power of the Antiquities Act to establish the original park, Saguaro National Monument, in the Rincon Mountains. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy added the Tucson Mountain District to the monument and renamed the original tract the Rincon Mountain District. Congress combined the Tucson Mountain District and the Rincon Mountain District to form the national park in 1994.
Popular activities in the park include hiking on its 165 miles (266 km) of trails and sightseeing along paved roads near its two visitor centers. Both districts allow bicycling and horseback riding on selected roads and trails. The Rincon Mountain District offers limited wilderness camping, but there is no overnight camping in the Tucson Mountain District.
- 1 Names
- 2 Geography
- 3 Climate
- 4 Geology
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5
History
- 5.1 Early
- 5.2 After 1920
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6
Biology
- 6.1 Plants and fungi
- 6.2 Animals
- 6.3 Sky Islands
- 7 Recreation
- 8 See also
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9
References
- 9.1 Works cited
- 10 External links
Links
Images Gallery
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A large cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) at Saguaro National Park
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Catalina gneiss, the most common rock type in the Rincons, is exposed at Javelina Rocks along the Cactus Forest Loop Drive in the Rincon Mountain District.
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Hohokam petroglyphs in the Tucson Mountain District
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Saguaro National Monument (now the Rincon Mountain District) in 1935
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Fairy duster, a low flowering shrub native to the park
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A view of Saguaro National Park's natural landscape
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Javelina in Saguaro National Park. The hoofed animal is native to the park.
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Map of the Tucson Mountain District showing entrances, roads, buildings, trails, picnic areas, and surrounds
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Map of the Rincon Mountain District showing entrances, roads, buildings, trails, picnic areas, campsites, and surrounds
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Comments
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Hands down one of the best National Parks we've been to. Try to make time to visit both the East and West parks. We went in August 2021so summer heat plus covid made the park near empty. We didn't do any hikes longer than 2 miles, again summer heat but even the short ones are awesome :) Also a nice thing in the parks right now is that they are generally enforcing the indoor masking policy and capacity limits.
4 days ago -
Saguaro Park Consists of both East and West. There are so many amazing trails to hike and wildlife to view. If you don’t have time for a hike, be sure and drive through the West side where the highest concentrations of Saguaros reside. The amount of cacti, flowers, and wildlife is truly amazing. A trip to the museum to view the amazing wildlife is also worth a stop.
a week ago -
A small National Park for Saguaro cacti. Very huge cactus' are found here. This place is also known for large number of flora and fauna.
2 weeks ago -
My favorite National Park, LOVE me some Saguaros! Hot, hot, hot out there. Bring loads of water! We visited the West side of the park. The drive through Grants pass is breath taking! Please go slow around blind corners, you will come across some brave bicycle riders out there and there is zero room for them.
a month ago -
This was perhaps the most lovely national park I've ever seen, and certainly the best in Arizona. For the penultimate desert feel and experience, this is it. It is dense and easily accessible, not crowded, and offers a true John Wayne feel.
2 months ago -
Great views of the Saguaro cactus, paddle cactus and the barrel cactus. Nice 8 mile driving loop with stops to take pictures. Also has parking spots that have trail heads to enjoy a walk. Went in the morning and it was nice but could tell it was going to get hot in the afternoon
3 months ago -
So many trails to explore and trails for all ability levels. It is a great place to get out and left nature soothe you
a month ago -
We thoroughly enjoyed driving the loop trail based out of the Rincon Visitor Center in Saguaro National Park. It took us about an hour to drive around it, and we stopped about every five minutes to take another fantastic shot of the amazing landscape. It was really enjoyable to see the iconic cacti all around you and get familiar with life in the desert under such extreme conditions.
a month ago