Saguaro National Park

Truly unbelievable to walk amongst these giants! Our last stop on our Arizona National Park Service Unit tour was to Saguaro National Park. We entered at the Rincon Mountain Visitor’s Center and drove the eight mile loop … with many stops for photo opts along the way.

From NPS … “Here at Saguaro National Park, branches normally begin to appear when a saguaro reaches 50 to 70 years of age. In areas of lower precipitation, it may take up to 100 years before arms appear.”

“An adult saguaro is generally considered to be about 125 years of age. It may weigh 6 tons or more and be as tall as 50 feet. The average life span of a saguaro is probably 150 - 175 years of age. However, biologists believe that some plants may live over 200 years.”

“Saguaros are a very slow growing cactus. In Saguaro National Park, studies indicate that a saguaro grows between 1 and 1.5 inches in the first eight years of its life.”

“These tiny, young saguaros are very hard to find as they grow under the protection of a "nurse tree", most often a palo verde, ironwood or mesquite tree. As the saguaro continues to grow, its much older nurse tree may die. Some scientists believe that competition from the saguaro may lead to the death of the nurse tree by taking water and nutrients from the soil in the immediate area.”

This is Indian Country of the Tohono O'odham, Sobaipuri, O'odham Jeweḍ, and Hohokam