Why You Should Visit Saguaro National Park

          After spending a full day at Picacho State Park, we went to Saguaro National Park. Neither one of us (me or my husband) had been there before.  We have a goal of making it to every U.S. National Park, so of course we had to visit that one.  I think I have mentioned in a previous post that I have about half to see still.  

          Saguaro National Park is one of a kind.  It has an insane number of diverse plant types.  The one that seems to attract visitors the most is the Saguaro cactus.  They are the largest cacti in North America and are pretty much only found in this area. They are so impressive because they can grow up to 50 feet tall.  When you are standing next to one, they seem so massive and it is difficult to even get a full photo of one up close.  The park is split up into two parts, with Tucson in the middle.  The location is super convenient for finding hotels and food.  Aside from that, it’s very close to Phoenix and there are lots of other great parks around.  It is certainly worth a visit to southern Arizona and if you make it, don’t leave Saguaro out.  Also, I always recommend getting a National Park Pass if you are going to a few National Parks in one year.  It might not always be worth it but it certainly is if you live near one or if you are going on a road trip that involves stops at a few.  

          I didn’t want to leave Papago Park out of this post because it’s definitely worth mentioning.  It’s a park in Phoenix with very large rock formations.  You can hike around them and climb up them.  There isn’t really marked trails everywhere so you can just climb wherever.  Dogs are allowed, which is always nice.  It has really good views of the skyline from the top of some of the rocks.  It’s also really close to the zoo, if you wanted to make a stop there (we didn’t).  Parking is also free!