Sonoran Desert ◆ Arizona
The Sonoran Desert, the saguaro country.
The wettest desert in North America — and the only one where saguaro cacti grow. Saguaro National Park, Organ Pipe, and the Tucson basin.
Field guide ◆ Sonoran Desert
Plan the trip.
The Sonoran Desert covers 100,000 square miles across Arizona, southeast California, and northwest Mexico — and is the wettest desert in North America (5-15 inches of rain a year, twice what most deserts get). It's also the only place on earth where the giant saguaro cactus grows, with some specimens 200 years old and 50 feet tall.
Best access from Tucson: visit Saguaro National Park (split into east and west districts). Drive the Cactus Forest Loop in the east district, hike Hugh Norris Trail in the west. Day 2, drive Mt Lemmon scenic byway (sea-level desert to alpine forest in 27 miles). Day 3-4, push south to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near the border for the namesake species.
Best window: October to April for hiking. Summer monsoon (July-September) brings dramatic thunderstorms but lethal heat. Wildflower bloom is early March in good years.
On the map ◆
Where you're going.
Pack the kit ◆ For Sonoran Desert
What to bring.
Trip-tested picks for this destination — gear that's earned its place across multiple visits.
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