The Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park is one of two Saguaro National Parks. There is one in the eastern part of Tucson called Rincon, and the other in the western part of Tucson referred to as Tucson Mountain District. We visited the Rincon Mountain District with its towering peaks, diverse ecosystems, and iconic saguaro cacti.
Cactus flowers in the spring are a big draw for us coming to Tucson, Arizona from March to June. The hedgehog cactus start first in March, then pincushion start to bloom, later barrel cactus, prickly pear, cholla and eventually the saguaro by May. We left at the beginning of April and the barrel, cholla, and prickly pear were loaded with buds and about to bloom, still too early for saguaro.
Mount Lemmon has a summit elevation of 9,159 feet. Located in the Santa Catalina mountains in northern Tucson, Arizona, it is a 27 mile beautiful drive from desert to alpine. With the altitude change the temperature can drop 20-30 degrees compared to the desert floor. Mount Lemmon was named after botanist Sara Plummer Lemmon who trekked to the top in 1881.
The southern California coast is wonderful almost anytime of the year, but spring in the desert beckons and the open road is calling us from the sunny shores of San Diego to the rugged beauty of Tucson, Arizona. We love the iconic saguaro cacti and breathtaking mountain ranges of the Sonoran Desert.
Most of Michael’s immediate family is in Colorado. Since we were headed south from Yellowstone, it was a great time for a quick visit. This was the latest during the year that we’ve stayed in Yellowstone. Many businesses and RV parks were closed for the season. Temperatures were below freezing at night and we were snowed on a number of times. Definitely time to head south for warmer weather.
Yuma, Arizona was about a four-hour drive from Tucson. It was only an overnight stay for us, but it would be our last night before being back in California again. Our house in San Diego had been vacant for over a year, so we planned on staying at Santee Lakes for a bit while we got the house up and running again and time to unload the Airstream.
