D2,
We just returned from Tucson and now are in Moab, Ut with Forum Folks. There are a couple of very nice campground on the West side of Saguaro Park. There is a county park called: "Gillman's" or something like that which is close to the Sonoran Desert Living Museum. If you have chance be sure and spend a day at that park, it is great.
The second campground that we like is Western Ways....big sites, very nice facilities. It think it might be a 55 and over campground. On your way to the Saguaro Park, you go through Tucson Mountain County park, which is very nice for hiking and gives you a great feel of what the saguaro's and the Sonoran desert is like.
Regarding which side has a better sample of the saguaros, it think it's pretty much the same, except that the east side of the park is bigger, so therefore more of them.
Marsha~