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Saguaro National
Park East, Tucson
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| Garwood Trail |
There’s more to
Saguaro National Park than the eponymous cacti. This is especially true in the
park’s east side where relics of human history blend with an array of plant and
animal specimens wedged between the craggy peaks of the Rincon Mountains and
see-forever valley vistas of suburban Tucson.
The area’s keynote
curiosities date to a cattle grazing era that ended in the 1970s. Remnants of
ranch operations can still be seen along the two dozen trails that weave
through foothills, washes and open desert.
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| View of Santa Catalina Mountains from Carrillo Trail |
The interconnected
trail system is setup with multiple access points and signed junctions with
mileages. When paired with a downloadable map from the park’s website, hikers
can easily create treks that range from short and easy to long and difficult.
One recommended loop option that uses four trails is packed with points of
interest and a sweaty climb into the high foothills.
To try this ambitious
loop, begin by hiking 0.2-mile on the Douglas Spring Trail, then turn right
onto the Garwood Trail. This 1.4-mile segment makes a gradual ascent through a
sunny cactus forest. Acres of pink and magenta Fairy Duster shrubs tickle
centuries old saguaros and jockey for sunlight among swaying ocotillos.
Year-round blooming plants like the fuzzy-flowered Indigo bush and delicate
Desert Rose Mallow add splashes of color to the desert’s muted palette. The
park’s website offers a brief education about saguaros, including how “nurse
plants’ aid in their growth. You’ll see examples of this symbiotic relationship
along the trails where twisted Palo Verde and ironwood trees retain futile
embraces around saguaros that have outgrown the need for a “mom’s” protection. Near Bajada Wash, keep an eye open for a majestic crested
saguaro. This segment ends near Garwood Dam, a concrete structure built to
provide a water source for the nearby abandoned homestead. Turn left at the dam
and follow the Carrillo Trail to the steel tank at Rock Spring. Here, you’ll
pick up the Three Tank Trail to continue the skyward slog that passes by Mica
and Aguila tanks on the way up to the Douglas Spring Trail. The tanks attract
wildlife, so if you travel quietly and early in the day, you might spot deer,
bobcats, fox and maybe a mountain lion. Though encounters are rare, it’s smart
to know how to avoid mountain lions and what to do if you run into
one. (check this out: https://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/safety.htm).
After taking in the high-desert views, turn left and descend through grasslands
and slick rock back to the trailhead.
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| Desert Rose Mallow |
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| Fairy Duster |
LENGTH: 6.8
miles
RATING: moderate
ELEVATION:
2,760’ – 3,720’
FEE: $5 daily
fee for each hiker/biker entering the park on foot.
For other types
of passes that are accepted, visit:
PETS: pets are
not allowed
GETTING THERE:
From Interstate
10 in Tucson, take the Speedway exit 257 and go 17 miles east to the Douglas
Spring trailhead on the right. There are no facilities at the trailhead. Roads
are 100% paved.
INFO: Saguaro
National Park
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