Wednesday, August 24, 2011

USA - Arizona - Saguaro National Park


SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK
TUCSON, ARIZONA

Saguaro National Park contains stands of saguaro cactus and rock formations decorated with Native American petroglyphs and designs. Saguaros can live for more than 200 years, attaining heights of 30 to 40 feet.

Sent by Stephanie from Arizona, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : Saguaro National Park, located in southern Arizona, is part of the United States national park system.

The park is divided into two sections, called districts, lying approximately 20 miles (32 km) east and 15 miles (24 km) west of the center of the city of Tucson, Arizona. The total area in 2010 was 91,440 acres (37,000 ha) of which 70,905 acres (28,694 ha) is designated wilderness. There is a visitor center in each of the two districts. Both are easily reached by car from Tucson, but there is no public transport into the park. Both districts conserve fine tracts of the Sonoran Desert, including ranges of significant hills, the Tucson Mountains in the west and the Rincon Mountains in the east. The park gets its name from the saguaro, a large cactus which is native to the region. Many other kinds of cactus, including barrel, cholla, and prickly pear, are abundant in the park. One endangered animal, the Lesser Long-nosed Bat, lives in the park part of the year during its migration, together with one threatened species, the Mexican Spotted Owl.

The park was proclaimed as Saguaro National Monument on March 1, 1933 by President Herbert Hoover, and redesignated a national park on October 14, 1994.

Facilities in the park include 150 miles (240 km) of well marked and maintained hiking trails, and shorter walking trails with interpretative information available. Backcountry hiking is not advisable during the hot summer months.

No comments: