National Parks Journal: Classic Southwest scenery abounds at Saguaro
Saguaro is part of the Sonoran Desert in the Southwest United States, the only place in the world one can find towering Saguaro Cactuses. It was a scorching afternoon in late August when we visited last year. We encountered no other hikers on the less-than-three-mile hike we went on in the western portion of the park.
The park is made up of two separate parcels flanking Tucson. The eastern side is much larger.
This southern Arizona land is barren and evil. Its lifelessness makes one wonder how anything makes a home in its dry and gaunt expanse. But as Jeff Goldblum would put it, “life finds a way.”
A surprisingly large collection of amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals make a home there, surviving by filling up on water whenever they can and hiding from the sun. Many of these animals can only be found in the southwest, making a visit to Saguaro more appealing.
But the highlight of the park is its marriage to the rising and falling sun. We stayed till nightfall to watch what we were told would be an “epic” experience by the park ranger.
We watched from a viewpoint the falling sun paint the sky around us a purple to orange ombré. It seemed as though even the Saguaros were standing in awe of the magnificence.
