Saguaro National Park Reviews

This place is definitely worth a visit. It s incredible how much life exists in the desert here. The cacti are impressive, and the sunsets are not to be missed! Everything has thorns, so dress appropriately (sandals not recommended).

We are so lucky to be smack-dab-in-the-middle of the homeland of the eternally iconic saguaro cactus.

This place is great. hot but great! I want to hike the trails when it's cooler

The western park is awesome; just beautiful; and the Visitors Center was more updated. Definitely watch the movie at the Visitors Center in the western park. The eastern park is more open and still in the recovery phase. And, watch out for bikers everywhere!

What an experience! This place is beautiful and so well maintained. Put this stop on your list.

This park is surprisingly close to my mom's house in Marana...which I was happy to discover when I decided to head out and explore for my birthday before the Binocular Stargazing Program that evening (this program is not affiliated w/the NP, but hosted in the visitor center parking lot by an astronomer from the Kitt Peak Observatory on special dates).

The drive into the park is pretty and the abundance of saguaros is jaw-dropping! The visitor center has some great viewing areas and the deck that is attached in the back is the perfect spot to watch the sunset.

The gift shop itself is tiny and the restrooms are detached outdoors, but are kept very clean.

The Park Ranger staff is very informative and they have a resident tarantula (Zola) for viewing in the gift shop.

I didn't have as much time as I thought to explore, but there is a trail right off the visitor center that follows the riverbed. I wasn't able to do this one due to time constraints, so I went to do the much shorter Discovery Trail just down the road. It is a quick circuit with benches and some nice views of the wilderness and some really funky looking saguaros. Going through the park and finding saguaros that look like they are hugging, throwing up a peace sign, or like they have 8 tentacles is half the fun!

You also see some great wildlife here. I saw a very pretty yellow bird with a distinct chirp (I am not an avid birdwatcher so I have no idea what it was). I also saw a HUGE vulture pick at some roadkill and then flap its gigantic wings and perch on a tall saguaro, which was just a sight to see! I saw several coyotes on the drive out, so beware because they will jump into the road like squirrels!

I finally met up with the small group for the Bincolar Stargazing and it really is an awesome program! Plus, aside from spectacular sunset views and hues, the night sky here is just flawless! You get a little residual light pollution from Phoenix (if you can believe it!) but on a clear night, the Milky Way comes into view and you can see planets and clusters/nebula with binoculars! With the telescope that our astronomer, Sherry, brought we were able to see Jupiter's cloud bands and its four Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto). I highly recommend for the novice to seasoned astronomer or even if you have never seen a true night sky, this is someplace close to experience the Cosmos!

We went to the visitors center west. Wonderful presentation, setting with lots of windows, helpful staff, park/hiking map, gift shop, trails around the center.

I love the scenic drive to the trailheads. The park is well kept and has well maintained trailheads and picnic areas.

Home to Saguaros, the largest cacti in North America. A great choice to visit in winter, when most parks are too cold. Here you can still hike in shorts and a couple of thin layers, even on Christmas.
The park is open all year round. On Christmas Day the visitor centers are closed, but the park itself is open, you can drive in and hike.
I recommend the following hikes: Wasson Peak (a day hike) and Valley Overlook Trail (short introductory hike with great views). For sunset, a must see place is Gates Pass Trail. The views are incredible. All of these are located in the West side. The East side is interesting too.
There are also very beautiful hikes just outside the park, notably Seven Falls. The scenery is quite different, and I highly recommend that one too.
A nice thing about the park is that it s located just outside Tucson, so you can find good accommodation there and it will take about 30-40 min to get to the park (west or east side).
Overall, the park is great. All national parks are unique and amazing, and this one is no exception.

Got lucky to make here by sunset so I got some beautiful photos! Definitely a great place to stop by and be at awe at the 100 year old cacti. So beautiful!!!

Visited for a few quick hours in both the Rincon (East) and Tucson (West) districts of the park. What can I say? It's a National Park: 5 Stars! Some info for you if planning a visit and deciding between the sides:
The Rincon side feels like it's got more modern human history, think settlements/mining sites/early Nat Monument status. It also has much greater diversity in rainfall, wildlife, altitude, etc. Most of it is going to get you hiking away from your car. If you're going to quick car visit and look at the tremendous Saguaros, this side's cacti are a little more sparse and deal with harsher conditions, the javalina rocks were a highlight for me! If you're going to be mostly 'car based' consider making your way to...
The Tucson side has more evidence of ancient human history with some good petroglyph action at Signal Hill. This side was added to national level protection a little later, so the facilities are a fair bit newer (the visitor center is a pretty amazing building), but I wouldn't say better (I liked the museum in Rincon VC better). The trip thru gates pass and it's geology on the way to the park is worth the drive alone here, and the flora looks like it has a better time, so some heartier/denser Saguaros. You're further out of town for this one, so it'll take a little longer to reach.
In any case, we found the Rangers incredibly knowledgeable and helpful for both. Picnic areas and short nature hikes are found in each and we had a great few hours at each - wish we could spend more time!

