Arizona wildflowers? Tucson/Phoenix?
 

We have a couple of days the first week in March and will have a car. Will be in Phoenix and eventually winding up in Palm Springs but want to see some of the desert first. Want to go down to Tucson area and wondering about wildflowers at that time of year. Is that too early? Heard there were nice ones at Organ Pipe National Monument but not sure if they would be out yet or if it would be worth the extra drive. Will have approx 2 days to get from Phoenix to Palm Springs with some sightseeing on the way so wondered about going down to Tucson (spouse never has been there) and heading over from there. Any help/ideas appreciated!

They usually bloom in April in Tucson and west toward Kitt Peak Observatory.They're best after a rainy winter but it has been very dry this year so I don't know if we're going to have a great display.

Sabino Canyon and the Museum of the Desert are both very pleasant hikes with or without peak flowers. Both settings are spectacular with a great bloom. HappyTrvlr's post is exactly right, you are a little early and it's been a little dry.

The Pinal Parkway route from east of Phoenix to Tucson sometimes has good wildflowers. I would check with the wildflower hotlines before making any long trip.

I'll guess that your best bet is staying in touch by internet with those suggested areas, but what I'm familiar with and what lies further west and therefore more likely to be in bloom in March is Joshua Tree National Park next door to Palm Springs - you an also check into Anza Borrego nearby

Areas close to Phoenix that usually have great wildflower displays in March and April (if it's not been too dry) include Lost Dutchman State Park just east of Phoenix and Picacho Peak State Park to the south off I-10 on the way to Tucson. I'd watch the wildflower alerts for those two spots and see if they are 'on'. Already have some Mexican Gold poppies blooming in my front yard here in Phoenix. Tucson is roughly 1,000 ft higher so the blooms come a bit later and last longer than in lower areas.

http://www.pr.state.az.us/parks/PIPE/index.html
http://www.pr.state.az.us/parks/lodu/index.html

This site is a good one to check for wildflower conditions: http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/az.html

<b>Heard there were nice ones at Organ Pipe National Monument</b>

I'd steer you away from Organ Pipe these days ... it's a great place for cactus, with some species that are not found near Phoenix and Tucson, but the wildflowers aren't typically as lush as elsewhere.

And big parts of the park (including the long drive thru the west unit) are now off-limits because there is so much drug smuggling and illegal immigrant smuggling thru there. A Park Ranger was shot and killed a couple years back and there have been other violent incidences since, so it's best to go elsewhere.

http://www.nps.gov/orpi/planyourvisi...r-concerns.htm
http://www.nps.gov/orpi/planyourvisit/road-closures.htm