Tom's National Park Adventure

A 62,000 acre section of the Rincon Mountain District became a National Monument in 1933. A second section in the Tucson Mountain District was added in 1961. Both sections were made into a National Park in 1994, forever protecting the future of this part of the Sonoran Desert.

If you ask a grade schooler to draw a picture of the desert, there is a pretty good chance they will draw something that looks like a Saguaro cactus in that picture. The funny thing is that there are only three pretty small areas in the world where they grow naturally! Here in southern Arizona, southeastern California and Sonora Mexico. And yet the image of these plants are known worldwide!

My first day in the park, I explored the West side or the Tucson Mountain District of the park. My second day was spent exploring the East side of the park, or the Rincon Mountain district. The two sides straddle the city of Tucson.

I started with a visit to the east side visitors center and then drove the 8 mile Cactus Forest Loop Drive. I ended up doing three different hikes. The first was a two hour long hike with a Ranger named Sierra and four other people. I also did the Freeman Homestead trail and the Douglas Spring trail.

If you ever get the chance to do a guided hike with a ranger, I would highly recommend it. The knowledge they have is incredible!

Here are some of my pictures from day #2