with only 49 feet of elevation gain. The Rincon Mountain District (Saguaro East) opens at 6 am and closes at sunset. The Saguaro cactus, native to this region, is predominantly found in the dry southern part Arizona, spilling over into the Mexican state of Sonora and Imperial County, California. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-60136795', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Tucson is really pretty, and it creates some really nice shadows in the mountains and on the cacti, but you very likely won't catch any colors, if that's what you're looking for. And worst comes to worst, I sleep in and just catch the sunsets. For links to all of our Sedona articles, check out our Sedona Travel Guide. 1. Designated a National Park in 1994, Saguaro National Park is actually two distinct parks that straddle the outskirts of Tucson over almost 93,000 acres: the Rincon Mountain District on the east side and the Tucson Mountain District on the west. If you dont have the lens you need, do not fret, the same lens should perform just fine. While its known for its tall cacti, youll find some stunning views of mountain ranges, too. Thank you everyone for your great suggestions!!! The Valley View Overlook Trail takes you through some saguaro, cholla, prickly pear, and gently rolling slopes to a grand view overlooking the valley. Current Time: 2023-02-23 09:21:27 . The Snyder Hill BLM area is a great spot close to Tucson and Saguaro National Park. See Ancient Petroglyphs on Signal Hill Trail (west) This short 0.3-mile hike takes you to ancient petroglyphs that are more than 800 years old. The best view of these ancient symbols is from the scenic overlook on Haps Hill near Old Tucson. Saguaro National Park. Recommended Hotels near Saguaro National Park, Hampton Inn and Suites Tucson Tech Park Accommodation near Saguaro National Park East. Best activities in Tucson: Hot air balloon adventure with breakfast and champagne; Box Canyon and Pinal Mountains ATV adventure; Botanical Gardens; San Xavier del Bac Mission To view it on your phone or computer, open Google Maps, click the menu button, go to Your Places, click Maps, and you will see this map on your list. Saguaro National Park Best Photography Spots, Rustic Canopy At Overlook Arizona Sonora Desert Museum In Tucson. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. You don't see any of the city looking that way though, so you would be missing that. Saguaro National Park Best Photography Spots. Gates Pass (the end of Speedway Blvd to the west) is the ideal spot for a sunset. In fact, its one of our picks for a national park to visit in February. The best time to capture Saguaro National Park photos is typically sunset as the westerly views are more open than the easterly. If you're open to suggestions, I've always thought the best place to see the sunrise in town was A Mountain. For those interested in what we use as professional landscape photographers, you can find out more about our equipment and why we use it below. Note that the Hugh Norris Trail is a steep one! We were here in January--temperatures were in the mid-50s to the upper 60s. Sweetwater Trail leading to Wasson Peak. Wild Dog Trail A 1.8-mile in-and-out trail off of Hohokam Rd. I stayed in Tucson Mountain Park for sunset, as it's actually a better place to catch an epic desert sunset, better than anywhere in the national park. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. This is often dubbed one of the best hikes in Saguaro National Park. There are two separate sections to the park. (Now, I live in Colorado, so saying scenery is beautiful is a big deal, because, you know, Colorado! You have everything you require for high-quality time out of the park. Sunrise photography at Saguaro National Park can be challenging as the mountains often obstruct your views to the east. Saguaro National Parkis under limited operations due to COVID-19. For current status and frequent updates, check outSaguaros current conditions. : Located in the Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park, Bajada Loop Drive is a scenic dirt road through the Sonoran Desert. Saguaro National Park Best Photography Spots 1. The I-10/Ina area has an eastern sky full of the Santa Catalinas. Many people mispronounce Saguaro. We did too, before our visit. This trail stretches for around 3.7 mi. 1. This allows unlimited access to all Federal fee areas for one year from the date of purchase. The park offers several opportunities for adventure, from short walks to overnight backpacking trips. If you only have time for one, dont miss our article Should You Visit Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon? 2. This is a self-guided nature trail, with lots of informative signs about the Saguaro cactus and the desert ecosystem. The parks name comes from the saguaro-sized cactus native to its desert surroundings. Distance: 0.8 miles round trip Location: Bajada Loop Drive, Hohokam Road. To complete the loop, turn left onto Golden Gate Road and then drive until it ends at N Sandario Road. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Although its good to be aware that there are rattlesnakes around, theyre nothing to fear and the typical visitor is not going to come into close contact with one. We spent several hours in Saguaro East and then checked into our hotel in Tucson. Its two sections lie on opposite sides of the Tucson metropolitan area. We saw roadrunners and other wildlife right from the trail. Saguaro cactus by Arizona desert road. There are a couple of easily accessible trails on the west side of Saguaro National Park. The best spot to catch sunset at the park is on the east side at either the Tanque Verde Ridge Trail (.5 mile hike) or the Javelina Rocks pull out. The Tucson Mountain District (west) is open sunrise to sunset daily for vehicles, and open to foot and bike traffic 24 hours a day, 356 days a year. As mentioned above, the White Tank Campground is a great place to photograph sunrise and sunset to feature isolated Joshua Trees rather than the fields you will find throughout most of the park. The other trails take off into the wash. Saguaro Cactus at Sunset in Sonoran Desert. