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Saguaro National Park is open year round, daily from sunrise to sunset, with peak visitation in March.
The saguaro has been described as the monarch of the Sonoran Desert, as a prickly horror, as the supreme symbol of the American Southwest, and as a plant with personality. It is renowned for the variety of odd, all-too-human shapes it assumes, shapes that inspire wild and fanciful imaginings. Giant saguaro cacti, unique to the Sonoran Desert, sometimes reach a height of 50 feet in this cactus forest, which covers the valley floor, rising into the Rincon and West Tucson mountains. Since 1933 this extraordinary giant cactus has been protected within Saguaro National Park. Preserved along with it are many other members of the Sonoran Desert community--other cacti, desert trees and shrubs, and animals. In lushness and variety of life the Sonoran Desert far surpasses all other North American deserts.
Most visitors enjoy the scenic drives, bird watching, photography, hiking, and participating in guided walks. There are many special programs throughout the cooler months. Check at a visitor center for a detailed list.
Numerous guided walks are offered at each visitor center. Published schedules of programs are available during the winter season. Special environmental education programs are frequently conducted for local school groups. Several Junior Ranger Programs are available.
| Area | Address | Phone | Hours | Description |
| Rincon Mountain District | 3693 South Old Spanish Trail | 520-733-5153 | 8:30 am 5:00 pm Daily |
Exhibits focus on the natural and cultural history of the Sonoran Desert. "A Home in the Desert", a fifteen-minute orientation program to Saguaro National Park, is shown throughout the day. Captioning is available on request. Southwest Parks and Monuments Association (SPMA) operates a bookstore in the visitor center offering a large selection of books on the Sonoran Desert and the Southwestern United States. Wheelchair accessible public restrooms are available at the visitor center. |
| Tucson Mountain District | 2700 North Kinney Road | 520-733-5158 | 8:30 am 5:00 pm Daily |
Exhibits focus on the cultural and natural history of the Sonoran Desert. "Voices of the Desert", a fifteen-minute program exploring the Native American perspective of the Sonoran Desert, is shown (captioned) throughout the day. Southwest Parks and Monuments Association (SPMA) operates a bookstore in the visitor center offering a large selection of books on the Sonoran Desert and the Southwestern United States. Wheelchair accessible public restrooms are available at the visitor center. |
Both visitor centers are closed on Christmas Day.
Numerous guided walks are offered at each visitor center. Published schedules of programs are available during the winter season. Special environmental education programs are frequently conducted for local school groups. Several Junior Ranger Programs are available.
Both districts have miles of trails for hiking and scenic loop drives. For more information on these trails stop at the visitor center.
Start a park visit by stopping at the visitor center for maps, information, and suggestions. Most visitors enjoy the scenic drives, bird watching, photography, hiking, and participating in guided walks.
East Side of Saguaro National Park
The Rincon Mountain District offers a scenic driving tour, hiking, picnic areas, interpretive programs, and wilderness camping by permit.
Scenic Cactus Forest Drive
7:00 am - Sunset
West side of Saguaro National Park
The Tucson Mountain District offers scenic driving tours, hiking, picnic areas, and interpretive programs.
Scenic Bajada Loop Drive
6:00 am - Sunset
The flowering season is dependent upon a complex set of environmental factors which include precipition, temperature, soil, elevation and extreme exposure. Combinations of these factors produce blooming at different times and locations.
Desert annual wildflowers are at their best in the spring, but may bloom at other times throughout the year. Winters that have plentiful rainfalls at regular intervals will produce spectacular displays that may occur only once a decade. These outstanding flowering shows generally last one or two weeks around the end of March to the beginning of April. At such times many areas of the desert are carpeted with flowers of all colors.
Mountain wildflowers also occur in a great variety of colors. However, blooming will occur later in the year because of cooler temperatures. Generally, wildflowers at higher elevations will bloom four to eight weeks later than those on the desert floor. Flowers on the mountain ridges with southern exposures will bloomfirst while deep facing canyons will flower last.
