In January 2023, we had a 15-day mother-daughter trip to Arizona and New Mexico. It was my second time in Arizona (we had previously traveled north from Sedona) and my first time in New Mexico. This time my goal was to visit several national parks and monuments on a loop starting in Tucson, Arizona.
We flew into Phoenix and then jumped in our rental car to head south.
Roundtrip flights
2023 Price: $590 per person
Rental Car
2023 Price: $652
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
To get a feel for all the different plants and animals we were likely to encounter, our first stop on the trip was the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It is right outside Saguaro National Park (West).
Desert Museum
2023 Price: $29.95 per person
Here there are several gardens, a hummingbird aviary, and animal exhibits including cat canyon, riparian corridor, mountain woodland, grassland, and birds of the Sonoran Desert. Information signs are always nearby to give you an idea of what you are seeing. Many of these signs also have both Spanish and English translations.
Gardens
The Sonoran Desert region, known as the lushest desert on Earth, is home to over 2,000 plant species. This museum offers visitors a look at 1,200 plant types.
With all the various cacti, it was especially helpful to have seen them with the name signs before seeing them in the national park.
There were some fun ones like the woolly jacket prickly pear.
Harris’ antelope ground squirrels and rock squirrels ran throughout the gardens and enjoyed snacking on fruits and nuts. One of my favorite photos of the day is this squirrel looking like he bit into a sour bit of fruit!
Mountain Woodland
Our first animal enclosure was the Mountain Woodland with animals you might find in nearby mountain ranges. A few gorgeous Mexican wolves were the top sight. Mexican wolves are an endangered species, and the museum is helping to reintroduce bred wolves into the mountains.
Riparian Corridor
This exhibit is a reminder that rivers and streams are essential in the desert. Our favorite animals here were the desert bighorn sheep. One proudly walked to a high point and poised for some photos.
Cat Canyon
At Cat Canyon they had three exhibits – bobcat, grey fox, and ocelot. The bobcat was my favorite; they are stunning animals and this one was adorably sleepy.
Birds
We spotted dozens of birds wandering free in the landscape. A couple of species were new to me – called lifers – including cactus wrens, black phoebes, Townsend’s solitaires, and a Costa’s Hummingbird.
The Costa’s hummingbird was high up on a cactus, but we had a closer look at some more in the hummingbird aviary.
Murals
While in Tucson we stayed at Hotel McCoy. I loved all the murals on the property! There were dozens but below are some of my favorites. It was like sleeping at a gallery.
Hotel McCoy
2023 Price $408 for 3 nights
We also drove into downtown Tucson to see the ‘Greetings from Tucson’ mural. It had different images in each letter which represented the area.
I appreciate getting to enjoy local art. Hint – this will not be the last “greetings from” mural we visited on this trip.
After a long day, we quickly fell asleep. We needed the energy for our hike the next day in Saguaro National Park!
One more experience of yours that makes me want to strap on my hiking boots. Well done Steph. I’ve heard of the Tucson Mural, having a figure posed in front gives me an idea of the size. Thank you