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-60041637', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Tucson doesn't have the most spectacular sunrises. In point #3, we talked about finding the best sunset spots in the park and this was without a doubt one of them. This section of the park is smaller and less visited the Saguaro West. The 0.4 mile Desert Discovery Trail is a flat, paved walkway that takes you through saguaros, as well as other desert plants, with signage that talks about the plants and wildlife in the area. The Bajada Scenic Loop is not paved and this section is closer to the city. That was my main goal. There hundreds of miles of trails in Saguaro East, ranging from short, easy walks to multi-day backpacking trips. 50 Spectacular Canyons in the US You Need to See to Believe! From sunrise to sunset, this tour will take you to areas away from the crowds, giving you a chance to capture iconic images of these cacti. If you want to visit the park when the Saguaro cacti bloom, your best chance of seeing the blooms is between early May through the first week of June. Thanks so much! Hours: The Tucson Mountain District (Saguaro West) is open from sunrise to sunset. Hours: Vehicles, Saguaro East-5:00 am to 8:00 pm in summer, 5:00 am to 6:00 pm in winter; Saguaro West-sunrise to sunset, year-round. Additionally, try to find ways to capture the scale of these giant monsters. Plan your visit with our guide to the Best Things to Do in Petrified Forest National Park. 70. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson. In the Hampton Inn & Suites Tucson Marana, Youre just 15 minutes from the park district in the west. Great location & views among the Saguaro cactii. Saguaros can live up to 200 years (although some sources state that they can live even longer than this). Saguaro National Park's two districts offer more than 165 miles (264 km) of hiking trails. Time: 1.5 hours. Why are you so focused on the national park? The best place to watch the sunset in Saguaro East is at the Javelina Rocks pullout. 7. Besides the amazing forests of saguaro cacti, we see tons of prickly pear cacti and an antelope jackrabbit. One of our awesome readers recommends Gilbert Ray Campground. Saguaro National Park - Tucson, Arizona. The West Section remains open but receives too much light pollution from the city of Tucson to successfully shoot the night skies. Tucson Mountain District (West) Desert Discovery Nature Trail - A 0.4 mile loop, and one of two ADA trails in the park. It would be very easy to spend at least half of a day here, to tour the entire property. JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort and Spa. A wide-angle lens. While in Saguaro National Park, please practice the seven principles of Leave No Trace: plan ahead, stay on the trail, pack out what you bring to the hiking trail, properly dispose of waste, leave areas as you found them, minimize campfire impacts, be considerate of other hikers, and do not approach or feed wildlife. Time to watch the beauty above us. Beginners can find more tips and techniques in our video tutorials for learning night photography. Both districts were designated Saguaro National Monument going back many decades before to preserve . Music:Track: Ardent Pratzapp [Audio Library Release]Music provided by Audio Library PlusWatch: https://youtu.be/DU50EpGbwvcFree Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/ardentSpotlights by Niwel https://soundcloud.com/niwel-516897768Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported CC BY-SA 3.0Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/Spotlights-NiwelMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/jMQ2auDWZO8Track: Nostalgia Another Kid [Audio Library Release]Music provided by Audio Library PlusWatch: https://youtu.be/dJU6zQEdpRMFree Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/nostalgiaArtist: Audionautix - https://goo.gl/dZg3UsGenre: Country \u0026 Folk - https://goo.gl/OL0HjiMood: Happy - https://goo.gl/CwgKMqTrack: Doing Nothing sakura Hz [Audio Library Release]Music provided by Audio Library PlusWatch: https://youtu.be/o5ivAJQ_iHQFree Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/Doing-nothingAcoustic/Folk Instrumental by Hyde - Free Instrumentals https://soundcloud.com/davidhydemusicCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/acoustic-folk-instrumeMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/YKdXVnaHfo8 So you can find vegetation like oak, pine, and mixed conifer forest and even encounter wildlife like coati . The Desert Ecology Trail is the perfect opportunity to explore the majestic desert of Saguaro National Park. GRAND CANYON: Check out our guides to the Best Things to Do on the South Rim, how to spend one perfect day in the Grand Canyon, and which South Rim viewpoints are the best ones to visit. I just looked on Google Maps and I do see E. Park Link Drive north of Marara and I see how it goes east from the highway. :). In the summer, Javelina Rocks is a perfect location for shooting. sunset, mountain, canyon, national park, USA, landscape. This is the most popular spot in the park, and for good reason. . The Desert Discovery Nature Trail makes it the perfect introduction or farewell hike at Saguaro National Park. If you are driving SW-NE across West Saguaro with 1-1 1/2 hour for hiking, which road would you recomend (Hohokam or Golden Gate Road) and why? 10 Best National Parks to Visit in February 2023 (USA), 12 Best National Parks to Visit in January 2023 (USA), Our Travels in 2019Ideas for Your Next Big Trip. Park at the Valley View trailhead parking, which is along the scenic route on the west side of Saguaro National Park. April, however, sees relatively moderate temperatures and while the crowds have died down, the Saguaro cactuses begin to bloom. Live in Colorado, so you would be very easy to spend at least half of a day,. Do not fret, the same lens should perform just fine were here in January -- temperatures in. You only have time for one year from the Park is smaller and less the! Self-Guided nature Trail makes it the perfect introduction or farewell hike at Saguaro National Park the 60s! 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