Not all desert plants require such specific environmental conditions to bloom. Many, such as flowering trees, cacti and some perennials have evolved special adaptations that allow them to bloom at the same time each year, regardless of the amount of winter rainfall. The mesquite tree has a deep root system which extends to groundwater. Some plants can store water for use during dry periods while others die, leaving their seeds to wait for favorable conditions.
| Common & Scientific Name | Blooming Period | Elevation (in feet) |
| Prickly Poppy Argemone intermedia | Most of the year | to 4000 |
| Anemone Anemone tuberosa | Feb - Mar | below 4800 |
| Bahia Bahia absinthifolia | Mar - Oct | below 5400 |
| Desert Marigold Baileya multradiata | sporadically throughout year | below 4700 |
| Fairy Duster Calliandra eriophylla | Feb - May | below 4800 |
| Larkspur Delphinium parishii | Feb - early Apr | 3100 to 4500 |
| Brodiaea Dichelostemma pulchellem | Feb - Oct | below 4600 |
| Fleabane Erigeron divergens | Feb - Mar | 4500 - 8400 |
| Gold Poppy Eschscholtzia | Feb - Mar | below 4500 |
| Lupine Lupinus sparsiflorus | Jan - May | below 4500 |
| Owl's Clover Orthocarpus purpurascens | Mar - Apr | below 3300 |
| Penstemon Penstemon parryi | Mar - Apr | below 4800 |
| Common & Scientific Name | Blooming Period | Elevation (in feet) |
| Saguaro Canegiea gigantea | late May & Jun | below 4500 |
| Fendler Hedgegog Echinocereus fedleri | Apr | 4200 - 5000 |
| Arizona Rainbow E. pectianatus v. rigidissimus | May | 4000 - 5000 |
| Fishook Barrel cactus Ferocactus wislizenii | Aug & Sep | 2000 - 4500 |
| Cream Pincushion Mammillaria gummifera | Jul | 3000 - 3400 |
| Arizona Fishook Pincushion M. microcarpa | Aug | 700 - 3500 |
| Engelmann's Prickly Pear Opuntia engelmannii | Apr - Jun | 2300 - 7000 |
| Pencil Cholla O. arbuscula | late Apr | 1000 - 3000 |
| Teddy Bear Cholla O. bigelovii | May and Jun | below 3000 |
| Klein's Cholla O. kleiniae | May | 2000 - 3500 |
| Chainfruit Cholla O. fulgida | Aug | 1000 - 3500 |
| Christmas Cholla O. leptocaulis | early May | below 3000 |
| Staghorn Cholla O. versicolor | May | 2000 - 3000 |
| Night Blooming Cereus Peniocereus greggii | May & Early Jun | 1200 - 4800 |
| Common & Scientific Name | Blooming Period | Elevation (in feet) |
| White Thorn Acacia Acacia constricta | May & Aug | 2500 - 5000 |
| Catclaw Acacia A. greggii | Apr & May | below 4000 |
| Palmer Agrave Agrave palmeri | Jul & Aug | 3000 - 6000 |
| Shin Dagger A. schottii | Apr & May | 3500 - 5500 |
| Desert Bloom Baccharis sarothroides | Sep | 1000 - 5000 |
| Blue Palverde Cercidium floridum | Apr & May | below 4000 |
| Foothill Paloverde C. microphyllum | Apr & May | 500 - 4000 |
| Sotol Dasylirion wheeleri | May & Jun | 3000 - 5000 |
| Brittlebush Encelia farinosa | Apr | below 3500 |
| Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens | Apr & May | below 5000 |
| Creosote Larrea tridentata | Apr & May | below 4000 |
| Feather Tree Lysiloma thornberi | May & Jun | 3200 - 3500 |
| Bear Grass Nolina microcarpa | May & Jun | 4000 - 7000 |
| Mesquite Prosopis glandulosa | Apr - Jun | below 5000 |
| Globemallow Sphaeralcea | Feb - May | 3000 - 6000 |
| Spanish Bayonet Yucca baccata | Apr - May | 3000 - 4700 |
| Soaptree Yucca Y. elata | May - Jun | 2000 - 6000 |
| Desert Zinnia Zinniz zcerosa | Apr - Oct | below 4800 |
Junior Ranger Discovery Pack
Both districts of Saguaro National Park offer self-guided Junior Ranger programs for children 5 to 12 years of age. The Junior Ranger Discovery Pack programs are available year round and are designed for the family on vacation or those with a limited amount of time. Discovery Packs contain a variety of supplies, which will aid the prospective Junior Ranger in completing their activity booklet. Please allow at least 2 hours to complete this program. The Junior Ranger Discovery Pack programs are free of charge, however, identification is needed to check out a Discovery Pack. If you would like more information, please call or write the Park.
Junior Ranger Day Camp
Both districts of Saguaro National Park offer Junior Ranger Day Camps each summer during the month of June. These programs are for children 6 to 8 and 9 to 11 years of age. Activities include hikes, environmental games, craft projects, petroglyph making, desert safety & survival, and much more. A nominal fee is charged to participate in the Junior Ranger Day Camp programs.
