| Saguaro National Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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Entrance of Saguaro National Park, Rincon District |
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| Location | Pima County, Arizona, USA |
| Nearest city | Tucson |
| Area | 91,440 acres (37,000 ha)[1] |
| Established | October 14, 1994[2] |
| Visitors | 717,614 (in 2010)[3] |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Official website | |
Saguaro National Park, located in southern Arizona, is part of the United States National Park System.
Contents |
The park is divided into two sections, called districts, lying approximately 20 miles (32 km) east and 15 miles (24 km) west of the center of the city of Tucson, Arizona. The total area in 2010 was 91,440 acres (37,000 ha) of which 70,905 acres (28,694 ha) is designated wilderness.[2] There is a visitor center in each of the two districts. Both are easily reached by car from Tucson, but there is no public transport into the park. Both districts conserve fine tracts of the Sonoran Desert, including ranges of significant hills, the Tucson Mountains in the west and the Rincon Mountains in the east. The park gets its name from the saguaro, a large cactus which is native to the region. Many other kinds of cactus, including barrel, cholla, and prickly pear, are abundant in the park. One endangered animal, the Lesser Long-nosed Bat, lives in the park part of the year during its migration, together with one threatened species, the Mexican Spotted Owl.
The park was proclaimed as Saguaro National Monument on March 1, 1933 by President Herbert Hoover,[4] and redesignated a national park on October 14, 1994.[2]
Facilities in the park include 150 miles (240 km) of well marked and maintained hiking trails, and shorter walking trails with interpretative information available. Backcountry hiking is not advisable during the hot summer months.
The Rincon Mountain District is located at the eastern edge of Tucson, Arizona and includes the land protected in the original National Monument. Plant communities at the lower elevations in the park are typical of the Sonoran Desert, while the Rincon Mountains support a temperate coniferous forest. The highest peak in this range is Mica Mountain, at an elevation of 8,664 feet (2,641 m).[5] While this side of the park has fewer saguaro than its counterpart they are larger in size, due to higher amounts of rainfall and run off from the Rincon Mountains.
The key feature of this district is its 8.3-mile (13.4 km) loop road, which provides access to the two picnic areas and the central trails. Recently after a lengthy road improvement project, and refurbishment of the Visitor Center, the Rincon District is fully open once more.
Hiking on this side of the park is readily accessible to visitors. There are trailheads present at the east end of Speedway and Broadway and these are popular with equestrians, especially on weekends. Off the park's loop road there are several additional trailheads. Each Visitor Center can supply a map of hiking trails in the park.
At the southern boundary of the park is the Hope Camp Trails which are also popular with equestrians. Access to the Hope Camp Trails is found at the end of Camino Loma Alta, however the road is no longer paved for the last couple hundred yards. This section of the park was added in 1991 when Congress authorized the purchase of an additional 4,011 acres (1,623 ha).
There are no campgrounds accessible by road in the park but the Rincon Mountain District is open to backcountry camping at designated sites. The site closest to a road is the Douglas Springs Campground which requites a 5.9-mile (9.5 km) hike. A wilderness permit is required for all overnight stays. The fee for this permit is $6.00 per campsite, per night.[6] While there are no overnight accommodations for recreational vehicles in the park, but facilities are available at Colossal Cave Mountain Park which is ten miles (16 km) south of the Rincon District Visitor Center on Old Spanish Trail.
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