Greetings from Saguaro National Park

My husband and I spent two months in an undersized RV, with two children, a dog, and a hamster traveling from coast to coast. This overzealous itinery could have been the premise for a bad Chevy Chase movie, but instead, we were rescued by the National Parks Junior Ranger Program as it became our guide across the country. The story I propose to write for your magazine includes gritty details of our illustrious coast to coast adventure through the activities provided in the Junior Ranger work books.

My favorite activity was 5 minutes of silence at Dead Horse Canyon: My daughter Emilia and I sat on the rim of the canyon and let the silence rush through us. The weight of dead air in the void loomed like a heatwave rising to the surface of the gorge, full to bursting with the afterlife. The silent history of the enigmatic site spoke to us. The timer went off, jolting us out of our reverie. Emilia, my 4 year old, and I, left that place feeling like we had just stepped into the view, and experienced the park through an almost spiritual synthesis.

The Junior Ranger program gave our children the opportunity to learn about the landscape and history of our country through experience and applied learning. We learned together, as a family, about each park we visited. It gave us an itinerary of active experiences in the parks that we never could have conjured up ourselves with limited time and resources.

Sincerely,
Olivia de Soria

Saguaro National Park

It’s the iconic image of the American Southwest: The giant saguaro cactus, standing tall amid the arid desert, arms perpetually raised to the sky. At Saguaro National Park, you can see more than 1.6 million of these giant saguaro — the largest forest of its kind on the planet.

State(s): Arizona

Established: 1994

“We support the parks because they have given us the opportunity to experience the American landscape in its most pristine form. ”

National parks represent the best of America. Why do you care about protecting and preserving them? Tell us why parks matter to you!

{{ active ? "Cancel" : "Begin"}}

Success! Thanks for sharing your story with us.

You’ll be notified by email when your story is approved and added to the collection on the My Park Story homepage.

In the meantime, you can share your own story page with your family and friends — and help us spread the word about these priceless memories and priceless places!

Here’s your unique story page link:

{{ storyUrl }}

* indicates Required fields

Click to choose a file to upload

Submitting your story means that you agree to our Terms of Service

More Stories

  • Greetings from Saguaro National Park

    National parks are for EVERYONE. I myself am disabled, allowing me to have an access pass to get into the parks. I’m not a hiker, so even just getting to see the beauty in all the parks is such a great thing for me. I am particularly in love with…

  • Greetings from Saguaro National Park

    I am fortunate to live near the East HQ, park and national forest (Rincon Mountain district) just outside Tucson, AZ. For the past five years the neighbors that care deeply for this glorious preserved area have been fighting a developer (El Cortillo LLC and Bike Ranch LLC), their attorneys and…

  • Greetings from Saguaro National Park

    It was a breathtaking day seeing the most majestic gentle giants. We will never forget the beauty of the park and the friendliness of the rangers.

Donate

Preserve Our Parks

Make a tax-deductible gift today to provide a brighter future for our national parks and the millions of Americans who enjoy them.

Donate Now