6 Stellar Hikes for One Day in Saguaro National Park and Tucson

Saguaro National Park is best enjoyed by hiking into the saguaro forests – forests of giant cacti that can reach 4 stories high. This itinerary will cover 6 different hikes you can choose from for your one day in Saguaro National Park. I’ll also give you some options for where to eat in Tucson on your drive between the park’s two areas.

I went to Tucson and Saguaro National Park while living in my SUV and traveling across the US. I spent a week getting to know the area and LOVED it.

Tucson is an awesome city with amazing food options, and it deserves exploring just as much as Saguaro National Park!

So, let’s get into this itinerary so you can get straight to planning your trip!

What is Saguaro National Park?

Saguaro National Park is a funny national park, because it has an east and a west area that aren’t connected. Right in the middle of the national park is the city of Tucson, Arizona.

And, though Saguaro National Park is a lesser-known American national park, the saguaro cactus is renowned worldwide as the symbol of the American West. It’s that giant cactus with branches that look like arms. The cactus always looks jolly!

And this national park has forests and forests of these cacti. It’s a special place where life is abundant in the desert. And not only life – the landscape is much more interesting than a typical desert’s, with hills and tall mountains.

That’s why Saguaro is best enjoyed by hiking. Here are the 6 best hikes in Saguaro National Park for you to choose from for one day!

Free Camping Near Saguaro National Park

Lala and I car camped for free our entire 2 years on the road, and Saguaro National Park was no different!

We stayed at a BLM lot near Tucson (southwest) that had bad reviews, but we thought it was just fine. It was so conveniently close to everything!

But there are lots of free car camping areas – although some are further from the city.

If you’re planning any sort of trip in the Southwest, I actually made a free map with 70+ free car camping spots I found and vetted during my 2 years on the road. It’s my go-to resource whenever I’m planning where to sleep for the night.

👉 Grab the map for free below – I’ll email it to you right away!

One Day in Saguaro National Park – Saguaro West

I suggest starting your day in Saguaro West because it’s a great place for a morning hike. People say Saguaro West is more beautiful in the sunset, but I experienced the scenic drive through Saguaro East and… I don’t know, it was hard to beat!

Start your day with a stop at the Visitor Center. The Saguaro National Park film is great, so I recommend watching that. Of course, I always recommend the park film at any national park. If you hike before the Visitor Center opens, then try to make it after your hike.

Here are the best hikes you can do in Saguaro West:

1. Sendero Esperanza – 1.7 miles

This is the hike Lala and I did to get to know Saguaro West.

It starts off at the end of a long dirt road that cuts through a beautiful saguaro forest. The hike starts out flat and mostly stays that way. At the end, you reach a series of gentle switchbacks that get you to the top a ridge, joining the Hugh Norris Trail. We stopped there because we wanted an easy hike that would still get us a gorgeous view from high up. It was perfect! The forest below you and mountains all around look amazing.

The Sendero Esperanza trail does keep going. Once to crest the ridge, you can hike down on the other side of the mountain. However, it ends at another parking lot, so we just turned back from the ridge.

If you’re feeling strong, you can keep going left for 2.2 miles to Wasson Peak, Saguaro West’s tallest peak.

2. Hugh Norris Trail (1 to 10 miles)

The Hugh Norris Trail is spectacular too! This hike starts off really tough to get you up on the ridge immediately. After that, it’s up and down on that ridge, but its mostly a gentle slope, all the way to Wasson Peak. You can turn back at any point, of course, but the hike to Wasson Peak following the Hugh Norris Trail is about 10 miles long.

3. King’s Canyon (4.5 to 7 miles)

Another gorgeous hike in Saguaro West is the King Canyon Trail. As you may have guessed from the name, the hike takes you through a beautiful canyon for about 2.2 miles until it meets the Sweetwater Trail. There, you can go left to hike up to Wasson Peak 1.2 more miles up, or turn back for the awesome hike back to the parking lot.

These three are definitely the best hikes in Saguaro West. Doing one of these on your one day in Saguaro National Park will give you a great feel for Saguaro West because you’ll experience everything you need to. You’ll see dense cactus forests, giant saguaros and the park’s mountainous landscape.

Time for lunch!

Lunch in Tucson

I was amazed at the food options in Tucson. Tucson is known for it’s Sonoran-style Mexican food. What this means is it’s a combination of traditional Mexican and Native American food. It’s SO good!

I recommend you eat at Tanias 33. After your hike in Saguaro West and looking forward to the next hike, get yourself an extra-large lunch burrito. They have mostly vegan options, but a burrito loaded with barbacoa is my go-to.

Some other restaurants in Tucson I’d like to try are:

• Guadalajara Original Grill
• Barrio Brewing
• Flying V Bar & Grill

Then, it’s time to head over to Saguaro East!

One Day in Saguaro National Park – Saguaro East:

Saguaro East is way bigger than Saguaro West, but most of it is wilderness. You need backcountry permits to go off the well-known trails into the wild. But it has a huge network of trails, some of which start from pullouts along the scenic drive.

There are other trailheads on the western and northern sides of Saguaro East, but since this itinerary includes the scenic drive because it’s gorgeous, I won’t cover them. That being said, the trailhead parking on the scenic drive is very limited, so you might have to check out the other trailheads on busy days.

The scenic drive begins right from the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center in Saguaro East. It’s an 8-mile loop through a dense forest of saguaros. Here are the best hikes you can do in Saguaro East during the scenic drive:

1. Loma Verde to Pink Hill (3.8 miles)

This is the hike we did on Saguaro East.

The Loma Verde trailhead will be on your left shortly after you start the scenic drive. This trail is flat the entire way, except for the Pink Hill. The Pink Hill is a spot that rises above the landscape around it, and you can see the cactus forest all around you. The only thing higher than you is… all the actual mountains surrounding the forest. The Pink Hill, like the park ranger we talked to said, is more of a bump.

But it was beautiful! The whole hike is 3.8 miles long and you’ll see some enormous cacti!

2. Tanque Verde Ridge Trail (11.2 miles)

This hike is long – 11.2 miles one way – and it takes you up on the ridge that towers over the scenic drive. The views are amazing. But you don’t have to do the entire hike to the end in Juniper Basin. Hiking as long as you feel like it along this ridge would make for an amazing hike by itself.

It starts at the Javelina Picnic Area, close to the end of the scenic drive through Saguaro East.

3. Lime Falls Trail

To get to Lime Falls, which is a seasonal waterfall, you have to get on the Cactus Forest Trail towards the middle of the scenic drive loop. You can start from the northern or southern Cactus Forest trailheads. The northern trailhead is closer to the start of the scenic drive and the southern is close to the end, so it’s up to you!

Either way, the hike is a relatively easy 1.2 miles long (one way). It’s great because you get to walk through the cactus forest, but then get a more rugged landscape than there usually is in this desert. Being close to a seasonal waterfall, you get more hilly, rocky terrain and even more life in general because it’s a place with a potential for more water!

If you do one of these hikes in Saguaro East, you’ll get a great feel for this area of the park. You’ll also do the scenic drive and, if you time it right, get to enjoy a classic red Arizona sunset. Get some good pictures of saguaros silhouetted against the sun!

And just like that, you spent a fantastic one day in Saguaro National Park! It’s seriously a special place, with the city in between it and all the beautiful cacti and mountains. I’m excited to come back to Tucson to make it a part of an Arizona road trip.

When I visited, it I was driving from Texas to California, which was amazing too!

If you have any questions about hiking in Saguaro National Park or this itinerary, comment below and I’ll be sure to answer!