Obviously cactus are a big part of Saguaro National Park no matter what you do there, but if you really want to experience the majesty that is thousands of ancient Saguaro Cactus creating an immense forest of needles, you have to drive the Cactus Forest Loop.
Getting to the Cactus Forest Loop
The first thing to know is that the Cactus Forest Loop is located in the Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park, this district is on the East side of Tuscon and so it is sometimes referred to as the East side of the park, or the Cactus Forest, for obvious reasons.
To get here you will want to head for the Visitor Center in the Rincon Mountain District. Make sure you are navigating to the correct visitor center so you don’t end up on the West side of the park on the clear other end of Tuscon. Once you are at the Visitor Center all you have to do is follow the sign for the Cactus Forest, it is basically the only option since almost all trailheads in this part of the park are off of this loop.
Be aware that because of the twisty turny nature of the road and that parts are single lane one way, you cannot take large vehicles (over 35ft long or 8ft wide) on the Cactus Forest Loop drive. If you are towing a travel trailer you will want to unhitch at the visitor center and if you are in a large RV you will want to switch to your tow car for this activity.
What You Will See on the Cactus Forest Loop
I guess it is not going to come as any surprise to you that what you will see here is cactus. Especially of course those spiny sentinels of the south west, the mighty Saguaro. What I do think will surprise you (because it did me) is the shear number of these cactus you will see. They are not kidding when they call this place a forest, everywhere you look there a Saguaro.
So if you don’t like Saguaro cactus this is probably not the activity for you (what exactly are you doing in this park anyway though?). But our family does like Saguaro, quite a bit actually, so we found it very fun. Of course you course you should not get the false impression by driving through here that the Saguaro is not still a vulnerable and endangered plant, just because you can see a lot of them here. Remember whenever you see a Saguaro with arms that it has literally taken hundreds of years for it to grow there.
Of course the Saguaro cactus are not the only thing that you will see. There are many other species of cactus and other desert plants that you will see here. This is also one of the best areas of the park to see wildlife, so keep a sharp eye out while you are driving.
Sum Up
The Cactus Forest Loop drive is one of the most accessible activities in Saguaro National Park. We would highly recommend doing it if you are in the area. We were there around Sunset which made it especially beautiful. There are restrooms and water at the visitor center where you get on the loop.
