The Sonoran Desert is one of the four main deserts of North America and covers large regions of the southwestern United States and parts of northwestern Mexico. If one can, it is well worth visiting all of America's four deserts (the other three being the Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts). See firsthand just how much they contrast with each other.

Like America's other deserts, the Sonoran Desert is not a desolate wasteland but an ecoregion with a very rich and diverse ecosystem. Even within the desert one can find very different environments and breathing views. The Sonoran Desert is also home to some of America's most unusual attractions.

What's Special About The Sonoran Desert

The Sonoran Desert is located in parts of Arizona and California as well as in the Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is a very hot desert and is famous for its iconic cactuses. These cactuses include the famous saguaro (carnegiea gigantea) and the organ pipe cactus (stenocereus thurberi) - they both have national parks for them and are named after them.

• Iconic Cactuses: Saguaro and Organ Pipe Cactus
• Size: 260,000 square kilometers (100,000 sq mi)

The Sonoran Desert differs from the Great Basin, Mojave, and Chihuahuan deserts as it is warmer in the winter and provides subtropical warmth in the winter. It also has two seasons of rainfall. The desert is one of contrast between aridity and moisture.

Irrigation has produced fertile agricultural areas in places like the Coachella and Imperial valleys of California. It is also the home of a number of winter holiday destinations as it stays warm even in the winter.

Related: What You Should See When Visiting Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Palm Springs And Local Attractions

Warm winters attract tourists to Sonora Desert resorts in Palm Springs, California, and Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. Palm Springs is a great place to explore the desert. Palm Springs is an unusual resort town with an uncountable number of golf courses.

• Palm Springs: Home To Around 120 Golf Courses

Palm Springs is also a great location to explore some of America's more unusual attractions in the area. Take the time to visit the ghostly Salton City on the Salton Sea - a planned resort town that ended disastrously and the Salton Lake which is one of California's greatest environmental disasters.

• Visit: Salton Lake And Salton City In The Sonora Desert

Another very unusual attraction in the Sonora Desert near Palm Springs is Slab City. Slab City is considered "off the grid" with a large population of winter swatters. It is dubbed the "last free place on earth."

• Population: 4,000 Winter Months - 150 Summer Months

While at Slab City one will see Salvation Mountain - one of the most unusual works of art in the Sonora Desert.

Related: This Desert Was Once A Sea (& Is Home To A Ghost Ship Fleet)

National Parks And Protected Areas Of The Sonora Desert

There are plenty of national parks and protected areas in the Sonora Desert - including wildlife refuges, state parks, and nature reserves.

National parks and national monuments include:

• Sonoran Desert National Monument
• Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
• Saguaro National Park
• Joshua Tree National Park

These national parks are all very different from each other and preserve very different ecosystems of the Sonoran Desert. At Joshua Tree National Park visitors can see the stunning Joshua Tree (only found in this region) and a transitional zone.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is located in Arizona and preserves the eye-catch "organ-pipe" cactus (named after its distinctive organ pipe shape).

• Size: 517 sq mi (1,340 km2)
• State: Arizona

The national monument is located right on the border with Mexico and is home to a dizzying array of wildlife. There are plenty of hiking trails managed by the NPS ranging from easy to strenuous.

Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park is known for having the largest cacti plants in the United States, dubbed the universal symbol of the American West. These cacti rise to the heights of trees and have an impressive lifespan of up to 250 years.

• Life Span: Up To 250 Years
• Height: 12 Meters or 40 Feet

But the saguaro cactus is far from the only type of cactus found in this national park - one can find around 25 species of cactus calling the place home.