Saguaro National Park
Tucson, Arizona is home to the nation's largest cacti. The giant saguaro is the universal symbol of the American west. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson. Here you have a chance to see these enormous cacti, silhouetted by the beauty of a magnificent desert sunset.
Alerts
- ClosureLoop Drive closed in Tucson Mountain District due to storms.
The following areas in the Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park are closed to public use: Bajada Loop Drive, including all of Hohokam Road and Golden Gate Road. The closure is a result of road damage due to flash flooding. The closure will be lifted when the road is repaired, the area is safe to reenter, and the signs are removed.
- CautionVehicle Break-Ins
Vehicle break-ins have occurred at the King Canyon Trailhead, as well as at other trailheads throughout the park. Hide valuables and consider taking them with you, secure your vehicle, and report any suspicious activity. Please call 911 to report criminal activity or the Pima County Sheriff's Department Non-Emergency number at 520-351-4900.
- InformationRV and trailer precautions: be aware of vehicle restrictions before visit.
As the busy season ramps up, traffic will be denser and can result in delays and complications particularly for owners of longer vehicles. The Tucson Mountain District (west side) of the park can accommodate vehicles up to 40ft in total length on the loop drive and has RV parking available at the Visitor Center, and the Rincon Mountain District (east side) can accommodate vehicles up to 40ft in…
- InformationRideshare services should be used with caution if visiting the Tucson Mountain District
Rideshare services will drop visitors off at the park, but usually will not pick them back up. To avoid being stranded in the park, coordinate two-way trips before using rideshares to visit the West side. No major trails start at the visitor center.
Fees & passes
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Private VehicleThe vehicle entrance pass is sold in the form of a dated register receipt and admits one privately owned, non-commercial vehicle into Saguaro National Park. This includes passenger cars, trucks, vans, recreational vehicles, campers, or converted buses used for private, recreational purposes. | $25 | |
| Per PersonIndividuals entering the park by means other than a motor vehicle may purchase individual entrance passes. This includes hikers, horseback riders and bicyclists. The individual entrance fee is charged to anyone 16 years of age or older. | $15 | |
| MotorcycleValid for 7 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers. | $20 | |
| Passes | ||
| Annual Entrance - ParkThis pass covers up to 4 adults (anyone over the age of 16) or everyone in a single, non-commercial, vehicle. Is accepted in both districts of the park. | $45 | |
The entrance fee paid for admission to Saguaro National Park is good for 7 days and includes both the Tucson Mountain District (West) and the Rincon Mountain District (East).
Hours
| Saguaro National Park | Daily · All Day |
When to go
March draws the most visits here and August the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| Juniper Basin | · | |
| $8 a night · This campground is hike in only, and open 24/7. Reservations can be made on reservation.gov | ||
| Manning Camp | 6 sites | |
| $8 a night · This campground is hike in only, and open 24/7. Reservations can be made on reservation.gov · 6 reservable, 6 first-come | ||
| Spud Rock Spring | · | |
| $8 a night · This campground is hike in only, and open 24/7. Reservations can be made on reservation.gov | ||
| Grass Shack | · | |
| $8 a night · This campground is hike in only, and open 24/7. Reservations can be made on reservation.gov | ||
| Happy Valley Saddle | · | |
| $8 a night · This campground is hike in only, and open 24/7. Reservations can be made on reservation.gov | ||
Show all 6 campgroundsHide
| Douglas Spring | · | |
| $8 a night · This campground is hike in only, and open 24/7. Reservations can be made on reservation.gov | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Red Hills Visitor Center (West) ↗Passport stamp
The Red Hills Visitor Center is a great place to learn about the park and start your visit to Saguaro National Park's West District. Views from the patio are spectacular and overlook the Red Hills and majestic Saguaro cactus forest nearby.
- Rincon Mountain Visitor Center (East) ↗Passport stamp
At the visitor center, you will find the bookstore, information station, maps and restrooms. The visitor center is also the starting point for a scenic auto/bike tour around the Cactus Forest Loop Drive offering incredible views of the Rincon Mountains.
