You know me–always planning our next National Park adventure. When I saw that our epic summer road trip would be taking us right through Saguaro National Park I knew we had to make a stop. In Arizona. In July. Yikes! Truthfully, I nearly changed my mind about this trip a hundred times. In the end it was beyond perfect and I’m so glad we visited this gem of a National Park! Keep reading for my recommendations of things to do in Saguaro National Park with kids.
all about Saguaro National Park
The history of Saguaro National Park is very interesting. It became a National Monument in 1933 at at that time it was the most spectacular cactus forest in Arizona. Two different cold fronts over the following decades killed many Saguaros and it struggled to come back for years. Researchers also realized that cattle were stomping on young Saguaros. In 1979 the National Park Service acquired all grazing rights for the area. With the absence of cattle roaming the cactus forest has been flourishing ever since.
The average highs in Saguaro National Park range from 65° in December to 101° in June. We visited in July which is also during their monsoon season. This actually worked in our favor because it was overcast in the morning and even sprinkled lightly. However, you need to be cautious during monsoon season because thunder storms are frequent and flash floods can occur without warning. In the hotter summer months you need to plan to have your hike finished by noon–10:00 AM if extreme heat is forecast.
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Saguaro National Park with kids
Saguaro National Park is a little unique because it is divided into two sections–Saguaro East and Saguaro West. Interstate 10 divides the park in two making Tucson the perfect home base as you explore both sections of Saguaro National Park with kids.
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Saguaro West (Tucson Mountain District)
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to visit the Tucson Mountain District. We had plans to stop on our way into Tucson, but started having some car problems and derided to push through just in case (we’ve been stranded in the middle of nowhere on a trip before). Our original plan for this portion of the park was to drive the Bajada Scenic Loop. This is a 5 mile paved road and takes about an hour to drive through the Saguaro forest. There are also several hikes available ranging from 1 mile to well over 6 miles.
Saguaro East (Rincon Mountain District)
We got an early start in the Rincon Mountain District to beat the heat. We started out by driving Cactus Forest Loop Drive which is 8 miles. The loop takes you to several trailheads and viewpoints. We walked the Desert Ecology Trail which has lots of signs telling about the animals and plants of the park. After we were finished with our drive we stopped and hiked the Freeman Homestead Trail. This was a relatively easy loop hike but make sure you bring plenty of water! The National Park Service recommends that you turn around once you have consumed half your water.
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Bottom line–if you have very little time to visit Saguaro National Park with kids I recommend driving the scenic loops (in both sections). Also make a plan to stop at at least one visitor center. If you can get an early start then go on one of the paved, accessible trails too!
Have you ever been to Saguaro National Park?
