Saguaro National Park

The saguaro cactus, native only to the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona and northern Mexico, holds the prized title of a “keystone species”—an organism on which other species in a natural system vitally depend. If it were removed entirely, the natural system would change drastically.

The National Park Service describes the saguaro as ecologically connected to nearly every other organism in its range, including humans. It’s remarkable for its slow growth and long life: the saguaro grows to only 1 inch during its first 13 years but can eventually reach 35 feet high, and the average life span is 150 to 175 years.

This powerful plant provides food and shelter for various desert species. Birds, bats, mammals, reptiles, and insects value the saguaro for its flowers, fruit, and flesh, which provide nests, food, and nectar. Even in death, the cactus gives back by providing materials for roofs, fences, and furniture. The Hohokam and Tohono O’odham people consider the saguaro sacred.

True to its name, Saguaro National Park has the densest population of saguaros in the region. Since 1993, Trust for Public Land has protected over 2,200 acres in and around Saguaro National Park, improving access and connectivity to Tucson’s big backyard. We fulfill our mission to connect people to the outdoors by protecting the Sonoran Desert within Saguaro National Park and creating new outdoor recreation opportunities for the nearby one million residents.

Recent TPL projects include protecting a corridor that connects the county’s large Sweetwater Preserve to Saguaro National Park and preserving lands that lie along Rincon Creek, a rare stream within the park. These undisturbed patches of desert are vital for both recreation and wildlife corridors.

The park, which provides more than 190 miles of trails for the enjoyment of a million visitors each year, is a popular outdoor destination for residents and tourists from all over the world.

Saguaro National Park offers plenty of recreational opportunities, including wilderness paths, paved trails, and backcountry camping. Visitors enjoy magnificent sites such as Signal Hill Picnic Area, featuring over 200 prehistoric Native American petroglyphs of the Hohokam people. Multiple visitor centers and interpretive signs provide an intensive desert education.

Cactus gardens and spectacular sunsets provide plenty of unforgettable photo opportunities. Wildlife sightings abound; 200 bird species, 50 reptile species, and 70 mammal species have been documented.

“Contributing to the enhancement of our national parks by acquiring critical lands is a very exciting way to further our mission of protecting land for people,” says Michael Patrick, senior project manager for Trust for Public Land. “Most people don’t know that many of these parks contain thousands of acres of private lands within their boundaries. The project to connect Saguaro with Sweetwater Preserve, for example, is a vision that we have heard described by a number of community groups and Pima County for the past decade. We are incredibly grateful to our partners who have made this project possible and are proud to have been working to protect such special places across Arizona for the past 30 years.”

Thanks to land preservation efforts, future generations will enjoy the beauty and ecological value of the desert landscape’s majestic, slow-growing cactus.