Where to see big cactus in AZ and/or NM?

Thank you for the tips!

We thought about taking I-10 after stopping in San Antonio but heard it's isolated. We have 4 young children and that makes me nervous. Safety is the most important thing. I might start this in a separate thread. What do you think about I-10 through TX, NM and AZ?

2gypsies wrote:
I don't recall seeing any in New Mexico but from Phoenix to Tucson you'll see many. They are awesome, especially in bloom - usually April/May depending on the weather. To really appreciate them you need to walk amidst them. Saguaro Nat'l park east and west have nice trails. Catalina State Park at Tucson is a nice place to stay. In the Phoenix area, stay at one of the Maricopa County Park campgrounds (electric) which have huge sites landscaped by nature with the saguaro and other types of lovely cactus. Lost Dutchman State Park at Apache Junction is another excellent place to stay and some sites have full hookups.

Summer isn't the best place to tour these cities though. It's HOT!!! It starts getting hot and dry in May and quite often in March and April but Feb-April are prime wildflower/cactus blooming times.

We have to go when the kids are out of school. As a Floridian, I know Feb-April would be nicer, but we can't miss school. :)

RoyB wrote:
We used to really love the Apache Trail North of Apache Junction for seeing the big cactus plants when we lived in the area back in the 60s-70s... X2 on the Lost Dutchman State Park for camp site.


Google Image

We would park along some of the off-road shoots up the Apache Trail and walk among the big cactus... You can get right up next them...

The cactus are generally on the south slopes near the large mountains...

The Apache Trail is a great outing where you can take your time to enjoy the beautiful scenery. The Apache Trail is paved up to the Tortilla Flats area then becomes a small two lane (barely) dirt-rock road winding up and down the mountain trails... We used to picnic at a park pullout along an area called Fish Creek which is at the bottom of a pretty big canyon winding trail just north of Tortilla Flats...

Using google maps Earth View you can use people view and move along seeing the whole trail at ground level to get an idea about it... Some areas of the trail is flash flood prone if the weather gets bad all of a sudden...

Also be aware you away from people population here and must pay attention to what is around you at all times - you are out in the wild here for sure for snakes and spiders and strange looking wildlife forms... Have even run across a pack of Wild Javelina (pigs) one time in this area... Will certainly get your attention haha...

google image

Lots of other interesting things to see up and down the Apache trail that runs from Roosevelt Lake to Apache Junction. Great pit stop with shops at Tortilla Flats... Be sure to check out the bars stools as they are horse saddles with all of the famous horse names on them...

The mountain range near Apache Junction is the Superstitions... The lakes along the Apache Trail are source of water for the Phoenix valley metroplex...

Roy Ken

I've never heard of those pigs. thanks for the info and pics. I'm going to look into everything.

flgator4 wrote:
Thank you for the tips!

We thought about taking I-10 after stopping in San Antonio but heard it's isolated. We have 4 young children and that makes me nervous. Safety is the most important thing. I might start this in a separate thread. What do you think about I-10 through TX, NM and AZ?

Most interstates in the west have stretches of road that could be called isolated. It would be next to impossible to avoid those sections. If you are that worried you could rent a satellite phone for emergency use. Having said that you should understand that most interstates, even in the west, are fairly heavily traveled. It's not like you will be the only vehicle on the road for miles or hours. Help is very rarely far away.
RichH

I-10 across Texas, NM and AZ is just fine. You should have no worries. We've driven it many, many times. It's no worse than other interstates.

flgator4 wrote:
Thank you for the tips!

We thought about taking I-10 after stopping in San Antonio but heard it's isolated. We have 4 young children and that makes me nervous. Safety is the most important thing. I might start this in a separate thread. What do you think about I-10 through TX, NM and AZ?

From San Antonio stop at Fort Stockton then again in either Las Cruces or Deming NM. Would suggest a day in Tombstone AZ. Travel with your fresh water tank full and look for gas stations starting when you get to a half tank.
Will you be traveling with a dog?