Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [361]
To see both sections of the park in 1 day, start in the Tucson Mountain District at the impressive Red Hills Visitor Center, where you can examine the exhibits and try to get a handle on life in the Sonoran Desert. Check the bulletin board for the schedule of ranger-led activities; if your timing is right, you can join a short guided walk on the Cactus Garden Trail, just outside the visitor center, which serves as an excellent introduction to the park. You can also take this short walk on your own. Then drive the 9-mile Bajada Loop Drive through a thick stand of saguaro, taking time for a short hike along the Valley View Overlook Trail. Those interested in early American Indians will want to take a slight detour off the Bajada Loop Drive to ponder the rock art on the Signal Hill Petroglyph Trail.
By now it should be lunchtime. Stop in one of the picnic areas if you happened to bring food, or at a restaurant in Tucson as you drive through on your way to the Rincon Mountain District. Stop at the visitor center as you enter— by now you may have a few questions for the rangers, such as, "What were those two big eyes staring out at me from a hole in that old saguaro?" (Probably an elf owl.) Then head out onto the 8-mile Cactus Forest Drive for an easy close-up look at a forest of saguaro. About a third of the way into the drive, the road crosses the Cactus Forest hiking trail, where you can get out of your vehicle, stretch your legs, and walk a short way into the saguaro forest. If time remains, pull off at the Javelina Picnic Area access road and walk along the Freeman Homestead Trail, which offers good scenic views and a look at the remains of an old homestead.
Exploring the Park by Car
Each section of the park has its own scenic drive. Before you set out on one, consider buying one of the inexpensive booklets discussing the park's terrain and vegetation at the visitor centers. The 9-mile Bajada Loop Drive in the western section begins at the Red Hills Visitor Center and proceeds through a dense forest of saguaro cacti, offering scenic views. There are pullouts where you can get out of your vehicle for a close-up view of the saguaro, and a trailhead for the very worthwhile Valley View Overlook Trail (see "Day Hikes," below). Because 6 miles of the loop are gravel, those driving low-clearance vehicles or towing trailers should check on current conditions before starting.
In the eastern section of the park, the Cactus Forest Drive is a somewhat hilly and twisting 8-mile loop that wanders through a forest of saguaro. This paved one-way road provides access to picnic areas, several hiking trails, and short walks.
Organized Tours & Ranger Programs
Ranger-led guided walks, hikes, and talks take place year-round, with most occurring from December through April. Activities vary, but they might include an easy cactus or bird identification walk, a 4-mile hike through the desert, a video program on desert life, or slide shows on wildflowers or bats. Check at the visitor centers for schedules.
Historic & Man-Made Attractions
Both sections of the park contain impressive rock art believed to have been created by the Hohokam people, who lived here from about A.D. 700 to 1500. The best and easiest place to see rock art is on the Signal Hill Petroglyph Trail in the Tucson Mountain District. These petroglyphs (a type of rock carving) usually depict figures of humans and animals plus many abstract designs, such as wavy lines and combinations of circles and spirals.
The park also contains reminders of the miners and settlers who arrived in the late 1800s. You can see the remains of the Gould Mine, active in the early 1900s, along the Sendero Esperanza Trail, in the Tucson Mountain District. In the Rincon Mountain District are what's left of an adobe house built in 1929 on the Freeman Homestead Trail, and several limekilns, built in about 1880,