Flowers bloom amid tall saguaro cactus and a mountain backdrop in Sabino Canyon Recreation Area not far from downtown Tucson, Arizona.[Photo/AP]

On a quick trip to Tucson, I had a few hours to get a look at some classic desert scenery, but not enough time (or energy) for a big hike before catching a flight home. A friend suggested Sabino Canyon, 17 miles (27 kilometers) from downtown Tucson. It proved to be the perfect fast and easy way to sample Arizona's beauty without a lot of fuss.

For the time-crunched traveler, the best thing about Sabino is that the nature trails begin just steps from the parking lot. I strolled the well-marked footpaths and within just a few minutes, I'd seen towering saguaro cactus, spectacular mountain backdrops and a variety of other vegetation and scenery. I even had time to take a tram shuttle that offers a narrated tour on a loop drive. The tram round-trip is 45 to 50 minutes total, but there are also a series of hop-on, hop-off stops if you have time to explore or hang out. When you're ready to go, just catch the next shuttle that comes through.

A favorite spot for visitors is a stop by a creek with a tree-shaded area.

My visit in late spring happened to coincide with that brief time of year when many cactus plants were covered with gorgeous colorful flowers, and the weather, while warm, was not unbearably hot. But one of the great things about Sabino Canyon is that even though the visitor center is only open 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., the grounds never close. With summer sunrises well before 6 a.m. and sunsets in early evening, there's plenty of daylight for business travelers to drop by first thing in the morning or late in the day, even if they're tied up in meetings during regular business hours. You can take a jog, a stroll or just a quick selfie with a cactus in the background (watch out for thorns!).

After-hours visitors in the summer will also have plenty of company. Intrepid locals visit Sabino at all hours to avoid the midday heat, even making nighttime visits by flashlight. "What we typically see early in the morning and later in the evening are the local folks who come to walk for exercise or ride their bikes," said Heidi Schewel, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service's Coronado National Forest, which includes Sabino Canyon.

Sabino also attracts visitors from around the globe. "It's world-class scenery," Schewel said.