Hike of the Month

HIKE OF THE MONTH Ramble the Cactus Forest Trail and Meet Some Friendly Saguaros

The essence of a hike can sometimes be reduced to a single plant or a patch of soil. On this particular day, for example, I am standing next to a giant saguaro cactus, the botanical antecedent of something I first saw in a cartoon when I was a child. Roadrunner and Coyote are here, too. I saw them an hour ago, Coyote lazily crossing a wash and ambling up a hillside into the creosotes, and Roadrunner dashing across the pavement just before I parked my car at the trailhead. I am in Saguaro National Park East in the foothills of the Rincon Mountains outside Tucson, sitting on a hill just off the Cactus Forest Trail, and in less than five minutes I've also encountered a cardinal, a couple of phainopeplas, a western kingbird, and a gilded flicker. The trail is a narrow sleeve of dirt that meanders between threatening spines of prickly pear, cholla, barrel, and the giant saguaro. There also are an abundance of creosote bushes and a scattering of mesquite and paloverde trees. These desert-loving plants have a message for every visitor: Carry water if you walk this terrain. Saguaros, like good philosophers, mature very slowly. In a landscape that receives minimal rainfall a year about as much liquid as you'll find in a quart of milk everything grows slowly. Spend some time looking at the Earth in front of your feet, and you may realize something else: The absorption rate of desert soils would give an Iowa farmer a nervous breakdown. These soils do not absorb liquids easily. In the desert, water runs like a frightened snake, only faster. The Cactus Forest Trail is an attractive and relaxing path without a single steep portion. The day I strolled it, I stopped first in the park visitor center to get a trail map. While Curly, the visitor center's pet king snake, slithered along the map on the counter, a helpful park ranger showed me the various places where this trail could be reached. One of the nice things about the Cactus Forest Trail is that you can walk its full length (8.6 miles round-trip) or you can create a variety of loops, using other trails, so that you aren't on the same terrain going and coming. Three different trails begin at the same point in the park: The Cactus Forest Trail, Mica View Trail, and Shantz Trail all start off Broadway about a quarter of a mile east of Freeman Road. I had decided to make a 4.2mile loop by taking the westernmost trail, the Shantz, as far as Cactus Forest Drive, which is the main drive through the park. Then I'd walk east on the road about a half mile to the point where it crosses the Cactus Forest Trail. At that point, I'd then head back to the trailhead on the Cactus Forest Trail. This route has an added advantage. Between the Shantz and Cactus Forest trails, there is a small loop called the Desert Ecology Trail, which provides an elegant introduction to native plants and animals.

The Cactus Forest Trail begins about 15 miles from downtown Tucson on East Broadway. Cross Freeman Road and watch for the trailhead on your right. To reach the Saguaro National Park Visitor Center, turn right (south) onto Freeman Road and continue to Old Spanish Trail, turn left and follow the signs. The Desert Ecology Trail is a quarter-mile, wheelchair-accessible path, reachable by car on Cactus Forest Drive. All trails in the park are best from fall through early spring. Allow two to three hours for the 4.2-mile walk the author took. For more information about trails in Saguaro National Park, call (520) 733-5153.

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