When our youngest was 15 months old, we took our first long road trip from California to Utah to explore some spectacular National Parks.  Since then, each year in March, when my husband has Spring Break from his university teaching position, we take a week to drive, hike, explore and bond in some of our most beautiful western parks!  This past year, we explored Saguaro National Park in Arizona, adding it to our list of parks visited and left quite impressed by its beauty.

About Saguaro National Park

Today, Saguaro National Park is comprised of two parts that border Tucson on the west and the east. Originally, in 1933, just the western portion, the Rincon Mountains, were named as the first part of Saguaro National Monument by President Hoover.  Almost three decades later, in 1961, President Kennedy established the eastern Tucson Mountain District as part of Saguaro National Monument. Amazingly, it wasn’t until 1994 that Congress merged both districts (still straddling Tucson) officially as Saguaro National Park.  The map of the park is so interesting because as they were looking to protect these lands, Tucson was developing too, right in the middle of the park.

It’s important to point out that the time of year to visit is REALLY important.  This is the desert!  Spring, Fall – even Winter, are optimal times to visit, but the summer brings temperatures over 100 degrees and the Monsoon season!  In the high desert, when the temperatures rise, and the sun heats the humid air, thunderstorm clouds form and rain can fall quickly causing rapid flooding.  While it may be easier to plan because kids of out of school, the summer is really not a good time to visit.

We’ve seen cactus before – we live in California!  However, the Saguaro cacti are INCREDIBLE!  As soon as we crossed the border into Arizona, we spotted the tall, massive Saguaros everywhere! Thousands of them! It was like a welcoming committee, arms wide open, Saguaros everywhere we looked.  We arrived in Tucson late that evening, planning to visit the park in the morning.

Arriving at the Park

Getting an early start, we were excited to explore a new park for our family!  It felt a bit odd as we departed from a very urban area in Tucson, and within 20 minutes had been transplanted into a National Park!  As many families do, we took our obligatory family photo at the park’s entrance sign and proceeded to the Visitor’s Center for hiking info and Junior Ranger books.  Interestingly, rather than just giving us books, they took the names and ages of our kids to keep track of who was receiving them. The Ranger gave us some good hiking tips and we headed out.

It was fascinating to learn how SLOOOOOW Saguaro cacti grow. The traditional Saguaro shape, with three or more “arms” is actually over 100 – 120 years old! It takes 60-70 years for the main single base to grow.  The arms start sprouting after it’s nearly 75 years old! We were also blown away to learn what the inside of the Saguaro looks like. Probably best described as looking like it’s made of ribs and bones. Obviously it’s not bones, but the cactus is supported by a bundle of vertical wooden ribs which become visible after it dies.

Due to our timing, we chose just to visit the East side, reading that it was more picturesque.  We started driving down the Cactus Forest Scenic Loop drive, which offers frequent places to pull off for spectacular views.  Consider planning for at least 2 days, so you can visit both sides of the park. They offer different views and collections of cacti.  It’s worth noting that on this mid-March day, the weather was hot, the sun was bright and the sky was sapphire blue with puffy white clouds.

Source: https://www.parkseekers.com/family-road-trip-to-saguaro-national-park

Discussion Questions:

1. Tell us about the history of Saguaro National Park.

2. What's in the middle of the park, and why?

3. When's a good time to visit the park, and why?

4. Describe the saguaro cacti, what's different about them?

5. How tall and how old are typical tall saguaro cacti?

6. Have you seen cactus plants like the saguaro in your travels?

7. After reading this story, do you look forward to visiting this park and why?

8. Tell us about any giant plants you've seen.