Visiting Saguaro National Park in June

Visiting Saguaro National Park in June (or any other month during summer) may not be the best choice. We all know how hot it is in Arizona in the summer.

But, if you are a part-time family traveler like us, summer vacation is one of the times to do it.

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Of course, there are better National Parks to visit in June where the temperature in the park is still in the 70s or 80s.

But, when you go to the southwest in the summer, you can’t skip Saguaro.

Find out the best time to visit Saguaro National Park and what you expect to see while exploring the park in June.

Where is Saguaro National Park?

Saguaro National Park is in Tucson, about a 2-2.5 hours drive from Phoenix.

It consists of two districts: Rincon Mountain District on the east and Tucson Mountain District on the west. The two areas, separated by the city of Tucson, are about 30 miles apart.

Before leaving for vacation, I asked my friend who lives in Tucson about visiting Saguaro National Park in June. She recommended we go to Rincon Mountain District because the scenic drive is paved.

“If possible, visit the park in the late afternoon or early morning. It will be hot during the day,” she added.

So, that was where we headed.

Visiting Saguaro National Park in June

When we stopped at the first visitor center in Arizona from Las Cruces, New Mexico, direction, I could feel the heat and the dry weather on my skin. It’s the first week in June, but the temperature was already 106º Fahrenheit.

We just visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park in White City and White Sands National Park in Alamogordo, New Mexico. We were doing our National Parks hopping in the southwest with starting point in North Texas, where we live, and Saguaro National Park was our 3rd stop.

It was slightly before the visitor center closed at 5 p.m. when we arrived at Saguaro National Park; enough time to use the restroom, grab the map, and a Junior Ranger program book for our son.

Two families with young children had just arrived from exploring the park, and they all looked toasty. Oh, dear.

Driving the Saguaro National Park Scenic Drive: Cactus Forest Drive Loop

After studying the map, we drove the 8-mile Cactus Forest Drive loop, which begins at the visitor center. It is a paved one- and two-way roads that wind through a saguaro forest. You will get a close and leisurely look at the variety of the Sonoran Desert life on this scenic drive.

Also, the scenic loop features several trailheads, scenic vistas, and pullouts.

However, we didn’t do any long hikes because it was too hot during our visit. And we’re from Texas. Go figure!

Trailers longer than 35 feet or any vehicle wider than 8 feet are not allowed in the loop due to the narrow road, steep hills, and tight turns. Parking along the loop is limited. You can park your RV or trailer at the Visitor Center and use your car or bicycle to enjoy the scenic drive loop.

When the saguaro cacti came into our view, we were impressed to see how big they were. All this time, we only saw it in Western movies or cartoons. And now, we saw it in person. Wow!

We made several stops at the pullouts, looking for other cacti, all kinds of birds that live in ‘the hotel,’ when spotting the grandest and tallest saguaro in the park.

At Mica View Picnic Area, we decided to do Mica View Loop Trail (1.5 miles round trip). After walking for a few yards, we turned around because we didn’t see any intriguing things to the point where we walked. Besides, it was brutally hot and dry!

To get to Mica View Picnic Area, you must hike for half a mile from the parking. It is unpaved and lightly used, almost like a trail.

Pets are welcome on this paved and the picnic area. They must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet long. Don’t forget to pick up their waste.

The path to Mica View Loop Trail is the first trailhead you will see at the park after driving about 2 miles from the Visitor Center. To the left of it is Shantz Trail.

Then, we continued the drive and stopped at Desert Ecology Trail. We walked along the trail that provided information on desert life. It is also part of the Cactus Forest Trail and is wheelchair accessible. Dogs are also welcome here.

As we continued the drive, our son spotted a bed of rocks on the right side of the road. We stopped at the pullout, Javelina Rock, which is the best place to view the sunset in Rincon Mountain District (east side.) He had fun climbing and exploring the area.

That was also our last stop because it was getting dark already. We’ve been in the park for 2-1/2 hours.

The next day, we returned to the Visitor Center for our son to get sworn in as a Junior Ranger for Saguaro National Park.

