I am a person who loves to plan her travel extensively. I spend days scouring the internet for every information possible about the destination.
Some might deem it unnecessary, but I love planning and moreover, I do not like unpleasant surprises. Not every travel is planned to the T. I leave some room for impromptu plans too but I like to visualize the place I go to.
However, I do like sudden plans like the past weekend. We made a quick getaway plan to Tucson, which is about 100 miles from where we live in Phoenix, Arizona.
We chose to explore the Saguaro National Park and drive to Mount Lemmon after that, another 1-2 hours drive, depending on the traffic.
Both the locations were beautiful and a must-visit if you are in Arizona!
The Saguaro National Park is home to saguaros (pronounced as Sa-wah-roh) , a giant cacti. There are various species of cacti that you get to see in this park with the backdrop of mountains.
We did the Bajada Loop Drive through the Hohokam Road , a 6 mile graded dirt road. Cacti scenically surround the drive.
We also did the Valley View Overlook Trail, a short walking trail. We walked alongside the Saguaro Cactus and other cacti. It is a unique desert experience.
Many of these saguaros have arms that look cute and it felt like they were greeting me.
There were other short hikes and walking trails too which we missed out on because we wanted to drive to Mount Lemmon.
We got the below map from the Visitor Centre which helped us find our way around. The Vistor Centre is very informative to understand the park better.
Mount Lemmon Scenic Byway
The drive up the mountain was beautiful!! This scenic drive is a must-do if you are in Tucson.
The landscape of about 55-60-mile return drive changes and the temperature drops as you ascend to the top. The drive could be limited to some restrictions during winter. The road is quite winding, which could be a little uncomfortable if you get motion sickness. But, there are various pull-outs to take a break and admire the incredible views.
The temperature was comfortable until it got very chilly as the sun went down. The light jacket that I carried was helpful but not as much.
Another reason people like to drive here is to visit Mount Lemmon Ski Valley at the summit. There is plenty of snow here and the view from the top is picture-worthy.
This was the highlight of our trip. We experienced the desert and the snow on the same day!
The drive down the mountains was so picturesque that the sun was setting and the dancing colors in the sky were reflected on the pine trees!
I am looking forward to driving back again. Next time, I am packing a picnic to enjoy while watching the sunset and the twinkling lights of the city view at dusk.
Did you like the cactus more or the mountains?