Sunrise Hike in Saguaro National Park

Best Sunrise in Tucson?

After our little dog woke us up a little before 5:00 a.m. on a recent weekend morning, my wife decided that rather than going back to bed for another hour or so, we should head out to Saguaro National Park West to take pictures of the sunrise.

My wife and I both enjoy photography, and she has built up a large following on Instagram with her stunning photos.

We Drove Toward the Park in the Inky Darkness

On this morning, the trip to Saguaro National Park West would be unplanned in contrast to some trips this past summer when my wife would talk me into getting up at 4:00 in the morning to go view the sunrise.

So, after quickly stepping outside and seeing that the sky was mostly clear with a number of big, fluffy cumulus, stratocumulus, and cumulonimbus clouds scattered across the sky, I quickly put some coffee on and got dressed.

Taking the coffee with us, we set out on the 40-minute or so drive from our home to Saguaro West National Park. It was still completely dark as we headed west from our home along the dimly lit streets of northwest Tucson (astronomy is a major industry in Tucson, with astronomers from all over the world coming here to study the night sky, so outdoor lighting is kept to a minimum in our city) toward the nearby pass through the Tucson mountains.

Enough Light to See the Cactus Covered Desert Ahead of Us

The sun had not yet emerged above the eastern horizon when we arrived but the sky was becoming lighter which meant that we could see our way as we walked through the field of Saguaro and other cacti across from where we parked the car.

This meant that we could see our way and avoid tripping over rocks, get around cacti and other bushy succulents all covered with thorns, as well as the occasional rattlesnake resting in our path (note: while I keep an eye out for them, in the 30+ years I have lived and hiked in Arizona I have only seen, usually at a safe distance, four rattlesnakes in the wild).

Despite the sun still lurking below the horizon, its rays were already silhouetting the mountains in front of it and clothing the fluffy clouds hovering above the mountains in bright colors.

When my wife saw the quality of pictures I was taking on my iPhone a few years ago, she had me upgrade her to an iPhone, and she quickly put it to use, taking pictures on our travels. She has a good eye and, until then, undiscovered artistic talent.

It didn't take long for my wife to become an avid photographer who not only knew how to spot, frame, and take a good picture, but she also became very good at using an app to enhance her pictures.

Both of us have since upgraded to Google Pixel phones and continue to look for interesting things to photograph.

On numerous trips to Saguaro National Park, we have built a huge library of photos of Saguaro and other cacti. In the spring, numerous varieties of cacti are in bloom. While the flowers vary in size and color, the bad news is that most cactus flowers only last for a day or two. They bloom, attract bees, butterflies, and other insects that collect and distribute their pollen and then die. The good news is that each cactus generally produces numerous flowers that bloom over the course of weeks or even a month or two.

We have made many trips to Saguaro National Park and other places to photograph these flowers.

Crested Saguaro Cacti

A little over a year ago, my wife heard about crested Saguaro Cacti. Technically known as cristate saguaros, these rare saguaros sport a fan-like growth on them.

Plant biologists who study saguaros don’t know what causes this odd growth on a few saguaros. Some biologists theorize that these odd growths on the saguaro are the result of the saguaro being hit by lightning or it having freeze damage to the crested area due to frost. Others speculate that the cristate is due to a genetic mutation.

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While the cause remains a mystery, the result, in many cases, is a spectacular addition to the affected saguaro.

Crested saguaro cacti can be found wherever saguaro cacti grow. However, because they are rare, the odds of finding them are improved in places where there are numerous saguaro cacti. According to the National Park Service, there are about 75 known crested saguaro cacti located within the boundaries of the two sections of the National Park.

However, finding the crested saguaros can be difficult as they are part of a huge forest of saguaros. Even with the maps marking the location of some of the crested saguaros that are available at the visitor centers in each section, visitors have to look carefully to spot the crested saguaros.

Saguaros Bloom in the Spring

In addition to the sunrises and sunsets and the crested saguaros, there is also the flowering of the saguaros in late Spring, followed by the fruit in early summer.

Beginning about late April through the end of June (the length of the main flowering period varies from year to year), the saguaros produce numerous delicate white flowers.

The buds on the Saguaro generally start opening sometime after midnight, with most of them having wilted by late afternoon. There are exceptions, with some opening shortly after sunrise and not wilting until late afternoon or early evening. However, since many mature saguaros produce numerous buds which open at different times, visitors have about a month or more to visit and see flowers on the saguaros.

