The Two Saguaros NP

The first leg of the trip took us to the Lazy Days KOA Resort in Tucson where we wanted to explore the 2 Saguaro National Park locations. We don’t usually stay in resort-type RV parks because they are more expensive and we are not at the RV park very much. We are out exploring the National Parks and local areas. We stayed here for 2 nights.

Our Campsite

You can get a weekly or annual pass to the park and all Interagency Passes are valid. Our first stop after checking into the KOA was the East Unit and scouting for a sunrise location the next morning. We entered the park off of E. Broadway Blvd. at the Broadway Trailhead and did a couple of short hikes.

We went back to this area for sunrise and it was an awesome time with the tall cactus in the still and quiet pre-sunrise twilight called the blue hour because of the cool tones of the light.

The camera and lens for these photos can be seen in the Photography Gear Guide

After sunrise, we drove the Cactus Forest Drive loop which is an 8-mile paved road with many pullouts.

After lunch back at camp we drove the 22 miles to the Red Hills Visitors Center in the West Unit and did some short walks in the area. We were treated to some awesome golden light on the cactus behind to Visitors Center at sunset

We then made the short drive to The Desert Discovery Nature Trail for some stunning color at twilight. It is a 0.4-mile loop trail that is popular during the day but there was only 1 other person there for this sunset.

Lorna’s Tips and Lessons

We did not want a large trailer in order to access more campgrounds. However, we don’t have a lot of space to store things. Therefore, finding anything collapsible is a great find. I would start with bowls, a dishpan, and a bucket.

On to Big Bend National Park