Saguaro National Park in Tucson
Nature and Sport in Tucson : Saguaro National Park
So many western movies have carved into our mind the image of the gigantic Saguaro as the stereotypical icon of the american desert, and yet these majestic cacti actually only grow in a very small part of the United States.
The Saguaro National Park was created to protect some of the larger forests of these peculiar plants and is divided in two areas, one about 32 km east and the other 24 km west of the center of Tucson, encompassing circa 37,000 hectares, over 28,000 of which are declared wilderness. Both the areas have their own visitor centre and can easily be reached by car from Tucson, but there is no public transportation into either. Inside the park one can see a vast range of wild flora and fauna, including endagered species like the Lesser Long-Nosed Bat and the Mexican Spotted Owl, and a large number of cacti, not only saguaros but also Barrel Cactus, Cholla Cactus and Prickly Pear.
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