The saguaro begins life as a black seed that is the size of a pinhead. A saguaro
can produce thousands of seeds a year and survive to 200 years.
However, only a few of the seeds make it to adulthood. A saguaro
that is shaded by Palo verdes and mesquite are safe from the sunlight,
cold, rodents and other animals that eat them. It takes 30 years for
the saguaro to flower and produce fruit and 50 years to grow to 7 feet
tall. It takes at least 75 years to produce branches that start out
as prickly balls. If a saguaro is lucky enough to survive 150 years, it can
reach 50 feet and weigh 8 tons. At the Saguaro National Park you can see
thousands of saguaros thriving with the Santa Catalina, Rincon and Tucson
Mountains as a backdrop.
The Saguaro National Park is divided into
two parks, Saguaro West and Saguaro East with Tucson in between. The Saguaro
East is much larger than Saguaro West and contains the saguaro
forest at the foot of the Rincon Mountains. Saguaro West contains a
variety of Sonoran Desert Life in the Tucson Mountains.
How to Get There
The Rincon Mountain District of
the Saguaro National Park may
be reached from the City of Tucson by traveling east on Broadway or
Speedway to Freeman Road; Take Freeman Road south (right) to Old Spanish
Trail from Speedway. Turn left onto Old Spanish Trail heading south.
Look for signs to the Park entrance.
The Tucson Mountain District of the Saguaro National
Park may be reached from
Tucson by traveling west on Speedway Boulevard. At the junction with
Camino de Oeste, Speedway Boulevard will change names to Gates Pass
Road. From this junction, continue to drive west on Gates Pass Road
until you reach the "T" intersection with Kinney Road. Turn right on
Kinney Road and drive three miles north to the Park entrance. T
The Outdoor Forum
Copyright 2004. All rights reserved.
Revised:
10/27/06