Why is Saguaro National Park Split in Half?

Why is Saguaro National Park split in half? Saguaro National Park East and Saguaro National Park West are two halves of the same park. This is the story of how that came to be.
In this short-form Saguaro National Park Documentary, I’ll walk you through the complete timeline of Saguaro’s history. From its humble beginnings as a recreational area for Tucsonans to it’s complicated dealings with ranchers and miners, the story of Saguaro National Park is chock full of fascinating National Park history.
In the end, the Saguaro cactus benefits. Despite being split in half, Saguaro National Park still manages to protect its most famous resident.
I hope you enjoy this story and if you do, consider liking and subscribing to the channel. I tell park stories like this one regularly and would love to tell more.
You can also follow me on Instagram: @nationalparkdiaries

[@NationalParkDiaries]

I am now aware I have been pronouncing "Saguaro" wrong. Please proceed to shame me in the comments. I deserve it.

[@AbouttheJourney]

I won't shame you too much. I used to pronounce the Abajo mountains with a hard "j", yet I could pronounce Navajo just fine... I felt pretty dumb for a bit. This was an interesting video. I've always wondered myself about the two units. I hope to check them out this winter. Thanks for another great video, and I hope you enjoy the holiday season! - Mike

[@NationalParkDiaries]

@@AbouttheJourney It's certainly not the last thing I'll mispronounce on this channel 😂 Thanks for watching Mike, enjoy the park and enjoy your holidays!

[@joannabell9294]

Thank you Brother, I appreciate your videos. Any mis pronunciations, there is a reason for that.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

@@joannabell9294 Thanks for watching! I'm really glad you're enjoying them!

[@joannabell9294]

@@NationalParkDiaries ya know, I lived in Utah for 43 years, and I never made it to the great 5 parks starting at arches. Although I did see rainbow bridge via boat and hike in the 1982 or so. Trying to find my pictures, I got a new camera for Christmas that year and I even got pictures of Indian ruins that we hiked to. Before dangling rope marina, I wonder what’s hidden by the waters of Powell. Did you work at a specific park?

[@JoshuaRyanActual]

as a life long Arizonan I seriously appreciate this video, even though I physically cringed each time 'Saguaro' was pronounced with a hard 'G' sound lol But seriously thank your putting a spot light on the tiny slice of earth that's been my back yard for 30 years now!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks for watching! I found out as soon as I posted that I pronounced it wrong lol. I have learned my lesson and deserve to get roasted 😅

[@ericlee8231]

I couldn't even what it

[@essentialists9209]

To everyone looking to visit, welcome! Tucson and our surrounding Saguaros are beautiful sights and would love to have you. Just remember that traditionally spanish-originated words like Saguaro, Ajo, and Tortilla, often pronounce these words with an "h" or "y" sound and with a quick google/dictionary search you can pronounce anything unfamiliar to you and learn a little culture from a different part of the US as well! Safe travels!

[@ericlee8231]

Cholla, gila, and mesa also

[@johncrandall5782]

Narrator: Saguaro National Park has a massive city between them Phoenix residents: o_O does it?

[@johnchedsey1306]

Very information video! As a Tucson resident, I visit the park regularly (both sides) and very grateful it was preserved. I didn't realize quite the political nonsense behind its creation and land issues. People who have lived here a long time still refer to it as "The monument" as opposed to a national park.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Yeah, I initially was just curious as to why the Park was split in half, but didn't know I'd find such an interesting story during my research! I love weird administrative anomalies like that for some reason 😂

[@roadracer517]

I live in a town totally within National Forest. At the end of one 12 mile road. Population of 600. I love it.

[@ellie3910]

It’s basically two beautiful parks divided by one beautiful city! I love Arizona

[@atc_av8er]

Thank you for this. This is easily one of the most underrated channel on YT and I hope to see you grow. Keep putting out quality videos. I learn a lot from each one.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks so much, that means a lot! It's so gratifying to know people are enjoying these videos and learning from them. I've got some big ideas if this thing continues to grow. Thanks for watching and sticking around!

