Saguaro National Park (West)

Gilbert Ray campground just outside this national park in the Tucson Mountain County Park was a great experience for us. On one hand this place in the desert was just great, on the other hand this was the only place we met tarantulas - and I was so shocked that I didn't think of taking a picture :-(.  There were also these noises in the night, just outside our tent. Finally we recognized that these sounds came from mice running around our place...

Saguaro National Park consists of two parts, one eas of Tucson and one on the western side. We only visited the western part because it's easier to reach it by car and if you don't have more than one day to spend here. The visitor center has interesting visits and a movie demonstration in a climated room. There are several hikes you can do, all showing lots of cacti. So you must be very interested in plants (like I am).

By the way: Respecting the beauty of Saguaro National Park, we think that you get better spots of Saguaro forests when driving highway 87 from Payson to Phoenix. There you drive through the Tonto National Forest in the Mazatzal Mountains.