Saguaro National Park

The Saguaro National Park encompasses a total area of about 91,000 acres in Pima County, Arizona and close to the Tucson metropolis that is in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert and that is surrounded by multiple mountain ranges, including the Santa Catalinas. 

The park can be accessed through two main entrances that include the much larger Rincon Mountain District (Saguaro East) and the Tucson Mountain District (Saguaro West). The two districts are separated by the city of Tucson and about 30 miles of road.

The Saguaro National Park was proclaimed as a national monument in 1933, then in 1976 designated as wilderness and in 1994 re-designated as a national park. The status of the park through all this time was specifically meant to protect the natural splendor of the land. 

Some of these include unique features like Giant Saguaro Cacti, which is unique to the Sonoran Desert as well as five unique biotic life zones that span across different areas of the park from desert terrain to ponderosa pine forests. 

The park is also home to a large variety of plant and animal species. Animal species include a variety of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds including commonly found collared peccaries, roadrunners, Gila monsters, kangaroo rats, and horned lizards. There are over 1,200 plant species within the park.

As with other national parks, you are permitted to bring your dog along, but you have to follow strict regulations to protect the fragile ecosystem of plants and wildlife within the Saguaro National Park. Some of the basic regulations that you must adhere to include ensuring that you always keep your dog on a leash. 

You must also respect the park's ecosystem of plants and animals and ensure that you are aware of the areas of the park that you can and cannot visit. Areas that you can visit with your dog include paved trails, picnic areas (apart from the Mam-A-Gah picnic area in the Tucson Mountain District-west).