Saguaro National Park is a protected desert landscape in southern Arizona, best known for its towering saguaro cacti, which can grow over 40 feet tall and live for more than 150 years.

Located near the city of Tucson, the park is divided into two districts: the Tucson Mountain District to the west and the Rincon Mountain District to the east. Together, they preserve more than 90,000 acres of Sonoran Desert habitat, including desert plains, rocky mountains, and diverse wildlife such as coyotes, javelinas, roadrunners, and Gila monsters.

History

The history of the region stretches back thousands of years. Indigenous peoples, including the Tohono O’odham Nation, lived in the Sonoran Desert long before European settlement and relied on the saguaro cactus for food, tools, and cultural traditions.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, increasing settlement and cattle grazing threatened the desert ecosystem. Recognizing the need for protection, President Herbert Hoover established Saguaro National Monument in 1933. The protected area expanded over time, and in 1994 it officially became a national park.

Despite the protected status of Saguaro National Park, it is still susceptible to human encroachment on its boundaries, changes in climate and other environmental factors. Here is a sequence of photos that illustrate some of these changes from 1935 to today.

Today, Saguaro National Park continues to be celebrated for its scenic beauty, biodiversity, and opportunities for outdoor recreation. Visitors enjoy hiking, cycling, camping, photography, and learning about desert ecology.

The park also plays an important role in conservation by protecting one of the world’s most unique desert environments and the iconic cactus that symbolizes the American Southwest.

Cycling in Saguaro National Park

For the past several years I’ve travelled to Southern Arizona to attend the El Tour de Zona 3-day cycling event that is based in Sierra Vista, AZ. (There will be a blog post about that event sometime in the future!).

Prior to each El Tour de Zona event, I spend a night in a hotel on the east side of Tucson and then wake up early and go to the eastern section (Rincon Mountain unit) of Saguaro National Park to ride my bicycle on the Cactus Forest Loop Drive.

Cactus Forest Drive is an 11 mile loop that begins and ends at the Rincon Mountain Visitors Center.

The loop winds through a beautiful section of the park and by arriving just after sunrise I can ride when the air is cool and the days automobile traffic hasn’t started. At that time of day I typically encounter only the silence of the desert, birdsong, the occasional lizard or coyote, and the quiet crunch of my bicycle tires on the pavement.

Along the way, I often stop at the Cactus Forest Overlook for a sweeping vista of the park.

Another highlight is a short side trip to the picnic area at the end of Mica View Road. There are trails and paths there that provide the opportunity to walk among the Saguaro giants.

The Riparian Overlook provides an opportunity to view a mountainous part of the park.

Finally, the Javalina Rocks Overlook provides an opportunity to walk and scramble around on some rocks.

While scrambling, you can also observe some of the park’s desert flora and fauna (watch out for rattlesnakes) up close.

For those interested in a more immersive experience, here is a video of my latest ride on Cactus Forest Drive in Saguaro National Park:

If you want to be even further immersed, you can use your smart bike trainer with the Kinomap app on your smart phone, tablet or even Apple TV to ride this route following my gps-synchronized video of the ride here:
Señor Trail’s Kinomap Ride at Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park is a national treasure I encourage you to enjoy it however you can, whether it’s in a motor vehicle, bicycle, or on foot. You are sure to enjoy the experience!

In the Arms of the Saguaro

I took a trail the sun forgot
Where desert winds blew dry and wide,
And there I met what man cannot—
The saguaro standing side by side.

With arms upraised like ancient priests
Who warn or welcome, none can say,
They kept their silent desert feasts
While rocks and shadows slipped away.

No brook to chatter, none to freeze,
No birches bent beneath the snow,
But here the hush of brittle breeze
And thorny truths that cactus know.

They do not dance, they do not yield,
They do not lean on gentler things—
Yet in their spines, a steadfast shield,
There sleeps the strength of kings.

And though I walk in different wood,
Where maples flame and robins cheer,
I’ll not forget how still they stood—
The tallest things that know no fear.