At the Rincon Mountain District, children will learn about the plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert through crafts, games, and hikes up to 1 mile in length. Each camp is offered on a Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday schedule from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The fee is $15.00 per child. Call 520-733-5153 for more information.
The Tucson Mountain District also offers a total of four camps during the month of June. Children will learn about the plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert through crafts, games, and hikes up to 1˝ miles in length. Each camp is offered on a Wednesday / Thursday schedule from 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The fee is $5.00 per child. Call 520-733-5158 for more information.
Registration for all camps is on a first come, first served basis. Due to the limited number of slots available, children who have not participated previously will be given priority. Parents may register children beginning on May 1st, 2002. Please call or stop by the visitor center to register a child.
Environmental Education Field Trips
Both districts of Saguaro National Park offer a variety of environmental education field trips for school children. Read below to learn more about these programs.
Desert Communities
The Tucson Mountain District (West) offers Desert Communities, a hands-on look at the interrelationships among the plants, animals and people of the Sonoran Desert. This program is for 4th and 5th grade students and is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays, mid-November through March. Also available is the Desert Wonders program, which gives 1st through 6th grade students a broad overview of the Sonoran Desert through exploration at the visitor center and nearby trails. This program is available Monday - Friday, year-round. The Desert Biomes program is for 7th, 8th, & 9th grade students and integrates school curriculum with the scientific, cultural, historical and natural aspects of Saguaro National Park. This program is available on a limited basis, year-round. Participation in these programs is limited, please call (520) 733-5157 for more information or to register your class. Home-school groups are invited to participate in all of these programs. NOTE: All programs receive a one-hour pre-visit before the field trip.
Desert Wonders: 1st through 6th grades - 1 to 1.5 Hours - Indoor and outdoor workbook activities at the visitor center and nearby trails.
Desert Communities: 4th & 5th grades - 2 Hours - Hands-on activities rotating among four stations at the Signal Hill Picnic area.
Desert Biomes: 7th, 8th, & 9th grades - 2 Hours - Indoor and outdoor workbook activities at the visitor center and at Signal Hill Picnic area
Desert Discoveries
The Rincon Mountain District (East) offers Desert Discoveries, a hands-on look at the interrelationships and adaptations of desert plants and animals, plus a look at the remains of the Freeman Homestead. This program is for 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade students and is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays, mid-November through March. Also available is Desert Explorations, which gives 2nd and 3rd grade students an introduction to the plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert. Included with this program is a post-visit workbook with activities for each child to complete upon their return to the classroom. This program is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays, mid-November through March. The Desert Characters program is designed to give pre-school through 1st grade children their first look at the Sonoran Desert. This program is available on a limited basis, mid-November through March.
Please call: 520-733-5151 for more information or to register your class for the Desert Characters program.
Participation in the Desert Explorations and Desert Discoveries programs is limited, please call: 520-733-5152 to register your class.
Home-school groups are invited to participate in all of these programs.
NOTE: Participants in the Desert Discoveries program will receive a one hour pre visit before the field trip. Arrangements can be made for disabled children to participate in the Desert Discoveries Program. Other programs do not require special arrangements.
Desert Characters: Pre-school through 1st Grade - 1 Hour - Indoor and outdoor activities in the visitor center and the cactus garden.
Desert Explorations: 2nd & 3rd Grades - 1.5 Hours - Indoor and outdoor hands-on activities in the visitor center and the cactus garden.
Desert Discoveries: 3rd, 4th & 5th Grades - 2 Hours - Hands-on activities along the Freeman Homestead Trail (1-mile hike).
Self-Guided Field Trips
Information packets are available for teachers wishing to plan their own self-guided field trip to Saguaro National Park. To receive a free "Teacher's Packet", stop by the visitor center, or call, or write to the Park. If your self-guided field trip includes a visit to the Rincon Mountain District (East), an educational fee waiver is available by writing to the Fee Collections Office at least 4 weeks in advance. If you arrive at the Park without an educational fee waiver, an entrance fee will be charged. For information on educational fee waivers, please call 520-733-5121.
Outreach Programs
Traveling Trunk Programs - Unlike traditional traveling trunk programs, our programs include a Park Ranger who visits your classroom and presents the material to your students. Topic trunks include; reptiles, mammals, and birds. Specific topic trunks include; the saguaro cactus, bats, desert tortoise, and cultural history.
Love of Reading Week - Each year national "Love of Reading Week", Park staff are available to visit your classroom and read stories on the natural or cultural history of the Sonoran Desert. In addition to books, we also bring hands-on material related to the story.
Career Days - This program is offered to elementary through college level schools and explores the various job opportunities within the National Park Service.
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