The BEST Things To Do in Saguaro National Park

Last Updated on March 21, 2022 by Ale

When you picture the American Southwest, what do you imagine? Tall cacti, with arms outstretched? If you’ve always wanted to explore this stretch of country, Saguaro National Park is the place for you.

Located in Tucson, Arizona, this park is home to the Saguaro cactus – those prickly, green creatures with outstretched arms that are the epitome of the southwest. The views here are unparalleled, the skies are beautiful: there’s plenty of things to do in Saguaro National Park.

To help you plan your visit, I’ve compiled the best things to do in Saguaro, including hikes, views, and where to get stunning photographs!

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Basic Information

Location: Tucson, Arizona
Entrance Fee: $25 per vehicle, valid for 7 days

Visiting multiple parks? Get a National Parks Pass! It allows you to get into all national parks + most lands for one low fee. I buy one every year and it’s absolutely worth it.

There are two entrances/districts to Saguaro National Park: the most popular is the Tucson Mountain District (TMD) or Saguaro West. The other is the Rincon Mountain District (RMD) or Saguaro East.

The town of Tucson, Arizona divides Saguaro national park and separates the two districts. In this Saguaro blog post we cover both districts. We’ll call each area either Saguaro West or Saguaro East for ease.

Psst! Looking for a place to stay? We stayed at the Hyatt Place Tucson and had a great time (plus free breakfast!)

The top things to do in Saguaro are grouped by district so you can avoid driving from one end of the park to the other.

Top Things To Do in Saguaro – West

There’s plenty of great things to do in Saguaro National Park (west). Most of the park is easily accessed, but you will need to lace up your hiking boots to see some of the best that Saguro has to offer!

Explore the Desert Discovery Nature Trail

Length: 0.5 mile loop
Difficulty: easy

One of the easiest ways to start your visit at Saguaro is by doing the Desert Discovery Nature trail. This super short, half-mile trail is flat, paved, and a great place to see Saguaros.

This trail is pet-friendly and has a couple of benches where you can sit and enjoy the scenery. Plus, there’s several informative panels along the walk that will tell you more about the desert ecology you’ll be witnessing.

To get here: Drive about a mile up the road from the Red Hills visitor center, on N. Kinney Rd. You’ll soon come to a small parking lot on your left (watch for the stone sign along the road). The trail begins here.

Do the Bajada Loop Drive

Length: 5 miles

The Bajada Loop Drive is a 5 mile scenic drive that will take you through beautiful Saguaros. This is an unpaved road, but is fairly well maintained. We had a low-clearance vehicle and the drive was fine, maybe a bit bumpy!

Not only is the drive itself pretty, driving the Bajada Loop will give you access to some pretty cool Saguaro hiking trails, like the Valley View Overlook and the Signal Hill petroglyphs.

Plus, there’s several picnic areas where you can stop for lunch and take in the desert views.

To get here: drive about half a mile up from the Desert Discovery trail on N Kinney Rd until you reach Hohokam Rd, on your right. Follow Hohokam Rd until it reaches a dead end with Golden Gate Rd. Make a left onto Golden Gate Rd to complete the loop.

Note: you’ll want to do the drive as described in the “to get here”. There’s a section of the road that’s one-way only, so if you do the drive in the opposite way you’ll have to double back.

Hike the Valley View Overlook Trail

Length: 0.8 mile roundtrip
Difficulty: easy

Located along the Bajada Loop Drive, the Valley View Overlook Trail is one you absolutely shouldn’t miss on your visit to Saguaro National Park.

This trail is less than a mile round trip but will make a good introduction to hiking in the desert. As soon as you get out of your car, you’ll be surrounded by saguaros of different shapes and sizes – many of which you can see up close.

Along the trail, keep your eyes open for barrel cactus, javelinas, road runners, cholla cactus and many other desert species.

