Tamarisk Grove

Pull in here at Tamarisk Grove — this is our stop, the shady hub of the south country, tucked right at the junction of the S-3 and Yaqui Pass Road. After all that open sun, those tall tamarisk trees feel like a different world. There's a small campground here, a day-use lot — the same ten-dollar ticket if you park in it — and, best of all, two easy nature walks that start just across the road. So here's the plan: park the car now, while I tell you about them. The first is the Yaqui Well Nature Trail, about a mile and seven-tenths round trip, an easy stroll out to a hidden desert spring — and one of the very best birding spots in the whole park. The second is the Cactus Loop, about a mile, a gentle loop through a garden of cholla, barrel cactus, and ocotillo, with little numbered markers to read along the way. Both are easy, both are signed, and both are cool-season walks — save them for a comfortable morning, carry water, and watch where you put your hands around that cholla. When you're ready, come with me out to Yaqui Well. The spring is the one I want to show you.