THE PERFECT WEEKEND IN SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK

Eating lunch at a great Mexican restaurant and hiking a remote crown jewel ofa trail are typically not things you cando in the same day, but Saguaro National Parkis the rare exception. The park's two districts,protecting large swaths of the wild SonoranDesert, flank the Tucson metro area and inbetween is some of the best dining in Arizona. Start your weekend in the park's 24,000-acreTucson Mountain District, on the west side ofTucson, with a sunrise ramble through a for-est of saguaros on the Desert Discovery NatureTrail. Like many paths and picnic areas in thepark, this half-mile trail is compliant with theAmericans with Disabilities Act, so people ofall abilities can experience the Sonoran Desert.“You can get so up close and personal with thesaguaros on this trail that you can feel theheat coming off of them,” says Cam Juarez, thepark's community engagement and outreachcoordinator. Juarez has a congenital heartdefect and has made it his mission to increasethe park's accessibility.

Day 1

Next, take a short drive to the Signal HillPicnic Area. Enjoy a picnic breakfast, thenscramble up a short path to view boulders covered with 800-year-old petroglyphs. Finish offthe morning with a hike through more recenthistory on the 2.4-mile King Canyon/Gould MineLoop, which is Juarez's favorite west-side trail.While this route is located almost entirely inthe park, the trailhead is just outside the parkboundary, on Kinney Road in the adjacentTucson Mountain Park. Start on the GouldMine Trail, which climbs a gentle incline toruins of an old copper mine. Then, pick up theSendero Esperanza and King Canyon trails to complete the loop. As you descend a desert wash,take in the expansive views of the TucsonMountains and saguaro-filled Avra Valley. After an action-packed morning, head30 miles across town to the park's Rincon Mountain District. But first, stop for lunch at one ofTucson's many authentic Mexican restaurants.Juarez, a lifelong Tucson resident, recommendsTeresa's Mosaic Cafe for chicken mole andfresh tortillas made right in the dining area.

The Rincon district is the oldest part of Saguaro National Park, established in 1933by President Herbert Hoover to protect theabundant stands of saguaros from urbandevelopment and cactus poaching. The park's67,000-acre east side sits at a higher elevation than the west side and offers a range ofecological zones, from lush Sonoran Desert allthe way up to Douglas-fir habitat high in theRincon Mountains. Begin your tour of the eastside on the 8-mile Cactus Forest Drive. This loopwas built in the late 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and has plenty of strategicallyplaced viewpoints and picnic areas overlooking lush bajadas filled with saguaros, ocotillosand paloverdes. It takes about 10 years for theslow-growing saguaro to reach just 1 inch inheight, and reaching 25 feet can take a century.

When you're done contemplating the amazing fact that these forests of towering sagua-ros-

Eat + Sleep

5 Points Market and Restaurant 756 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson; 520-623-3888; 5pointstucson.com Baja Café 7002 E. Broadway Boulevard, Tucson; 520-495-4772; bajacafetucson.com Ball-Paylore House Tucson; preservetucson .org/ball-paylore-house Charro Steak 188 E. Broadway Boulevard, Tucson; 520-485-1922; charrosteak.com Divine Bovine 1021 N. Wilmot Road, Tucson; 520-203-8884; divinebovineburgers.com Gourmet Girls 5845 N. Oracle Road, Tucson; 520-408-9000; gourmetgirlsglutenfree.com La Mesa Tortillas and Tamales 7823 E. Broadway Boulevard, Tucson; 520-298-5966; lamesatortillas.com Lodge on the Desert 306 N. Alvernon Way, Tucson; 520-320-2000; lodgeonthedesert.com Prep and Pastry 2660 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson; 520-326-7737; prepandpastry.com Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink 101 E. Pennington Street, Tucson; 520-882-5550; reillypizza.com Renee's 7065 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson; 520-886-0484; reneestucson.com Rincon Creek Ranch 14545 E. Rincon Creek Ranch Road, Tucson; 520-760-5557; rinconcreekranch.com The Downtown Clifton 485 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson; 520-623-3163; downtowntucsonhotel.com The Hub Restaurant and Creamery 266 E. Congress Street, Tucson; 520-207-8201; hubdowntown.com Union Public House 4340 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson; 520-329-8575; uniontucson.com White Stallion Ranch 9251 W. Twin Peaks Road, Tucson; 520-297-0252; whitestallion.com Eros existed long before modern-day Tucson, take the spur road off Cactus Forest Drive to the Mica View Picnic Area for a rest stop. And near the end of the loop drive is the Javelina Rocks pullout, an excellent place to watch a panoramic Sonoran Desert sunset.

Day 2

While Saguaro National Park does not have developed campgrounds, it does offer one of the best backpacking experiences in Southern Arizona via the Tanque Verde Ridge Trail. The 11-mile trail, which Begins at the Javelina Picnic Area, follows part of the ridge of the same name, which climbs from 3,100 feet at its western end to 8,668 feet on the Rincons' Mica Mountain. On the trail, you experience many of the ecological zones present in Southern Arizona, from desert to grassland to pine forest. And the higher you get, the more you feel like you're looking out an airplane window at the sprawling Tucson Basin, surrounded by distant mountain ranges. Hiking 7 miles (one way), to Juniper Basin Campground, with 3,000 feet of elevation gain along the way,makes for an excellent overnight trip. (Camping permits are required.) If you're not up for backpacking, Juarez recommends a 6.4-mile loop hike that includes historic Garwood Dam. The route begins at the Douglas Spring Trailhead. Follow the signs to Garwood Dam, a relic of the park's ranching days. The trail then climbs a ridge as you wander through one of the densest saguaro forests in the park. As you circle back toward the trailhead, enjoy sweeping views of the Santa Catalina Mountains to the north.