The highlight of the Valley View Overlook trail, however, is the panoramic vistas that will greet you at the end of the trail. There’s a couple of benches where you can sit and take in the view of the valley directly in front of you, perfectly dotted with saguaros.

Depending on the time of day you visit, the Saguaros may shimmer with a halo-like silhouette (a result of their spikes catching the light).

To get here: Access the Valley View Overlook trail from the Bajada Loop Drive (look out for the sign). There’ll be a small dirt parking lot on your left and signs marking the trail from there.

See the Petroglyphs

Length: 0.8 mile roundtrip
Difficulty: easy

Continuing along the Bajada Loop drive you’ll find a small area tucked away that contains a reminder of the length of time that humans have thrived in the harsh desert.

The Signal Hill area is home to beautifully preserved petroglyphs, dating back over 800 years to the Hohokam people. The petroglyphs include a large spiral, images of animals, and other abstract representations. You can actually get pretty close to the petroglyphs, just remember to look but not touch: we want to preserve these for future generations!

To get here: As you drive the Bajada Loop, make a right into the Signal Hill Picnic Area (look out for the sign). Follow the road to the parking lot, and take one of the trails on your right (going towards the picnic area). From here, you’ll follow the trail up a slight incline until you reach the top of the hill. You know you’ve arrived when you see the petroglyphs up close!

Watch the Sunset from the Kings Canyon / Gould Mine Loop

Length: 2.4 miles roundtrip
Difficulty: Moderate

There’s plenty of beautiful hiking trails in Saguaro (West) National Park, but the Kings Canyon / Gould Mine Loop trail is special for the stunning views you get from here as the sun begins to set.

This hike is short but not easy. You begin by hiking along a rocky wash where you have to scramble/climb up some stair-like sections.

Note: you can avoid this by doing the King Canyon trail instead of the King Canyon wash trail at the beginning.

From here, you start gaining elevation as you hike along the the saguaros. The views only get better and better. As you begin to loop around to come back to the trail parking lot, you’ll get beautiful vistas of saguaros covering the mountainside. The sunset here is stunning, and not one to be missed.

To get here: Look for the steep dirt road on your right on N. Kinney Rd going into the park, right after you pass the Desert Ecological Museum.

Top Things To Do in Saguaro – East

The East Side of Saguaro National Park is often overlooked by many visitors, which is a shame because it’s very pretty! While the more impressive concentration of Saguaros can be found in Saguaro West, the East side still offers gorgeous views of the desert landscape.

If you’re looking for the best things to do in Saguaro, you’ll definitely want to add some of the Saguaro east hiking trails listed below to your list!

Do the Cactus Forest Loop Drive

Length: 8 miles roundtrip

I love a pretty scenic drive, and the Cactus Forest Loop does not disappoint! This 8 mile drive will take you through a “forest” full of saguaros and has a couple of pullouts where you can take in the desert scenery.

I actually found this drive to be prettier than the Bajada Loop drive, and highly recommend it.

To get here: starting at the Saguaro East visitor center, follow Cactus Forest Dr. as it turns into a one way road. From here, follow the one way loop until you return to the visitor center, stopping at whatever pullouts look interesting!

Explore the Desert Ecology Trail

Length: 0.25 mile
Difficulty: easy

The Desert Ecology Trail is a super short, paved quarter mile loop that will take you through desert scenery. The highlight here aren’t the saguaros, but rather some of the other desert species that help the desert thrive.

Along the trail you’ll find panels giving you more information about the desert environment, as well as a bench or two where you can sit and enjoy the scenery.

To get here: Follow the Cactus Forest Drive until you reach a small parking lot (and signs!) for the Desert Ecology Trail. Parking is on your right, cross the street to the trail on your left.

Look for Javelinas

One of the best things to do in Saguaro East is to look for javelinas in the park. But just what are these animals? Javelinas are small, pig-like creatures that call the Sonaran desert their home.

