Pima Prickly Park

Have you ever said something to a group of people and you're so sure that you're correct, only to find out later that you were wrong, and you hope no one finds out? Well, I was worried that was gonna happen to me after we visited this park. I mean, I already mistakenly called a palo verde tree a mesquite, who knows how many other mistakes I have made when telling you all about the cacti I have come across. Fortunately for me, I have only made one mistake since then (that I know of), and it was an honest one.

This park, located next to the Natural Resources Parks & Recreation offices, used to be a rock quarry. Some of the employees made paths through the area, planted eight saguaro cacti in a circle, now known as SaguaroHenge, and added a few trees in the area. Shortly thereafter, the Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society signed an operating agreement to create this free viewing area, which highlights desert landscapes. The area is really neat. It is broken up into geographic sections, such as the Baja Garden, and areas for specific types of cacti, like flowering cacti. Most of the plants in each section have signs letting the viewer know what they are looking at. Of course, the most odd-looking ones didn't have a sign, so we decided to name them ourselves. Like the one below that looks like a saguaro covered in white Grinch fur, we named him Hairy Old Man.

Speaking of names, who knew that there were so many different types of the same species of cactus? Ok, maybe a botanist whose focus is desert plants, or someone who does desert landscaping for a living, but no one else would know. I certainly didn't. For example, my favorite little deer-antler look-alike cholla cactus is actually a hanging fruit cholla, and not a teddy bear cholla. Oh, yeah, and there are two types of hanging fruit cholla, one that’s smooth and one that isn’t. Crazy!

And for every type of cholla, there are a dozen types of barrel cacti. Ok that might be an exaggeration. But there are a LOT of types of barrel cacti out there, and they actually look completely different. On the plus side, whenever I said, "Hey, look at that barrel cactus!", I was never wrong, but I also wasn't specific. I guess the lesson is that I should be less specific when pointing out cholla, or any type of cactus, for that matter. That way I won't be leading anyone astray. Or I could just keep acting like I know all the things and just wait for someone to correct me. Hmmm…options.

Anyway, this was a fun, quick outing. The path is flat and covered in tiny, loose gravel. So, while I don't recommend that you wear sandals like I did (gravel in your shoes is never fun, and I also had to be saved from nearly stepping on a cholla barb), you don't need any special footwear and a wheelchair should not have any issues getting around. There isn't a lot of shade, so I do recommend wearing a hat and coming in the cooler part of the day. There is a visitor center, but it was not open on the day we were here, and there are several benches and picnic tables so bring a lunch and hang out with the wildlife.