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Saguaro National Park East & West, Tucson, Arizona: Both Districts in Late Winter

March 9, 2023 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 3, 2026

Saguaro National Park is split into two districts about 30 miles apart on either side of Tucson, Arizona — the Rincon Mountain District on the east side of the city, and the Tucson Mountain District on the west. Both protect roughly the same Sonoran Desert vegetation, but the topography, the wildlife, and the visitor experience are quite different. The Rincon side is rugged, rises to over 8,000 feet at Mica Mountain, and is one of the few places in southern Arizona where black bears, mountain lions, and coati are still genuinely present. The west district is denser with saguaros, more concentrated in volcanic ridges, and the closer of the two to the Tucson Mountains RV parks where we typically stay. After a winter that took us through Cave Creek and Tucson Mountain Park, we returned to Tucson for a longer late-winter stay — and finally made the time to visit both districts properly, plus another month of mornings at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park east of Tucson Arizona showing the dense saguaro forest and rugged mountain terrain that defines this Sonoran Desert ecosystem

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Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson: A Complete Visitor’s Guide

February 19, 2023 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is one of those institutions that defies easy categorization. It’s part zoo, part botanical garden, part natural history museum, part art gallery, part aquarium — all woven together on 98 acres of living Sonoran Desert in the Tucson Mountain foothills, with 2 miles of walking paths that feel less like museum corridors and more like hiking trails through an extraordinarily well-curated landscape. It was founded in 1952 and has been consistently rated one of the top museums in the United States and one of the best zoos in the world. Michael has been visiting since the early 1980s and has been a member for much of that time — and this February 2023 visit reminded us exactly why.

Broad-billed hummingbird hovering at a flower in the hummingbird aviary at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson Arizona

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Tucson Mountains, Arizona: Saguaro National Park West, the Desert Museum & Tucson Mountain Park

January 30, 2023 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 3, 2026

The Tucson Mountains are a small but exceptional desert range west of Tucson, Arizona — one of the four mountain ranges that surround the city, alongside the Catalinas to the north, the Rincons to the east, and the Santa Ritas to the south. Each range has its own character, but the Tucson Mountains have always been our favorite — for the sheer density of saguaro forest, the network of hiking trails through Tucson Mountain Park and Saguaro National Park West, the wildlife, and above all the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which Michael has been visiting and photographing since the early 1980s and where he has been a member almost every year since. From Cave Creek it’s about a two-hour drive south to Tucson, and the moment you turn west off I-10 toward the Tucson Mountains the saguaros thicken, the road climbs, and the city falls away behind you.

Tucson Mountains Arizona showing the dense saguaro forest and rugged volcanic peaks west of Tucson photographed by Michael Huntley travel blogger and physician photographer

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Thanksgiving in Arizona: Casa Grande Ruins, Cotton Fields & Family

January 22, 2023 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

Thanksgiving in the Sonoran Desert has a character all its own — warm days, cool nights, and a tranquility that makes it one of our favorite times to be in Arizona. We were traveling between Cave Creek and Tucson when the holiday arrived, which meant driving south through the agricultural heart of central Arizona, stopping at one of the most remarkable ancient ruins in the United States, and spending the holiday itself with family in Mesa. The drive down delivered one more spectacular Arizona sunset — as they reliably do — and the days around Thanksgiving delivered genuine surprises: Hohokam architecture from the 1300s, fields of Pima cotton, fields of roses, and a family reunion that felt as warm as the desert afternoon.

Arizona desert sunset on the drive south toward Tucson showing the brilliant orange and red Sonoran Desert sky that makes Arizona famous for its evening light

Cave Creek, Arizona: Regional Park, Jewel of the Creek & Carefree Dining

January 12, 2023 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

Cave Creek, Arizona is a small town of fewer than 5,000 people about 30 miles north of Phoenix in the Sonoran Desert — rural enough to feel genuinely removed from the city, yet close enough that a Costco and Home Depot are a short drive away. It was founded in 1870 by soldiers from Fort McDowell and takes its name from the cave along the creek at the town’s heart. The surrounding landscape of mountains, saguaro forest, and desert washes gives it a character that’s distinctly different from the sprawling Phoenix metro just to the south. We came from Fort McDowell — about an hour’s drive — and stayed at Cave Creek Regional Park, one of the best camping experiences of our entire Arizona season.

Saguaro cactus and desert mountain landscape at Cave Creek Regional Park in Maricopa County Arizona north of Phoenix

Fort McDowell, Arizona: Eagle View RV Resort, Fountain Hills & Payson

January 1, 2023 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

Fort McDowell is an unincorporated community about half an hour northeast of Phoenix on the Yavapai Nation — a place most travelers bypass entirely on their way between Scottsdale and the high country. We came from New River, about an hour’s drive south, and used Fort McDowell as a base for day trips to Fountain Hills, Mesa, and the scenic mountain drive to Payson. It turned out to be one of our more enjoyable Phoenix-area stops — relaxed, well-located, and full of good food. From here we continued on to Cave Creek.

Sonoran Desert landscape near Fort McDowell Arizona showing saguaro cactus and desert scrub in the Yavapai Nation northeast of Phoenix