Saguaro Cactus?

[mtnbbud]

My wife was talking to my son and asked him what do you want to see this summer. He said the Seguaro cactus. She's been asking me to consider heading down to the Pheonix area in late June.

I've never seen the Seguaro catus myself. From the comfort of our living room it sounds great, but I'm afraid of the heat. One way we could avoid the heat would be to bag taking the trailer all that way and stay in a nice hotel. (There's a couple of hotels in the Pheonix area that look like they have an awesome system of pools.) We don't have airconditioning in our little trailer and I'd be pulling it all the way from Oregon with my 6cyl Tacoma.

Any advice from those that have seen the Saguaro's? Not just in terms of camping or staying in a hotel, but also for places to visit and things to see? Is it going to be too hot, even if we fly down and stay in a hotel?

I learn so much from all of your experience.

Thanks for your help,

Jeff

[Old-Biscuit]

darsben1 wrote:
Actually you might be better off staying in the Flagstaff/ Grand Canyon area and go down through Sedona. On the back roads you will see tons of Saguaro. June should be tolerable in the Grand Canyon area even in your trailer. The temps will dip at night.

Not going to find Saguaro Cactus around Sedona....elevation 4300' plus
They do not grow above 3500'

Southern Arizona, Southeast California and Northwest Mexico

Start seeing them around Black Canyon City off I-17 ---roughly 50 miles north of Phoenix

Best around Tucson

[tdsxt51]

Take a jaunt over to Bullhead City and they sell them on the side of the road. You can buy one and take it home with you! :W

[darsben1]

Actually you might be better off staying in the Flagstaff/ Grand Canyon area and go down through Sedona. On the back roads you will see tons of Saguaro. June should be tolerable in the Grand Canyon area even in your trailer. The temps will dip at night.

[Earl_E]

To really see the Saguaros go to Tucson and stay in a hotel or motel. It will be hot so forget the camper. Saguaro National Park is hard to beat.

[Sandia_Man]

Late June is definitely pushing it for RVing in the areas where Saguaro thrive, add monsoons that usually roll in about then which significantly increases the humidity making it the worse time of year to visit. The mountains get rain pretty much every afternoon and with the elevation cools off nicely in the evening, but the valley areas and low deserts rarely get rain, just clouds and humidity for the most part.

The only real positive for going to the Valley of the Sun and southward during the summer season is many of the fabulous resorts that abound the area have their lowest rates of the year. All have marvelous swimming pools and would provide a nice respite from the heat, it is still best to swim early in the day or later in the evening when the sun is less hostile. If you can go a few weeks earlier in June it's not as bad with humidity virtually non-existent.

Our RV only has a single AC unit and the latest we have done any RVing in the lower deserts of AZ is April, with no AC in the rig March would be pushing it. We spend lots of time RVing in AZ during summer months, but all are at high elevations among the ponderosa pine covered in the mountains. There are hotels that are located among the great saguaros, get out early for any hiking or exploring you may be inclined to do.

[agesilaus]

There's a national park outside Tucson that's named after the Saguaro and is full of them. As for hot yes both Phoenix and Tucson will be hotter than hades in the summer. I think Phoenix is a bit hotter tho.

In Tucson go to the Desert Museum which is really a desert zoo with lots of critters. Your son will enjoy it. I don't know if Old Tucson (it is I just checked) is still in operation but they used to stage gunfights and such there. Of course Tombstone does that for certain. I lived in Tucson for a few years when I was in elementary school.