Saguaro National Park Field Trips – Tucson Mountain District (West)

Saguaro National Park offers a variety of opportunities for students to experience an educational program in an outdoor setting.  Field trips are offered for grades K-12 and are organized by grade bands.

Teachers and students can get in touch with their desert home by exploring the plants, animals and cultures that thrive here! A ranger-guided field trip to Saguaro National Park can add a new dimension to your classroom curriculum by offering your students an opportunity to learn outside in a hands-on and inquiry-based setting. All programs align with Arizona state education standards.

All of our field trips are free of charge and reimbursements for transportation are available thanks to the Friends of Saguaro National Park (subject to availability and some restrictions apply).

Sonoran Desert Superpowers

Grade K-1
AZ Standards: K.L1U1.6, K.L1U1.7, 1.L2U2.7, 1.L2U1.8

Encounter the super strength, speed, invisibility, healing powers, and mental agility of desert organisms. Assemble them all to build a team powerful enough to surmount any threat! This program includes games and activities to engage a young student’s gross motor skills and natural affinity for the superhero story.

Available: October to March
Group Size: 60 students maximum

Field Studies

Grade 2-3
AZ Standards: 3.L1U1.5, 3.L2U1.8

What do you think of when you consider a “field?” A big open grassy area? This field trip takes on the Sonoran Desert from multiple perspectives, including the “field of view” through a microscope and “fields of study” like ethnography. Get ready to think big, small, and everything in between.

Available late October to March
Group Size: 60 students maximum

People of the Desert

Grade 3-5
AZ Standards: 4.SP1.2, 4.G1.1, 4.G2.1, 4.G4.1, 4.H1.1

This program explores the timeline of human history, heritage, and tradition that have contributed to today’s rich cultural landscape. Students will explore technology of paleo and early agricultural civilizations, art from the thriving period known as the Hohokam era, community resources assembled by the O’odham and food traditions that begin on the desert landscape and now appear in kitchens across modern America.

Available late October to March
Group Size: 60 students maximum

Saguaro By the Numbers

Grade 5-8
AZ Standards: 5.G.A.1, 5.G.A.2, 6.NS.C.8, 7.NS.A.3, 8.EE.B.5, 8.F.B.4, 5-8.MP.4, 5-8.MP.5

Saguaros are tall, but HOW tall? A hike feels steep, but IS it? The map says go north, but WHERE is that exactly? This program marries the emotions of exploring the Sonoran Desert — feelings like awe, discovery, and challenge — with the measurements of the natural world. Students will use scientific instruments to explore mathematical concepts like slope, volume, and angles.

Available: October to March
Group Size: 60 students maximum

Lost Carnivores

Grade 6-12
AZ Standards: 6-8.L2,L4U1-3.11-12 HS.L4U1

During this field trip, students will become citizen scientists in the field and collect data that will assist Park managers with a real-world problem. The field trip will investigate the declining population of small carnivores common in the Tucson Mountain District of the park. The kit fox, common raccoon, spotted skunk, hog-nosed skunk, and striped skunk have not been documented in the park since before the year 2000. It is hypothesized that small carnivores may be particularly at risk to declining population due to increasing urban sprawl in the areas surrounding the park. The Lost Carnivore Project is a joint effort between biologist and students to find out if the mammals are still in existence in the Tucson Mountains. Students will determine a location to set and check wildlife cameras in in our wilderness and sensitive resource corridor, gather data around the camera site, sketch and map the area, and will record notes about the site’s environment in a provided journal. Students will use a variety of tools to conduct their research including GPS units, cameras, and weather instruments. The off-trail hike through rugged terrain will not only provide an opportunity for them to make a personal connection to nature but will also expose them to Leave No Trace concepts.

Available: October to March
Group Size: 30 students maximum