Day Hike from Saguaro National Park - East

Perhaps one of the best parts of our trip to Arizona came from some time well spent at Saguaro National Park.

If you didn’t know, Tucson is home to the nation's largest cacti: the Saguaro. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson. Here you have a chance to see these enormous cacti, silhouetted by the beauty of the magnificent Sonoran desert.

On our first day at the national park, we entered through the East Entrance which is closer to downtown Tucson. We didn’t have exact plans figured out going into the park and decided that we would just wing it.

We decided to go with a $25 7-day vehicle permit so that we could come and go from the park, including visiting from the West Entrance, for the duration of our time in Tucson. After going through the entrance, we stopped by the Visitors Center before heading down the one way driving loop through the park.

Right from the get go, the sights were amazing.

We didn’t have any specific plans in mind other than to find the perfectly shaped cactus and to eventually pull over and go on a hike. Saguaro East—also known as Rincon Mountain District—features the Cactus Forest Scenic Loop Drive which is a paved, (mostly) one-way road totally get about 8 miles. From the Loop Drive you can access several trailheads, scenic vistas, and pullouts. We recommend grabbing a map from the Visitor Center.

Almost immediately, we were surrounded by thousands of towering Saguaro cacti. It wasn’t hard to find the percent cacti—you know, the two-armed Saguaro that is on every license southwest themed tshirt, sign, and home decor. Isn’t this one perfect?!

After driving about half way though the Loop Drive, we found a place to park and used All Trails to find a good hike nearby. We settled on the Loma Verde loop, which is just over three miles.

The Loma Verde trail starts off Cactus Drive at the Loma Verde Trailhead. The trail is well maintained with minimal change in elevation. This is a relatively easy trail offering great views of saguaro cacti and desert life. This can be an out and back journey on the Loma Verde Trail or you can enjoy making this longer by connecting to the network of trails in the area and returning to the Loma Verde Trailhead by different trails for a full loop hike. We recommend brining the map or using a All Trails or another mapping app because it could be easy to get turned round among the trails.

After Loma Verde, we got back in the car and checked out a couple other roadside hikes along Loop Drive. Along all the trails at Saguaro East, you’ll find a variety of desert plant life including saguaros, chollas, and mesquite trees.

The November weather was perfect to spend all day out and about in the park. Summers are brutal in Arizona, making fall the ideal time to hike the park. We assumed that we’d see more people hiking however the park seemed pretty empty. It definitely made for a nice day without having to deal with crowded trails and droves of people.

Next up: tomorrow we are headed to Saguaro National Park - West before heading back up to Phoenix.