We delight in the beauty of Southern Arizona. And no place is more magnificent than Saguaro National Park West. When friends & family visit for the first time, we always recommend they visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum to learn about our Sononan Desert. We suggest they then go a few miles further and explore our Saguaro National Park to actually experience the Desert. What’s not to love? But how does one explain a saguaro forest to someone who has never seen even one of our regal giants? Send them a picture and they will be amazed.
On any given day when there are clouds in the sky, you can wander around out here and, I swear, the scenery changes every few minutes. All of these images were created in one hour and within a one mile radius.
Ya’ gotta love country roads. As the crow flies, we live about 5 miles over those hills. Yet we are 15 minutes from Downtown Tucson. Amazing!!!
One of our favorite picnic areas is just below Signal Hill in Saguaro National Park West. For a printable map, click HERE.
The trail from the picnic area to the top of Signal Hill is an easy climb. Along the way, you can sit & rest on some concrete benches. While you’re catching your breath, look up. You will be looking at Hohokam art created about a thousand years ago. Then continue up the hill. There’s more.
Sitting atop Signal Hill contemplating the meaning of these petroglyphs can easily lead to wondering “Why?”. What does a depiction of a deer or the sun mean to the people who created it? Did only men do rock art? Was there a “spiritual” aspect to the drawings? One thing’s for certain. Whomever created these could also scan the valley below and easily spot animals on the move, such as whitetail deer. I wondered if they had lookouts up here signaling the direction & distance of prospective game to comrades down below. If I had to go out every day to secure a meal with only a spear or bow & arrow, a spotter could give me a considerable advantage.
The deer I get. The sun with rays of light & heat radiating from its center … that seems obvious. But what do you make of the other two figures?
(Above) Signal Hill Picnic Area as seen from atop Signal Hill. As you can see, I was the only one here. “Solitude” comes to mind. Only a few miles from a metropolitan area with over a million people and I’m all alone. WOW! Is Tucson a great place or what?
For a list of the Best Park and Gardens visit our page.
