A black tailed rattlesnake, one of a handful of rattlesnake varieties found in Saguaro NP

Mushrooms sprouting out of fallen trees after a robust monsoon season

Arizona › Pima County › Saguaro National Park - Rincon Mountain District › Saguaro National Park › Saguaro Wilderness

Saguaro National Park Wilderness Permits

Open

Open year-round for wilderness backpacking. Permits required via Recreation.gov. Water sources are seasonal and unreliable except at Manning Camp; backpackers must carry sufficient water. Summer hiking requires pre-dawn trailhead departures due to extreme desert heat exceeding 100°F at lower elevations.

Notify on Availability Reserve

Flash Flood Warning issued August 29 at 8:36PM MST until August 29 at 11:15PM MST by NWS Tucson AZ

8:36 PM — 11:15 PM

FFWTWC The National Weather Service in Tucson has extended the * Flash Flood Warning for... South Central Pima County in southeastern Arizona... * Until 1115 PM MST. * At 836 PM MST, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 3 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts up to 0.2 inches are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Vamori, Cowlic, Choulic and Coldfields. This includes the following Flash Flood Prone Locations... Indian Route 20 at Cowlic. Significant rain has occurred on the western slopes of the Boboquivari Mountains into the lower deserts from Topawa to the International Border. Expect significant and rapid rises on washes including the Vamori Wash. This will take some time for the flood wave to move down the wash, which will likely occur after midnight.

Flash Flood Warning issued August 29 at 7:49PM MST until August 29 at 10:45PM MST by NWS Tucson AZ

7:49 PM — 10:45 PM

FFWTWC The National Weather Service in Tucson has extended the * Flash Flood Warning for... South Central Pima County in southeastern Arizona... * Until 1045 PM MST. * At 749 PM MST, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 2 and 3.7 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts up to 0.1 inches are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Topawa, San Miguel, South Komelik, Choulic, Newfield, Coldfields, Fresnal Canyon and Hashan Chuchg. This includes Route 286 between mile markers 28 and 30. This includes the following Flash Flood Prone Locations... Indian Route 19 south of Topawa. Significant rainfall is occurring in Fresnal Canyon and the western slopes of the Boboquivari Mountains, which will flow toward Topawa and Route 19 or San Miguel Road. Expect rapid rises and significant flows in these areas.

Flash Flood Warning issued August 29 at 7:48PM MST until August 29 at 11:15PM MST by NWS Tucson AZ

7:48 PM — 11:15 PM

FFWTWC The National Weather Service in Tucson has extended the * Flash Flood Warning for... North Central Pima County in southeastern Arizona... * Until 1115 PM MST. * At 748 PM MST, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 3.5 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts up to 1 inch are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Queens Well and Silver Bell.

Flash Flood Warning issued August 29 at 7:28PM MST until August 29 at 10:30PM MST by NWS Tucson AZ

7:28 PM — 10:30 PM

FFWTWC The National Weather Service in Tucson has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... Central Pima County in southeastern Arizona... * Until 1030 PM MST. * At 728 PM MST, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 2.5 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Kitt Peak, San Pedro and Pan Tak. This includes Route 86 between mile markers 131 and 143.

Flood Watch issued August 29 at 4:49PM MST until August 31 at 5:00AM MST by NWS Tucson AZ

4:49 PM — August 30th, 5:00 AM

* WHAT...Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible. * WHERE...Tucson Metro Area, Southeast Pinal County, Tohono O'odham Nation, Upper San Pedro River Valley Upper Santa Cruz River Valley/Altar Valley, Baboquivari Mountains, Catalina and Rincon Mountains, Dragoon and Mule and Huachuca and Santa Rita Mountains. * WHEN...Through late Sunday night. * IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Low-water crossings may be flooded. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - An increase in moisture will bring scattered thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday. Rainfall rates in excess of 1 inch per hour are expected with the stronger storms with isolated areas having the potential of 1-3 inches. Additional rainfall from the previous day and overnight activity will result in faster responses in normally dry washes, creeks and roadway dips. - Http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood

About

Saguaro National Park's six wilderness campgrounds represent the only overnight options within the park, situated in the rugged Rincon Mountains of the east district. Each campground requires a minimum 4.4-mile hike through challenging terrain, with distances ranging up to 10 miles depending on the route. The campgrounds span elevations from Douglas Spring at 4,800 feet to Manning Camp at 7,920 feet, providing access to one of the last roadless sky island ecosystems in southern Arizona. The Rincon Mountains offer a remarkable ecological gradient, transitioning from iconic saguaro cacti at lower elevations through oak woodlands and juniper stands to ponderosa pine forests at the highest camps. Manning Camp provides the most reliable year-round water source; all other campgrounds are near intermittent streams or springs that may be dry during much of the year. Fire rings are available at four campgrounds (Manning, Spud Rock Spring, Happy Valley Saddle, and Juniper Basin), while fires are prohibited at Douglas Spring and Grass Shack due to grassland fire risk. Spring and fall offer ideal backpacking conditions, though summer temperatures at trailheads regularly exceed 100°F, requiring pre-dawn departures to reach higher elevations safely. Winter brings snow to upper elevations. All permits must be reserved through Recreation.gov at $8 per site per night, with a maximum of 6 people per site.

Directions

Five trailheads access the wilderness. Douglas Spring Trailhead at the east end of Speedway Boulevard offers 24-hour access. Tanque Verde Ridge Trailhead is on the park scenic loop drive (gate locked 8:30pm-5am). Miller Creek and Turkey Creek trailheads are on USFS Route #35, 16 miles north of I-10 exit #297 on graded gravel roads. Italian Spring Trailhead requires high-clearance 4WD via Redington Road and USFS Route #37. Camino Loma Alta Trailhead provides south boundary access. There is no public access via Madrona.