A must see if you are in the area (or anywhere close!) Catch a movie at the visitor center and go for a hike and/or drive through ENDLESS Saguaros

We visited in June with the temps 100+. Although that curtailed our hiking, the NPS has done an excellent job in the visitor center of providing exhibits and information, including two films, both in the east and west sections of the park. Although the guide books highlight the difference between the two sections, unless you are really into the details both offer an excellent primer on the Sonoran desert. Both also offer short, very well documented trails near the visitor center to point out the highlights of the park. Both also offer a short drive, with the east side a more improved road, but both fine for passenger cars as long as you aren't in a rush. Short trails, enough to get into the park but back into the AC of your car, are available. If weather is cooperative both have many longer hikes that showcase the park. Both are adjacent, almost surrounded by, Tucson so travel isn't difficult. The time I indicated below, more than three hours, is if you see both sections of the park. Alone, in the heat, might be 2+ hours.

We did the Wasson Peak hike for the first time ... It was a moderate hike with some incline but the trail was great. There is trail markers that keep you on track. Make sure you take plenty of water. It's a 3.9 mile hike so over all just a little shy of 8 miles.

Happened by chance we were fascinated, to go back during the flowering

So beautiful!!! You see saguaros in.pictures but never fully appreciate their majesty until you're among them. Interesting habitat. Gorgeous!!!

Awesome place with great trails. Good for biking. Enjoy!

Beautiful!!!! If not for all those animals that run

******SCRATCHING ONLY THE SURFACE****Winter time is for me the safest time to indulge in all of the wonderful sights and many hiking trails without having to be overly cautious of dehydration & our many different species of rattle snakes****, DUN **DUN** DUN **AHHHH!!! SERIOUSLY THOUGH IT IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO HAVE A WEDDING, PICNIC,BIKE RIDE ,HIKE,OR EVEN TO JUST SIT BACK WATCH A LIGHTNING SHOW FROM OUR BEAUTIFUL MONSOONS,OR A LATE NIGHT GET AWAY WITH YOUR HONEY TO SOAK IN SOME MOON BEAMS AND TAKE SOME STARS FROM THE SKY'S AND PUT EM IN HER EYES. ..I WELCOME YOU TO MY HOME, to not only a historical monument but also a very attainable vacation for any family to obtain with our many free options and sights to observe and even all of natures many wonders & mysteries, locals are very informative and willing to teach & share there knowledge of there home,makeing the whole adventure worth while. I am prod to call PICTURE ROCKS, AZ. MY HOME AND HOPE YOU GET TO COME BACK TIME & TIME AGAIN TO ENJOY ARIZONA !!!!

Fantastic, difficult 9.6 miles round-trip to Wasson Peak

Love this place, if you're in Tucson it's a must see

I actually have a hilarious story about Saguaro National Park. So quite a few years ago my friends and I decided that we wanted to light off some fireworks. So we went to Walmart and we bought a bunch of fireworks, it was dark by now and my friends told me that they knew a spot where we could like them off. Anyways it turns out where we were was this park, and so we're lighting these fireworks off. Then off in the distance we hear sirens and we see lights. Turns out somebody had called the police on us. So the sheriff turns up and tells us that what we're doing is illegal. Now at this point we were quite confused because we didn't realize that we were in a national park. Lighting off fireworks within city limits in Tucson is perfectly legal, However in a national park it is very very ill legal. And again we didn't realize that we were in a national park at the time. The officer was kind of a dick at first, but after we explained the situation he was understanding. We thought that we were going to get off scott free but then right at the end he issued us each $100 fines and there were five of us. Beautiful park, but just a warning, DO NOT LIGHT OFF FIREWORKS.

Fabulous Natl Park. Great trails. Easy driving loop. Cool visitors center.

This place has the most Saguaro (Sau-war-o) cactus in the land, there are (literally) thousands! You can drive through the park for free, but, you really should pay at the welcome center, to help keep ppl. employed, park upkeep, road maintenance, & the like. There is a gift shop & sight seeing locations at the welcome center.