[@tomadams2319]

Oh, that hard G is killing me! I just moved away from 25 years in sorely missed AZ and never heard it mispronounced so many times! Note that one of the alternative spellings is "sahuaro". Anyway, thanks for the interesting story. I always wondered why the park was split like that!

[@5frogfrenzy]

So you admit that it can be pronounced differently 🙄

[@blastedmcgraw152]

Excellent video! I had the honor and privilege of visiting this beautiful place for the first time a couple of weeks ago, so this was a great supplement to that experience. You’ve earned my sub. Keep up the good work!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks so much, welcome to the community! Glad you had fun out there!

[@smplfi9859]

I see your comment addresses this, but as an Arizonan... it's more humorous than anything my guy! Now ya knOw it's Suh-Wah-Rō. despite this I still learned something new, thanks man!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Haha, I have learned my lesson! Thanks for watching!

[@jonathantitus2629]

No matter how you pronounce it--I appreciate the educational value of this video. I love the area around Tucson, so the pictures and video brought back great memories. We hope to one day return to southern Arizona.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@sk8razer]

This video goes out to that Baltimore native friend I had in NY who said “I don’t know anything about deserts, except that there’s no beautiful scenery”. No, girl, you just don’t know anything about deserts 😆

[@everymanoffroadadventures6082]

Cameron your videos are awesome as they are informative!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks so much, I really appreciate that!

[@markdimmitt5149]

You overlooked a major part of the story. In the late 20th century the giant saguaros in the eastern park began rotting and dying in huge numbers. (There were few small young ones because of the cattle.) The bacterial rot was attacking old, weak plants, but scientists mistakenly thought that it was a new, virulent pathogen. The saguaros west of Tucson were younger and healthier. Fearing that the eastern park would soon be devoid of saguaros, the western unit was established in large part to protect the species.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

That's certainly a big part of this story, and I did touch on it when talking about the administrative history of the Eastern Unit. But, from the official histories I've read, the driving force behind the preservation of the Western Unit was the threat mining posed to the area. Proponents wanted it protected from these extractive uses and thus pushed for preservation. By the time the Western Unit was threatened, the NPS already had full control over the Eastern Unit and was able to stop the grazing that threatened the young Saguaros. Thanks for your input!

[@wannabetowasabe]

I missed when the grazing issue was resolved, ending the grazing that is. I knew of the more recent additions to the monument, later designated a National Park. I did not know that this was a location where the NPS had to manage grazing. Sometimes the right to graze is granted for the life of a person or for decades following federal acquisition of lands. Often times this is when National Forest land is redesignated as National Park land. Back in 1973 I hiked among cows on a portion of Kings Canyon National Park in California. This was 33 years after the designation of the park, which involved a large area of the Sequoia National FOREST being redesignated Kings Canyon National Park.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Yes, grazing was one of the more contentious aspects in the creation of Saguaro NP because of all the administrative confusion. Grazing ended in certain portions of the park in 1958, but continued until 1978 in the Tanque Verde section when a Park Service study showed the ecological damage it was causing. This link has a brief overview of the park's grazing history if you're interested: www.nps.gov/sagu/learn/nature/grazing-history-plant-succession.htm

[@BFjordsman]

Mostly because that's where they grow best.. both areas are on the west side of mountains

[@Bob-ln1jh]

Saw-war-row

[@RicardoGonzalez-ww3ov]

As a Tucsonan i can always tell the out of towners that were looking for the Monument when they asked how to find "Ajo" road ! Try and pronounce that street name ! One of the main reasons for the Rincon mountain park was to preserve down stream water rights for grazing and people , believe it or not the Rillito river was once a raging river with enormous fish it is now dry as a saltine cracker . The Tucson valley relied on that water till the mines sucked it all up .

[@sethliles424]

Tucson is literally an upgraded LA shout-out to my fellow Tucsonans

[@Deletedcommentfactory]

Tucson and it’s surrounding agriculture is a blight on the otherwise beautiful desert.

