This May, the Saguaro National Park has various of walks and talks about the park's natural and cultural history.
You'll have to pay the park entrance fees to get in, but here are a list of their events:
Naturalist Programs at the Red Hills Visitor Center
2700 North Kinney Rd.
Programs are offered most days at 10:15 a.m. and/or 11:15 a.m. and also in the afternoons at 2:!5 p.m. and or 3:15 p.m. Each program lasts between 30 and 45 minutes.
Some of the topics are mountain lions, lizards, coyotes, javelinas, kangaroo rats, insects, birds, survival strategies, the saguaro cactus and more. Programs are subject to change, the park encourages visitors to call ahead for updates on the day of the program: (520) 733-5158.
- May 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th
Cooking with Prickly Pear Talk
This program is at 3:15 p.m. and will last about 30 minutes. It's a special guided hike where you can learn how to incorporate prickly pear into your diet. You will learn how to collect and prepare prickly pear. It is wheelchair accessible.
- May 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st
Living With Giants Talk
This program is at 10:15 a.m. and will last about 45 minutes. It centers around the saguaro life events and the challenges it faces throughout its life. A biologist will explain how the saguaro provides shelter and substance for wildlife, when it flowers, its growth patterns, and how it fights for survival against things like drought, lighting, frost and other dangers. It is wheelchair accessible.
- May 1st, 8th, 22nd, 29th
Raptors! Talk
This program is at 2:15 p.m. and will last about 30 minutes. The talk will center around how Southern Arizona and the Sonoran Desert Region are renowned for the large variety of animal and plant species, especially birds, that can be found in the area. One of the most fascinating of those birds, are the raptors. They are the top predators of the avian world, who either live here year-round, or migrate through the area. This program is wheelchair accessible.
Program listings also are available on the park’s website, www.nps.gov/sagu, or visit us on Facebook.
- May 31st
Javelina: Our Desert Neighbors Talk
This program is at 11:15 a.m. and will last about 30 minutes. It's a chance to learn about the "desert pig" and how it survives in this arid environment. It is wheelchair accessible.
- May 9th, 23rd
Sonoran Secrets to Desert Survival Talk and Walk
This program is at 10:15 a.m. and will last about one hour. It's a 200 yard walk where you'll have the chance to identify the most common hazards hidden in the desert, uncover survival strategies of native plans and animals, and acquire practical tips to ensure your safety, particularly in warmer temperatures. It is wheelchair accessible.
- May 1st, 5th, 12th, 19th, 25th, 26th
Spiny, Shady, and COOL! Walk
This program is at 10:15 a.m. and the walk will last about 30 minutes for 100 yards. It's a chance for you to discover the variety of cacti that live in this unique and fascinating desert.
- May 5th, 21st
Picture This... Life Through A Different Lens Talk and Walk
This will be at 11:15 a.m. on the 5th, and 10:15 a.m. on the 21st and will last about 45 minutes. It's an interactive photography program, designed to present the basics of photography while teaching emotional connections with the desert.
- May 4th, 25th
Lizards are Hot, Lizards are Cool Talk
This program will be at 2:15 p.m. and will last about 30 minutes. Find out what it means when lizards do pushups or do other odd behaviors. This is wheelchair accessible.
Naturalist Programs at the Rincon Mountain District
3693 South Old Spanish Trail
- May 1st, 8th, 19th, 22nd, 26th, 29th
When It Rains, It Pours
This program will start at 2:00 p.m. Explore why and how monsoon can be life-saving rains in the Sonoran Desert.
- May 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th
Flash, Whoosh, Gush and Growth
This program is at 9:30 a.m. The summer heat and humidity bring the mighty and sometimes destructive monsoon rains. But some species in the desert depend on those drenching afternoons to live in the dry desert.
- May 3rd, 10th, 11th, 13th, 24th, 27th
Is it a Cactus or A... sparagus?
This program is at 10:00 a.m. Take a walk in a garden to learn how two families of spiny succulent plants are the same, but different.
- May 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 18th, 24th, 25th, 27th
The Changing Cactus Forest
This program is at 2:00 p.m. Take a lok at the Saguaro National Park and consider how the future will shape what your grandchildren see here.
- May 4th, 8th, 17th, 18th, 22nd
Desert Botany 101
This program is at 10:00 a.m. Go on a fitness hike with a park naturalist to explore Saguaro National Park. Sturdy hiking shoes, water and a trail snack are recommended.
- May 4th, 18th
Creating Saguaro National Park
This program is at 3:00 p.m. This theater presentation will highlight the commitment, compromise and decisions that created the park.
- May 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th
Easy Being Green
This program is at 10:00 a.m. Learn how every plan survives in the desert through a garden walk and model.
- May 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th
The Point of the Matter is Cactus
This program starts at 1:00 p.m. Learn at the cacti in the Saguaro National Park by using a photo gallery and learn some of their uses for those living here and beyond.
- May 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th
The Adventures of Thelma the Tortoise
This program is at 2:00 p.m. Take a trip across the Sonoran Desert with a tortoise who calls the Saguaro National park her home, until she sets her eyes on father horizons.
- May 11th, 25th
A Century of Tales
This program is at 3:00 p.m. Learn a century of histories and interesting stories from those who lived and worked in what today is Saguaro National Park.
- May 29th
Full Moon Hike
This program is at 7:00 p.m. and is a 3-mile, 2.5 hour guided hike. Explore the sights and sounds of the Sonoran Desert as it comes to life under the full moon. Sturdy walking shoes, water and a flashlight are recommended. Reservations required.