Explore
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Garden Walk (East District)10/1408:15 AM · runs through Oct 26 · freePlease meet outside of the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center
- Garden Walk (West District)10/1409:15 AM · runs through Oct 17 · freeRed Hills Visitor Center 2700 N. Kinney Rd. Tucson, Arizona 85743
- Mountain Lions, Beyond the Myth (West District)10/1410:15 AM · freeRed Hills Visitor Center 2700 N Kinney Rd, Tucson, AZ 8574
- Explore the Night (East District)10/1606:00 PM · freeMeet at the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center
- Living with Giants (West District)10/1611:15 AM · runs through Oct 31 · freeRed Hills Visitor Center 2700 N Kinney Rd, Tucson, AZ 8574
- Signal Hill Petroglyphs (West District)10/1602:15 PM · runs through Oct 30 · freeSignal Hill Picnic Area
Show all 10Hide
- The Desert as a Provider (West District)10/1612:45 PM · runs through Oct 31 · freeRed Hills Visitor Center 2700 N Kinney Rd. Tucson, AZ 85743
- Saguaro National Park and the Civilian Conservation Corps (West District)10/1702:15 PM · runs through Oct 31 · freeRed Hills Visitor Center 2700 N. Kinney Rd. Tucson, AZ 85743
- Woodpeckers! (West District)10/1810:15 AM · runs through Oct 25 · freeRed Hills Visitor Center 2700 N. Kinney Rd Tucson, AZ 85743
- Arizona's Wildcats! (West District)10/1802:15 PM · runs through Oct 25 · freeRed Hills Visitor Center 2700 N Kinney Rd, Tucson, AZ 85743
News
- Annual Labor Day Run in Saguaro National Park ↗2026-08-24
Announcement for the 2026 Labor Day Run in Saguaro National Park!
- Great American Outdoors Act Funds Manning Camp Trail Restoration at Saguaro National Park ↗2026-07-10
Saguaro National Park recently completed restoration work on the Manning Camp Trail, a backcountry route used by hikers, equestrians, park staff and the park’s mule pack string in the Rincon Mountain District.
- Box Fire Fully Contained ↗2026-06-16
With minimal fire behavior and no growth, containment on the Box Fire in Saguaro National Park increased to 100% on Tuesday, June 16.
- Firefighters Working to Contain the Box Fire in Saguaro National Park ↗2026-06-13
Interagency wildland firefighters are responding to the Box Fire, which was reported on June 13 at approximately 7:15 am in Saguaro National Park.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
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Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Saguaro. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Guidebooks for Saguaro National Park and Arizona's national parks
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Local history books for Saguaro National Park
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthCoyote 22× · Greater Roadrunner 14× · Great Horned Owl 11× · Peregrine Falcon 4× · Swan Goose 3× · American White Pelican 2× · Bobcat 2× · Osprey 2×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 209 birds, 69 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Barn Owl · Black Vulture · Common Black-Hawk · Cooper's hawk · Crested Caracara · Golden Eagle · Gray Hawk · Great horned owl · Harris' Hawk · Long-eared Owl · Merlin · Northern Harrier · Northern Pygmy Owl · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Prairie Falcon · Red-tailed hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Spotted Owl · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture · Whiskered Screech Owl · elf owl · flammulated owl · zone-tailed hawk
Waterfowl & wadersGreat Blue Heron · Hooded merganser
Shorebirds & seabirdsKilldeer · Spotted Sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesBand-tailed Pigeon · CommonGround-dove · Gambel's quail · Inca Dove · Montezuma Quail · Mourning Dove · Rock Dove · Scaled Quail · Wild Turkey · white-winged dove
WoodpeckersArizona Woodpecker · Gila woodpecker · Guilded flicker · Hairy Woodpecker · Lewis' Woodpecker · Northern flicker · Williamson's Sapsucker · acorn woodpecker · ladder-backed woodpecker · red-naped sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsAnna's hummingbird · Broad-billed Hummingbird · Calliope Hummingbird · Costa's Hummingbird · Rufous Hummingbird · Vaux's Swift · White-throated Swift · black-chinned hummingbird · broad-tailed hummingbird · magnificent hummingbird
Also on the checklistAbert's Towhee · American Cliff Swallow · American Robin · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Bendire's Thrasher · Bewick's Wren · Black Phoebe · Black-headed Grosbeak · Black-tailed Gnatcatcher · Black-throated Gray Warbler · Black-throated Sparrow · Blue Grosbeak · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Brewer's Blackbird · Brewer's sparrow · Bridled Titmouse · Bronzed Cowbird · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bullock's Oriole · California Scrub Jay · Canyon Wren · Cassin's Finch · Cassin's Kingbird · Cassin's Sparrow · Cassin's Vireo · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Clark's Nutcracker · Common Nighthawk · Common Raven · Cordilleran Flycatcher · Crissal Thrasher · Dark-eyed Junco · Dusky-capped Flycatcher · Eastern Meadowlark · Elegant Trogon · European Starling · Evening Grosbeak · Fox Sparrow · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Gray Flycatcher · Gray Vireo · Gray-breasted Jay · Great-tailed Grackle · Greater Roadrunner · Green-tailed Towhee · Hammond's Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Hooded Oriole · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · Hutton's Vireo · Indigo Bunting · Juniper Titmouse · Lark Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Lawrence's Goldfinch · Lazuli Bunting · Lesser Goldfinch · Lesser Nighthawk · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Lucy's Warbler · Macgillivray's warbler · Mallard · Mountain Bluebird · Mountain Chickadee · Nashville Warbler · Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet · Northern Cardinal · Northern Goshawk · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Orange-crowned Warbler · Pacific-slope flycatcher · Phainopepla · Pine Siskin · Pinyon Jay · Plumbeous Vireo · Purple Martin · Pyrrhuloxia · Red Crossbill · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-faced Warbler · Red-winged Blackbird · Rock Wren · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rufous-crowned Sparrow · Rufous-winged Sparrow · Sage Thrasher · Say's Phoebe · Scott's Oriole · Song Sparrow · Spotted Towhee · Stellar's Jay · Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher · Summer Tanager · Tecolote occidental · Townsend's Solitaire · Townsend's Warbler · Tree Swallow · Varied Bunting · Verdin · Vermilion Flycatcher · Vesper Sparrow · Virginia's warbler · Warbling vireo · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · Western bluebird · Western tanager · Whip-Poor-Will · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-headed Blackbird · bell's vireo · black-chinned sparrow · brown creeper · brown-crested flycatcher · buff-breasted flycatcher · bushtit · cactus wren · canyon towhee · common poorwill · curve-billed thrasher · dusky flycatcher · grace's warbler · greater pewee · hepatic tanager · hermit warbler · house wren · olive warbler · painted redstart · purple martin · pygmy nuthatch · solitary vireo · violet-green swallow · western wood pewee · white-breasted nuthatch · white-crowned sparrow · wilson's warbler · yellow-eyed junco · yellow-rumped warbler
Small mammalsARIZONA COTTON RAT · Abert's squirrel · American beaver · Arizona gray squirrel · Arizona pocket mouse · Bailey's pocket mouse · Botta's pocket gopher · Cliff Chipmunk · Crawford's Gray Shrew · Harris antelope squirrel · Merriam's kangaroo rat · Mexican Woodrat · Rock Pocket Mouse · Round-tailed Ground Squirrel · Sonoran Desert pocket mouse · Southern Grasshopper Mouse · Western Harvest Mouse · White-footed Deermouse · Yellow-nosed Cotton Rat · antelope jackrabbit · black-tailed jackrabbit · brush mouse · cactus mouse · deer mouse · desert cottontail · fulvous harvest mouse · rock squirrel · western white-throated woodrat
PredatorsAlleghanian Spotted Skunk · American badger · American black bear · Desert Fox · bobcat · common gray fox · common raccoon · coyote · hooded skunk · ringtail · striped skunk · white-backed hog-nosed skunk
Hoofed mammalscollared peccary · mule deer · white-tailed deer
BatsBrazilian free-tailed bat · California leaf-nosed bat · California myotis · Eastern Small-footed Bat · Lesser Long-nosed Bat · Townsend's big-eared bat · Yuma myotis · big brown bat · cave myotis · fringed myotis · hoary bat · long-legged myotis · long-tongued bat · pallid bat · pocketed free-tailed bat · silver-haired bat · southwestern myotis · western pipistrelle · western red bat
Also on the checklistCatamount · Caucasian wildcat · Lesser long-nosed · South American Coati · domestic cattle · feral dog · white-nosed coati
Activities
Activity guides for this park Camping in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks
All 13 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
You can expect the Winter Season to have daytime temperatures from the low 50's to the high 70's. Whereas the Summer Season can result temperatures ranging from the mid-90's to low 110's. During the Summer season, it is highly recommended to restrict outdoor activities to before 10am, or after 4pm. Late Summer into early Fall is usually accompanied by heavy monsoon rains, resulting in cooler but more humid afternoons and evenings. Flash flooding is a concern around this time of year.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to enter Saguaro?
Entrance is $25 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, and $15 per person on foot or bike. The vehicle entrance pass is sold in the form of a dated register receipt and admits one privately owned, non-commercial vehicle into Saguaro National Park.
Source: National Park Service
Which passes work at Saguaro?
The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee here, and a Saguaro-only annual pass is $45.
Source: Is the pass worth it
Can I pay the entrance fee in cash?
No. Saguaro takes cards only at the entrance.
Source: National Park Service
When is entrance to Saguaro free?
Next on October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. 2 fee-free days are left this year, for US residents only.
Source: Free entrance days
Do I need a reservation to enter Saguaro?
No. There is no timed-entry or entrance reservation at Saguaro. Camping and some tours have their own reservations.
Source: National Park Service
Is Saguaro open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Saguaro?
Yes. The Park Service lists 6 campgrounds in Saguaro: Juniper Basin, Manning Camp, Spud Rock Spring, Grass Shack, and Happy Valley Saddle, and more. 1 takes reservations through Recreation.gov.
Do camping fees at Saguaro include the entrance fee?
No. Camping is charged per night on top of the entrance fee or a pass; Juniper Basin is $8 a night.
Source: Campgrounds
Is anything closed at Saguaro right now?
4 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Loop Drive closed in Tucson Mountain District due to storms; Vehicle Break-Ins; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Saguaro?
847,749 recreation visits in 2025, number 77 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Saguaro?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Is Saguaro good for stargazing?
Yes. Saguaro is a certified International Dark Sky Park.
Source: Dark sky parks
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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