It's not recommended that you walk amung the cacti, but there are plenty of roads that have pull-offs, so you can take unlimited pictures, & smell the air around you. I find it fascinating that the Saguaros cling to the sides of the hills w/ ease.

In the back of the park, there are petroglyphs that you can see. You have a hike to get to them, just stay behind the railings!, you might even get to talk to a ranger, & ask them questions about what you've seen, they will be happy to help.

Beautiful park, full of Seguaro's at a size and density I've never seen before. Honestly amazing.

Beautiful hikes on well maintained trails. Bring lots of water!

I love this place. The hikes are beautiful. Some of the trails aren't marked as well as I would like them to be so if you venture here, be sure to have water, a map and your gps. Its a little scary to be unsure of your way out when the sun is beating down.

had a great time bringing my family to this awesome park. and this may be a long shot but we lost a very important member of our family walking around if there's anyone who's found our beloved Chompi please please reply-photo below

You can walk out bike in after hours after the gate is closed.

Park rangers carry tweezers to remove cactus needles. This park is beautiful and split into two halves with one half on each side of the highway.

Truly breathtaking Sonoran scenery, wildlife and vistas everywhere you turn. This is a must-see for any visit to Tucson.

Incredible scenery. Visited the West side of the Park and saw the Indian Rock Drawings at Signal Hill. Well worth the trip out there.

East nice to see first, west even better. Saw at first light, quail, coyote and birds were plentiful along circle road. Glad I came

Fun place for beautiful views and scenic landscapes.

Its always so beautiful. The rangers are friendly and helpful! Our kids did the jr. Ranger program here! All of the hikes are amazing as well!

Saguaro National Park has two districts. The Rincon Mountain District is located to the East of Tucson Arizona and the Tucson Mountain District is located to the West of Tucson AZ. In 1933 Saguaro National Monument was created. The Saguaro Wilderness Area of 71,400 acres was added in 1975. Saguaro National Park was created from these areas in 1994 and currently encompasses 91,327 acres in its two districts. The Eastern Rincon Mountain District rises to over 8,000 feet and includes over 128 miles of trails. The Western Tucson Mountain District is generally lower in elevation with a denser saguaro forest. Tucson hotels and Tucson resorts are generally more expensive during Tucson's winter months due to the mild temperatures. However you can generally get very good deals at Tucson resorts if you can come in the heat of the summer.

Great place to be. I recommend that you buy the National Park pass for $80 usd if
you re planning on visiting more national parks.

Saguro Cactus grow only in the Sonoma Desert. They live up to 200 years, and don't even start having "arms" until they are 60. There are short and long hikes, and if you are lucky, you will find a Crested Saguro. Wonderful visitor center with great exhibits and a fun shop.

The park closes at dusk but the trails stay open and can be accessed a few streets down from the main entrance. I saw a Gila monster here on my first visit, and the volunteers at the visitor center were very knowledgeable. Don't forget your water and sunscreen!

Amazing vistas! Beautiful landscape. The park is well maintained and the staff we met was courteous despite the heavy traffic of visitors.

Saguaro is a neat place to visit, but you can see plenty of Saguaro in the surrounding area. I wouldn't plan on staying more than 1 day in the park.

Both the East and West parks are gorgeous with extensive in-park drivable roads. There are a vast number of parking spots from where you can explore the parks by foot.

Such a beautiful place to vist and have a picnic bathrooms at all picnic areas some are covered built to look like old rock cabins. Roads are maintained

Spectacular views of the very unique Saguaro Cactus in its natural ecosystem.

Sprawling views of mountains and cacti. Amazing place to visit!

Before visiting this park I didn't know how old saguaro' s are before they grow arms

Great staff! Beautiful views. Well laid out and maintained road - safe for bikes.

Great place. Has everything from scenic drives to multi day backpacking.

we did the scenic drive and it was very nice. we like this terrain.

This is a great smaller park split by the city of tuscon. We visited the western side and there were lots of great areas to view the sunset and go course the cacti! This side of the park has plenty of trails in varying lengths.

Very nice and helpful staff and volunteers. This is a quiet park and we enjoyed our visit.

A wonderful national park with a west and east side on either side of Tucson. The west has some fun canyon and mountain trails through forests of saguaro and other types of cacti. Hohokam Rd loop drive is nice with multiple trails and great spots to see a nice sunset. Sadly I only did one trail on the west side but there is lots to see there too.

I drive through the park everyday and it makes my morning commute a period of wonder and contemplation as I look at how magnificent the desert is.

Very small. If your not doing activities, just looking for sights, you can see most of this from the interstate (between Phoenix and Tucson).

As long as you visit fall through spring the hiking is beautiful.