There are few places in the world that seem to live out the Old West
frequently seen only when accompanied by John Wayne or Clint Eastwood. However, search long enough, and you will find such places within the Sonoran Desert of the southwestern United States.
In these spots, time has not brought change to the world. Rocks may be
decorated with paintings from an ancient tribe. Overhead, the echo of
hawks really does resound throughout hidden valleys.
Thankfully, not all such places require an ox-driven wagon to get to. Just outside of Tucson, Arizona lies one of the most unique expanses of desert in the world: Saguaro National Park. One of the newer National Parks, having been designated in 1994, the Saguaro and its namesake encompass two different areas on each side of the city of Tucson. Each half covers a varied landscape featuring everything from dry desert basin to rugged mountainside dotted with Douglas fir and pine. If unable to make a trip the park, don't worry! The Sonoran Desert the saguaro calls home sprawls across southern Arizona, California, and even parts of northern Mexico. While the density of the giant cacti is distinctive of the park, any trip across the southern US can see them dotting the I-10 freeway.
My trip was reserved for the western area of the park. This half is known mostly for it's arid climate and sweeping basins. Aside from the saguaro, few plants grew taller than my chest. Pockmarking the landscape were huge boulders to offer some shelter from the wind. Several trails can be found throughout this expanse, and for families on a day-trip, the 5-to-6-mile Bajada Loop can be driven through an unpaved portion of the park. I also highly recommend a stop at the Red Hills Visitor Center not only to pay the $10 car fee for the park, but for some great information on the trails and paths throughout the park. The shop offered plenty of resources on wildlife in the area for those photographers that may be inclined (I will gladly admit to playing with some coyote and roadrunner dolls in the store). The 15-minute slide show is also a must-see with its nice "surprise" ending.
My trip was relatively short, having been in the area for only one day. The weather was cool with storms beginning to rip through the area. While this would deter many visitors, I found it to be extremely thrilling as there are only a few times of the year that this great desert would receive any rain. The family and I definitely got a little wet, but nothing near the levels of the monsoon season in early Summer that can cause flash floods through the park. Besides, the sheer scale of the saguaro in the area were enough to capture my attention despite any weather.
The saguaro are protected in the state of Arizona with permits needed to move or destroy one of the cacti for construction purposes. Because of this, most residents and visitors have no doubt seen these behemoths throughout the landscape. However, driving through the entrance to the park seemed as if a line had been drawn in the sand, inside of which the saguaro become a forest of needles and arms. According to the 2010 census, the park has an estimated 1,896,030 saguaros! This was in addition to the dozens of other desert plants found at the feet of the symbolic cacti. In addition to the sheer numbers, were the size of many of the plants, the largest of which can grow 50 feet tall. Many of them were armless, meaning they were relatively young in Saguaro Time. Usually, a saguaro will begin to grow arms between 50-70 years old. As I walked along the Hugh Norris Trail, time was essentially lost as realization set in that many of this expanse had looked the same when those classic Western films were just beginning to be released. Yes, looking into the distance a traveler can see telephone wires and paved streets. But, in the mountains themselves, one of the larger saguaros had probably remained as a silent sentinel since the days of the earliest settlers of old.
All-in-all, the Saguaro National Park was a wonderful day trip, and I would love to go back and explore it in greater detail (possibly without the rain, despite the wonderful photo opportunities it gave). While not as famous or large as perhaps Yosemite or the Grand Canyon farther north, the park is definitely deserving of its national status. Walking among gigantic, five-armed forests, it's easy to see why. Listen closely, and you may even hear the sounds of galloping horses and John Wayne's Winchester rifle in the distance.
