点评:Both the East and the West districts of Saguaro National Park are equally impressive, albeit in different ways. The West district features denser saguaro forests. The East District features fewer but older (taller!) saguaros amid spectacular sweeping views. We feel fortunate that we were able to visit them both on different days of our trip.
We got an early start in the West district in order to hike the 0.9 mile Valley View trail before the heat of the day set in. This short hike was equally rewarding for both the immersion among cacti along the trail and the impressive view at the end. Not to mention that we saw many lizards! We also drove the entirety of the 5-mile Bajada Loop Drive (unpaved but perfectly fine for passenger vehicles), walked the 0.5 mile Desert Discovery Nature Trail and watched the movie at the Red Hills Visitor center. Don’t miss the movie. The Signal Hill petroglyph trail was closed due to road construction into the area - it’s on our list for next time.
Our primary activity in the East district was the 8-mile scenic Cactus Forest Drive. The Javelina Rocks pullout was a standout for the amazing views from rocks you could easily scramble to the top of. The ranger at the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center pointed us to the Javelina picnic area as the more scenic of the two in this district and it did not disappoint. Though it wasn’t a hiking kind of day for us, we’d be interested in the Cactus Forest Trail, Freeman Homestead Trail or loop trails in the Mica View picnic are another time.
Very informative hiking guide pamphlets are available at the respective visitor centers in each district.
翻译:萨瓜罗国家公园的东区和西区同样令人印象深刻,尽管方式不同。西区的仙人掌森林更茂密。东区的仙人掌数量较少,但更古老(更高!),景色壮丽。我们很幸运能够在旅行的不同日子参观这两个地方。
我们早早地从西区出发,在白天炎热来临之前徒步 0.9 英里的山谷景观小径。这段短途徒步旅行同样令人回味无穷,既可以沉浸在小径沿途的仙人掌中,也可以在终点欣赏到令人印象深刻的景色。更不用说我们看到了许多蜥蜴!我们还驾车行驶了 5 英里的 Bajada Loop Drive(未铺砌但非常适合客运车辆),步行 0.5 英里的沙漠探索自然小径,并在红山游客中心观看了电影。不要错过电影。由于通往该地区的道路施工,信号山岩画小径已关闭 - 这是我们下次的计划。
我们在东区的主要活动是 8 英里长的风景秀丽的仙人掌森林大道。Javelina Rocks 停车场非常引人注目,因为您可以从岩石上轻松爬到顶部,欣赏到令人惊叹的景色。Rincon Mountain 游客中心的护林员向我们指出了 Javelina 野餐区,这是该地区两个野餐区中风景更优美的一个,它没有让我们失望。虽然今天对我们来说不是徒步旅行的日子,但我们对仙人掌森林小径、Freeman Homestead 小径或 Mica View 野餐区的环形小径很感兴趣,下次再来。
每个地区的游客中心都有非常有用的徒步旅行指南小册子。