Three National Parks in Three Weeks: Saguaro, Grand Canyon, & Zion

The Sonoran Desert that surrounds the city of Tucson is yet another extremely unique and beautiful environment of Arizona. It is here you will find the most famous and iconic cactus of them all: the saguaro. However, even though I have seen photographs, drawings, illustrations, cartoons, etc. of these incredible plants all my life, seeing one in person blew me away! They are massive! We were surprised to learn that these incredible plants can live to be 200+ years old. In fact, the vast majority of saguaros we saw during our stay were much, much older than us. These cacti reach 70 years old before they first flower, and won't begin producing arms until around 100 years. So when I looked out over this desert landscape, I couldn't help but wonder what these cacti had seen during their lifetime. 

We were really fortunate to be traveling in the springtime, because it seemed wherever we went, blooms and wildflowers surrounded us. In the Sonoran desert, April brought out the creosote bush flowers. The entire desert seemed to be solid yellow. 

 

 We were able to get out on a few trails through Saguaro National Park and get up close and personal with these graceful giants. Of course, you never want to get too close to desert plants, as they all seem to be adorned with massive thorns or some sort of nasty skin irritant. Even with keeping a safe distance, the cacti shared some of their wonderful details with me.

As with any other ecosystem, life cycles can be seen everywhere. In the northern hemisphere, spring brings the majority of new life. However, the passing of these giants happens as well. In my opinion, they are just as interesting in their decaying form as in the prime of their lives!

 

Spending a few days in the hot and arid desert environment left us ready for cooler weather. From the land of the saguaros, we headed north--to one of the seven natural wonders of the world. With our home in tow, we climbed to 7,000 ft above sea level and found the most beautiful campsite waiting for us.

The next morning, we left our forest paradise and traveled into Grand Canyon National Park for the first time. As we parked and headed for Mather Point overlook, I could feel a ton of excitement welling up in anticipation. As we neared the edge, we navigated a massive crowd, and all of a sudden, there it was. Of all the photographs and films I have seen of the Grand Canyon, none have ever done it justice. There is no feeling in the world like standing three feet from a 1,000ft+ cliff, looking out into the sheer vastness of this canyon. It honestly took my breath away. For quite some time, John and I didn't talk, but instead tried to digest the incredible scene before us. 

 

We spent a few days exploring this amazing place, and even took a small hike down into the canyon. We started down the south Kaibab trailhead, knowing that every step we took down would be a lot harder coming back up! We passed two mule trains and quite a few rock squirrels along the way who all came to greet us and collect their "toll" for passing their stretch of trail. To the dismay of the squirrels, we decided to keep all our peanuts for ourselves to aid as energy boosts on the journey back up to the rim. We had quite a view for our mid-hike picnic that day.

With massive crowds at all the popular overlooks, John and I tried to get a bit off the beaten path for a more exclusive experience. Really, in the whole park, there isn't a single bad view. Here, John is taking in an extra-exhilarating perspective. If you look closely, you can see the Colorado River in the bottom of the canyon continuing in its mission to sculpt this landscape.  If you ever have a chance to experience this natural wonder, I would suggest not to hesitate. There is a reason this park gets five million visitors each year!

From the Grand Canyon, we continued north to another spectacular canyon: Zion. The way we experienced Zion National Park was almost exactly the opposite of the Grand Canyon. Zion is much smaller in size, but that doesn't make it any less incredible. It rained almost the entire two and a half days we were there, which actually was a welcomed change of pace. It had been quite some time since we had seen rain. Zion is a hiker's paradise, with short, easy trails navigable to anyone, all the way to routes that persuade you to walk through slot canyons in knee to waist-deep water. Or you can climb multiple miles up to the rim and see stunning views below you. 

The majority of our time in Zion was spent gawking at the sheer cliffs looming all around us. They seemed to rise forever, their tips shrouded in clouds. We also saw small pools the color of emeralds, massive "weeping" walls that leaked waterfalls through their porous stone, and vibrant greenery that contrasted so nicely with the bountiful red rock. The Virgin River, which is the force that carved the marvelous canyon, is gorgeous and peaceful all on its own.  

 

With all the attractions being fairly close to each other, we were able to spend much more time enjoying nature than shuttling ourselves around. We made a few rock towers, enjoyed the presence of wild turkeys and deer, and sipped hot chocolate on a bench while taking in the magnificent scenery.

We could have easily spent an entire week or more at Zion National Park, but it was time for us to continue our journey northward to Montana. Familiar territory, friendly faces, and branding season were all waiting for us just a few hundred miles away!