AZ · Southwest · 2026 exact answer
Scenic drive gate hours at Saguaro: what applies in 2026?
Direct answer
Scenic drive gate hours - Cactus Forest Loop (East) 5:00 am to 8:30 pm, Bajada Loop (West) daylight only
Exact conditions
- Status
- Required under the listed conditions
- Applies to
- vehicles
- Place or corridor
- Cactus Forest Loop Drive in the Rincon Mountain District (East); Bajada Loop Scenic Drive - Golden Gate Road and Hohokam Road - in the Tucson Mountain District (West)
- Effective dates
- January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026
- Release model
- first come
Release detail: No booking - these are gate hours.
Fee detail: Covered by the entrance fee; no separate road fee.
Exceptions and limits
- The park itself is always open and you can walk or bike in 24 hours a day - only the scenic drives are gated.
- The daily hours on this rule are the East district's Cactus Forest Loop Drive hours.
- The West district's Bajada Loop Scenic Drive is open to vehicles during daylight hours; NPS does not publish clock times for it.
- Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time - park local time stays on Mountain Standard Time year-round.
Official source
National Park Service · reviewed August 27, 2026
The Cactus Forest Loop Drive is open from 5:00am to 8:30pm year-round. Hohokam and Golden Gate Roads are open to vehicular traffic from dawn to dusk, year-round.
Superintendent's Compendium - Saguaro National Park