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22 Incredible National Parks of Arizona + $500 Hotel Giveaway

We love exploring National Parks and the Great Outdoors! In the past couple of years, we’ve visited several in California but haven’t had the chance to venture as much inland. Luckily, our latest adventure brought us out to Tucson, Arizona to explore Saguaro National Park (It’s pronounced sa-WAH-roh. Can’t believe we’ve been saying it wrong all our lives!).

Saguaro National Park East / Gaining Perspective From the Great Outdoors.Pin

How many National Parks are in Arizona?

There are 3 national parks and 22 national park units total. We’ve been to the 3 major national parks and are now working through the national monuments, historic sites, and recreation areas.

Arizona National Parks

  1. Grand Canyon National Park
  2. Petrified Forest National Park
  3. Saguaro National Park

Arizona National Monuments

  1. Canyon De Chelly National Monument
  2. Casa Grande Ruins NM
  3. Chiricahua NM
  4. Hohokam Pima NM
  5. Montezuma Castle NM
  6. Navajo NM
  7. Organ Pipe Cactus NM
  8. Pipe Spring NM
  9. Sunset Crater Volcano NM
  10. Tonto NM
  11. Tuzigoot NM
  12. Walnut Canyon NM
  13. Wupatki NM

Arizona National Historic Sites

  1. Coronado National Memorial
  2. Fort Bowie National Historic Site
  3. Hubbell Trading Post NHS
  4. Tumacacori National Historic Park

Arizona National Recreation Areas

  1. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
  2. Lake Mead National Recreation Area (also NV)

Misc

We’ve seen other people’s photos of how big Saguaro cacti can grow, but it was mind-blowing to see these giants in person and drive through a whole forest of cacti.

Before visiting, we pictured a typical desert scenery that’s mostly dry and sandy, but we were really surprised to find how lush and green the Sonoran desert is.

Saguaro National Park Tucson AZ / Gaining Perspective From the Great Outdoors.Pin

Part of what why we love getting outdoors is that it helps us gain perspective. It reminds us of how grand nature is and how small we are. These cacti grow up to 40-60 ft and live up to 150+ years old. The first five years, they’re only an inch tall, and they grow ever so slowly.

When we’re sitting at home in front of our computers, it’s easy to get lost in our own day to day and the stresses of life. Seeing them helps me to remember to be patient with myself, with those around me, and my work. Everything happens in its own time.

Saguaro National Park Tucson AZ / Gaining Perspective From the Great Outdoors.Pin

During our trip, we stayed at Comfort Inn & Suites®. Our room was the perfect home base for us during our adventures. We could check in on work after a long day out, there was a fridge to store any food and drinks for the next day, and there was plenty of space for us to spread out and relax. No joke, our suite was bigger than our apartment! We even took advantage of the gym and hot breakfast even though we are not morning people (can you tell in the video?). We love that they are constantly renovating and improving their hotels.

Comfort Inn Tucson Arizona.Pin
Experiencing the Great Outdoors with Comfort Inn Tucson AZ.Pin

To get you started on your next adventure, we’ve partnered with Comfort Inn & Suites® to give away a $500 Choice Hotels gift card! You can enter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, don’t forget to check out our vlog:

Thank you to Comfort Inn and Suites® by Choice Hotels for sponsoring our stay and this post. #RightChoice #RestedSetGo
All opinions are our own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Local Adventurer possible.

 

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