Unfortunately, we didn’t spot any during our visit to Saguaro, even though we kept our eyes peeled! For a higher chance of spotting javelinas, make sure you stop at the Javelina Rocks along the Cactus Forest Drive.

To get here: Keep your eyes open for a large rock formation on your right as you drive the Cactus Forest Loop. There’s a parking lot, but no official trails here.

Hike the Freeman Homestead Trail

Length: 0.9 mile
Difficulty: easy

The Freeman Homestead trail is a short but interesting little hike that takes you down to the site of an old homestead which is no longer there.

Hiking this trail is pretty easy – you’ll be surrounded by saguaros and have signs pointing the way. If you’re traveling with kids, there’s signs of suggested activities they can do as they walk the trail with you.

To get here: follow the Cactus Forest Drive until you reach the stop sign pointing towards the Picnic Area. Make a left to go towards the picnic area and follow the road until you see signs for the Freeman Homestead Trailhead and parking lot, which will be on your right.

See a Crested Saguaro

Saguaros are pretty cool in their own right, but once in a blue moon you’ll get a saguaro with a rare mutation that’s simply spectacular.

Crested saguaros are the result of this rare mutation which results in saguaros developing a fan-like crown or crest at their head. These saguaros are cool to see and photograph. There’s only a few that are easily accessed, including two in Saguaro East.

To get here: you can see a crested saguaro from the Cactus Forest Drive, near the Javelina Picnic Area. Note that there’s no parking except in the picnic area.

Alternatively: see a crested saguaro near the entrance to the Desert Ecological Museum, near Saguaro West. If you’re up for a challenge, you can also see a crested saguaro from the Garwood Trail. Check out this NPS brochure for more info on crested saguaros.

Best Time to Visit Saguaro

The best time to Visit Saguaro National Park is in the cooler winter months, between November to March. During this time, temperatures will usually average between 50 and 70ish degrees fahrenheit.

While the temperatures begin to climb in the spring months, you will usually be rewarded with blooming wildflowers and cacti. If you’re visiting during summer, keep in mind that the desert gets HOT, with temperatures reaching over 100 degrees fahrenheit on the daily.

Where to Stay Near Saguaro National Park

The city of Tucson is the best place to stay when visiting Saguaro National Park. There’s plenty of hotels and other rentals that will place you close to either side of the park. Tucson almost literally divides the park in two.

Here are some great options for every budget:

Cute House in Tucson for Two: an affordable option with pool access, and the perfect place for a couple to relax and unwind.
JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort: a luxe option that gets you super close to Saguaro West. Looking to unwind in the beautiful Tucson desert scenery? This is the place for you!
Hyatt Place Tucson: this is where we stayed! It was super conveniently located, plus free breakfast!
Beautiful, Large Tucson House: perfect for larger groups (sleeps up to 6!) and full of southwestern charm.

What to Pack for Saguaro National Park

Sunscreen: this is absolutely the #1 thing you need to bring when hiking in Saguaro. This is my favorite brand, it’s lightweight and smells great.
Hiking Hat: There’s almost no shade anywhere in Saguaro, so bring a hiking hat to create your own. This one is a super affordable option.
Water bottle: You can’t go anywhere in the desert without water. This reusable water bottle is my favorite.
Breathable hiking shirts: even in good weather, the sun in Tucson will make you sweat so make sure you wear some breathable shirts.
Hiking Boots: These boots have gotten me through a weeklong hiking trip in Utah, they’re absolutely worth every penny.
Hiking Socks: Good socks make a huge difference when hiking, these ones are worth every penny.

FAQs

Which side of Saguaro National Park is better?

Saguaro West is the most popular side, and where you’ll find the largest concentration of saguaro cacti. If you only have a day, stick to exploring one side of the park to make the best of it.

How much time should I spend in Saguaro National Park?

You don’t need a ton of time to see the best of Saguaro, but plan to spend at least one full day in the park. Ideally aim for two days, one day to see each side of the park.