Saguaros Produce a Sweet Red Fruit

The flowers of the Saguaro, like other flowers, produce nectar that attracts bees and other insects, as well as certain species of birds and bats. In getting to the nectar, they pick up pollen which they then carry to the next Saguaro flower, where it rubs off and fertilizes that flower.

After the fertilized flower dies at the end of the day, it begins turning into a sweet red fruit that contains thousands of tiny black seeds. Many birds and desert animals eat the sweet fruit, including the seeds, which, in most animals, pass through their digestive system and begin growing into new saguaros after being excreted.

Humans, especially the native Tohono O'odham peoples, have a long tradition of harvesting and boiling it down to produce syrup or fermenting it into an alcoholic beverage. The Tohono O’odham were doing this long before the Europeans arrived.

Other locals pick, peel and eat the fruit like any other type of produce. It should be noted that while citizens of the neighboring Tohono O’odham Nation have permission to harvest Saguaro fruit in area national parks, harvesting the fruit by others is illegal. Others who wish to pick and consume the fruit have to obtain it from their own property or other areas to which they have legal access.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2018 Chuck Nugent

Comments

Chuck Nugent (author) from Tucson, Arizona on October 25, 2018:

Peggy Woods -Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the Hub. As to the snake I wasn't so much scared as much as focused on reminding myself to pay even more attention to the area through which I am walking.

Liz Westwood from UK on October 25, 2018:

Fair point, Chuck. You put the advantages of digital photography very well. Having been away recently and also attended two family events I am feeling a little inundated with photos that need sorting out. Thanks for your comment about my Prague article. It's taking a while to get it through the editors to Wander Wisdom

Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on October 25, 2018:

Your photos are fantastic! You and your wife are fortunate to live so close to the Saguaro National Park. I have only been able to see it on several trips through that area but it was always during daylight hours. Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos with us.

You are very fortunate that the rattlesnake was sleeping and not disturbed by your stepping over it. I'll bet your heart rate skipped a few beats when you realized how close you had come to that rattlesnake! Yikes!

Chuck Nugent (author) from Tucson, Arizona on October 24, 2018:

Paul Levy - Thanks for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the Hub As to the rattlesnake while I did take the photo with a telephoto lens from a distance, I actually stepped over the snake before I saw it. If you look closely in the picture the snake is curled up sleeping against a log. I came at him from behind and stepped over the log and snake and didn't notice the snake until after I had stepped over him. My wife and I keep a close eye on the ground ahead of us when we are hiking. Not so much to avoid snakes but to avoid rocks and other things we can trip over especially when on hiking on narrow and rocky mountain terrain. This also helps to see snakes. I saw flat ground the other side of the log (which actually concealed the snake and my foot was a good foot or more in front of the snake when I set it down. I noticed the snake as I was passing over the log and made a point to take a few more large steps before turning around to view & take a picture of the snake. As for the snake, he slept through the whole thing. Thanks again for your comment and concern.

Chuck Nugent (author) from Tucson, Arizona on October 24, 2018:

Liz Westwood - Thank you for your comment. I agree that in today's digital age one accumulates thousands of pictures. However, in the pre-digital age not only was the cost of film and developing expensive but we also had to wait until we finished a roll of film and received our pictures back before we could view and evaluate the pictures we took. Now we can view them instantly. Also, with our phones doubling as cameras we are able to snap a picture any time we see a good shot without having to drag a camera around all the time. Finally, since the cost of taking a picture is zero I don't have any problem experimenting and taking lots of pictures of something and deleting the ones I don't like without feeling guilty about having wasted money on the ones I delete.

Thanks again for your comments and, by the way, I enjoyed all the pictures you displayed in your Hub "A River View of Prague"

Chuck Nugent (author) from Tucson, Arizona on October 24, 2018:

Emmy Ali - Thank you for your comment. Saguaro National Park is a beautiful place to visit anytime and it is even worth the effort to get up before dawn and drive out there to watch the sun rise over it.

Liz Westwood from UK on October 24, 2018:

This is a very well-illustrated article. I especially like taking photos of sunrise and sunset. The problem I have in this digital age is that I end up with so many photos and then struggle to pick out the best ones.

Eman Abdallah Kamel from Egypt on October 24, 2018:

Very nice place and informative article. Sunset photos are wonderful. In fact, everything natural around us calls for long meditation.

Paul Levy from United Kingdom on October 24, 2018:

Looks like a beautiful place for a walk, such amazing detail on these cacti! Before I read the caption on that rattlesnake photo I thought you must have been mad to get that close to it - relieved to see that you remained a safe distance and used a telephoto lens. Thanks for sharing.