Tips for Visiting Saguaro National Park in June

– The first thing we did before getting out of the car and walking around the cacti was to drink a lot of water, apply thicker sunscreen, and put on hats and sunglasses. It was super hot and dry in the park.

– When you go in the summertime, start early in the morning or close to sunset (the Cactus Forest Drive Loop close at 8 p.m.) The hottest part of the day is between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

– Bring lots of water for every person in your family. The park recommends at least one gallon of water per person per day.

– If you plan to hike, you should drink one quart of water per hour of hiking.

– Read and follow safety guidelines carefully.

– Use your America the Beautiful National Park Pass. Don’t have one? Buy it at the Visitor Center or the National Park Service website before leaving for the road trips.

Saguaro cacti – a brief information

Saguaro cacti only grow in the Sonoran Desert. However, they do not grow in all parts of the Sonoran Desert. Where they can blossom is limited by freezing temperatures in winter and by elevation. Usually, they grow on a sea level to approximately 4,000 feet in height.

Saguaros are very slow-growing cacti. It begins as a shiny black seed no bigger than a pinhead, towering 50 feet and weighing 16,000 pounds or more when live to 150 years or more.

Adult saguaros are like a hotel – many animals build their nest in their arms (trunks and larger branches). Gila woodpecker and gilded flicker are two regular residents who drill nest holes in it. When they excavate new holes each spring, other animals compete to move in rapidly to their old nests.

Saguaro’s Growth Chart

Newborn         shiny black seed no bigger than a pinhead

1 year              a seedling may measure only ¼ inch

15 years           barely 12 inches tall

30 years           begin to flower and produce fruit

50 years           can be as tall as 7 feet

75 years           may sprout its first branches or arms

100 years         may reach 25 feet

150 years         attain the grandest sizes, towering 50 feet and weighing 16,000 pounds or more

Saguaro National Park Address:

– Rincon Mountain District (EAST): 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZ 85730.

– Tucson Mountain District (WEST): 2700 N. Kinney Road, Tucson, AZ 85743.

Saguaro National Park Fees & Passes (includes both districts):

• Saguaro National Park Weekly Pass – $25/private vehicle.
• Saguaro National Park Weekly Pass – $20/motorcycle.
• Saguaro National Park Weekly Pass – $15/person entering by foot or bicycle. Individuals 15 years or younger are admitted free of charge.
• Saguaro Annual Pass – $45 up to four adults age 16 and above.
• Interagency Annual Passes – $80, which you can use to other National Parks for a year.

Saguaro Operating Hours:

• Rincon Mountain District (east side) 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the summer, and 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the winter daily
• Tucson Mountain District (west side) open to vehicles from sunrise to sunset daily
• 24-hour daily if you walk or bike into the park
• Visitor Center (both districts) Monday to Sunday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed on Christmas Day.

Where to Stay When Visiting Saguaro National Park?

We stayed at the Hilton Hotel, which was close to the park. It’s an old one with newly upgraded rooms, and it was the cheapest hotel we got during our road trip.

We also like it because of the choices of restaurants around the area.

Saguaro National Park Tours

Here are some tours that will take you exploring the park at your convenience. 

If you like listening to the audio tour, check out these tours:

– Saguaro National Park Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour.

Listen to engaging storytelling that you can start anytime, pause anywhere, and it’s yours for an entire year. You can use it multiple times over multiple trips. It includes Rincon Mountain District and Tucson Mountain District.

– Saguaro NP and Mt. Lemmon Self Guided Driving Audio Tour Bundle.

Like the previous tour, you will get to tour Mount Lemmon, too.

And this one if you want to see Saguaro National Park from an electric bike:

– Saguaro National Park East E-Bike Tour.

2024 Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

– Monday, January 15 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

– Saturday, April 20 – First Day of National Park Week

– Wednesday, June 19 – Juneteenth

– Sunday, August 4 – The Great American Outdoors Act

– Saturday, September 28 – National Public Lands Day

– Monday, November 11 – Veterans Day

I hope our story when visiting Saguaro National Park in June will help you in making a road trip itinerary for your next summer vacation.

The next US National Parks in Arizona we visited on this trip were Petrified Forest National Park and the Grand Canyon.