ORO VALLEY, AZ — At the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains just north of Tucson, hikers are exploring the beauty of the Sonoran Desert at Catalina State Park.
The 5,200-acre park attracts more than 250,000 visitors each year who come to hike, bike, camp and enjoy nature in one of southern Arizona’s most scenic desert landscapes.
The park also offers guided hikes, interpretive classes and wildlife programs where visitors can see up to 30 species of live Sonoran Desert animals.
Recent rain and melting snow from the surrounding peaks have brought flowing water to washes that cross several trails. The early, wet spring also produced colorful wildflowers, including poppies, lupine and Alice clover, that are still blooming in parts of the park.
Catalina State Park remains a favorite spot to take in towering saguaros, mesquite and palo verde trees that define the desert landscape—especially before the intense summer heat arrives.
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