Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Winter desert getaway
Park a sure cure for cold-weather blues.
When sleet flies during a wintry day in Arkansas, a bundled-up body yearns for warm sunshine and a place to rub toes in the sand.
There’s sun and plenty of sand in the desert Southwest, a magical destination for a winter getaway in a land that is nearly 180 degrees from the Ozarks.
A hiking trip to Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Ariz., in early February was the ideal elixir for the winter blahs. One hiker in the traveling trio had her eye on this vast national park as a winter getaway for about a year.
Timing was perfect. During four days of hiking in the Sonoran Desert, the temperature was 65 degrees and sunny most afternoons while it was cold and rainy back home.
Saguaro (Sa-WHA-ro) National Park is named for the forests of saguaro cactus plants that grace this region. These are the cactus monarchs that pop into the mind’s eye when people think of the desert. Saguaros are the spiny cacti with arms reaching toward the deep blue desert sky.
Saguaros are only one of a variety of cactus types among more than 2,500 species of plants and animals in the park. Visitors can explore bits of the park by car or bicycle along paved and gravel tour roads. Hiking is the way to go for a deep, mystical immersion into the desert world.
Around 165 miles of trail guide hikers safely into the stark and isolated backcountry. Paths weave through rock gardens of cactus, including stands of the mighty saguaro that grow 40 feet or taller.
Other cactus plants look like crazy ropes that twist and turn in every direction. One, the “teddy bear” cactus, looks soft and cuddly to touch. That furry-looking surface is actually a coat of fine, skin-penetrating needles, as one of the group painfully discovered.
Other trails climb into the high country. Adventurous souls can tackle trails that end at mountain peaks. Desert wanderers can find paths of any length and difficulty in the park’s 92,000 acres.
In 1976, Congress designated about 70 percent of those acres as a wilderness area. Saguaro became a national park in 1994.
Hikers learn right away is to be careful with every step. The outcome of a fall into any kind of cactus won’t be good. Sunscreen and plenty of water are wise to carry on winter hikes in the warm sun.
Saguaro National Park is situated in two sections, one west of Tucson and another east of the city. It’s about 33 miles between sections. Our trio motel-camped in Tucson and drove about 30 minutes each morning to reach either section.
Each one is vastly different. Mountains with a rugged, rocky and beautiful landscape wow visitors to the park’s west sector. The most challenging hikes of this winter getaway were in the west portion.
One of the prettiest hikes was down a dry streambed, called a “wash” out in the desert. Bluffs and crags cradled the sandy bed that was like a natural hiking trail.
These washes can become white-water torrents in July and August, “monsoon season” in the desert Southwest. Saguaro National Park gets 10 to 12 inches of rain each year, mostly in July and August.
Time allowed only one day to hike the east section. Lots of trails here offer level hiking, which can be welcome after tackling steeper terrain in the west.
Here in the east, the peaks of some mountains are cloaked in pine forest, with snow on top of the tallest. Backpack camping is allowed in the east area, at designated camp spots.
After hiking an east-section trail, a drive over the eight-mile paved tour road was a treat. Cars share the road with bicycles on this route that’s a favorite with the Tuscon cycling community.
Staff and volunteers at the two visitor centers are a wealth of information. They recommended some hikes that proved to be desert gems. We hoped to spot a rattlesnake or two from a distance, but were told they don’t come out until it’s above 70 degrees. A Gila monster was another desert critter we hoped to see. Slim chance, a staffer said. They spend 95 percent of their lives underground.
One volunteer said the hottest day he ever worked during summer was 115 degrees. That makes Saguaro National Park ideal for a winter, or spring break, getaway.