[@BFjordsman]

As for the mining they weren't kidding, twin peaks is right on the border of the park and in my lifetime it's had a mastectomy there is only one left. The cement factory is only a couple miles away

[@BFjordsman]

6:21 shows Tucson mountains says Rincons

[@brandoncraig4668]

I'd love to see a video about grazing rights on federally owned land. IMO grazing destroys the land being protected.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Definitely planning a video/videos on grazing at some point. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@AlexCab_49]

I want to go to Saguaro National Park! Which side is it better to visit? Is there camping/backpacking allowed? And how would I get from the Tucson train station to the park?

[@Galiuros]

The east unit of the Saguaro National Park, which includes the entire Rincon Mountains, is the best place to do some backcountry camping. A permit is needed. To get there from the train station, probably an Uber would be best since there isn't a shuttle and the busses don't go that far east.

[@brewskimckilgore6796]

love a nice cacti

[@markdoty1213]

Good job on your work.Don;t take saguaro comments to hard it's a Spanish word.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Haha, thanks!

[@Token_Nerd]

If only saguaro also included Sabino canyon and mt lemon

[@PeteHemdem]

It's pronounce sah-WAR-oh.

[@upside93]

Saw-Woo-Row is the proper pronunciation

[@residentmaple]

Immediately went to the comments three seconds into the video to see if anyone else complained about saguaro

[@coinscout3679]

The "G" saguaro is silent yall... LOL

[@robbabcock_]

Great video! Your channel gives me hope. It seems like the rapacious forces of capitalism and destructive extraction is reducing the planet to a large open toilet but there are some bright spots.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thank you! I hope that stories about protected places like these help us understand what we're losing and inspire us, even just a little bit, to help protect them.

[@tomadams2319]

Better practice before you try to pronounce "Mogollon", as in the Mogollon Rim Visitor Center. It's another trap for newbies. The rim runs diagonally across Arizona and separates the low desert from the mountains and high plateau.

[@davidsquire2107]

G in Saguaro is silent

[@daveweber9737]

It's Suh-waro,not Sag-waro.

[@tabortollefson]

Sa-wahr-oh

[@gb8894]

It’s pronounced “Sawaro” not “Sagwaro” great channel, but the mispronunciations of so many parks is a bit annoying.

[@DeadPig325]

Why is it not a G tho the g in agua isn’t silent

[@mutilatoralex]

@@DeadPig325 Espanol es complicado

[@jshinn123]

Sag waro

[@cityman1111]

One would or might think that you have absolutely never been to Tucson.

[@parkerthemad]

Before I even watch this video I’m guessing his solution as usual to these “problems” is to remove Tucson so it can be a wild area

[@gumbyshrimp2606]

The entire US should be a national park. With no park roads or visitors centers. Or even trails. Just nothing at all.

[@mutilatoralex]

the only real solution

[@davidsquire2107]

I found the word in a dictionary.

[@bevadryl]

sagg warro

[@bagofchips55]

Sssaaaaaggggggg warrrrro

[@downrightmike]

Saguaro is pronounced Sah-Wore-Roe

[@monk3ysmuggler]

I couldn't watch the whole video cause it was making me feel sag :(

[@AdaM48state]

Pronounced sa-war-oh!!!

[@senatorfatpie]

Bro. SWAR-OHH. Jesus. Bet you say "paw-tucket" and New oRLEENS.

[@edsanville]

CON-cord, New Hampshire.

[@paulrobinson3534]

Greed. That's why

[@rhondabank4766]

Excellent overview, but did lose a lot of credibility by mispronouncing saguaro.

[@rycliffmc]

You said saguaro wrong every single time. I couldn’t finish watching the video because it made me cringe so much.

[@Rhapbus1]

literally unwatchable

[@charlesd.7433]

Dislike the video only because of the way he says “saguaro”

[@rickanna8662]

You lost me at the first saGuaro. Have some self respect, take this video down and try harder. 👎