Garden of Gethsemane
While lying wounded on a World War I battlefield,
Felix Lucero made a vow to dedicate his life, if he lived, to the creation of religious
statues. He kept the vow and his life-size sculptures of the Last Supper and other
subjects can be seen at the northeast corner of W. Congress St. and Bonita Ave.,
just west of I-10, open daily, free.
"A" Mountain
You can't miss this small peak just west of
downtown. In earlier days soldiers used it as a lookout point for hostile Indians,
which explains its original name, Sentinel Peak. The giant "A" dates from
October 23, 1915, when the local university football team beat Pomona College by
a score of 7-3; jubilant sports fans immediately headed out to paint the "A."
The painting became a tradition, and every year freshmen whitewash the giant letter—and
themselves—for all to see.
To enjoy the panorama from
the top of the peak, drive west 0.6 mile on Congress Street to just before it ends,
then turn left on Cuesta, which becomes Sentinel Peak Road. The road loops around
the summit; there's a large parking area on the west side, from which the summit
is a short walk up.
International Wildlife Museum
More than 400 kinds of mounted wildlife
from all over the world illustrate the wondrous diversity of life (4800 W. Gates
Pass Rd., 520/629-0100, www.thewildlifemuseum.org,
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., to 6 p.m. Sat.-Sun., $7 adults, $5.50 students 13-17/military/seniors
62+, $2.50 children 6-12). Many creatures appear in naturalistic habitat dioramas.
Informative exhibits tell about animal behavior, evolution, and how conservation
programs work. The insect collection contains dazzling butterflies, bizarre beetles,
and camouflaged stick insects. You'll see rare birds of paradise from Papua New
Guinea and the extinct passenger pigeon from the United States. Big game from Africa
and Asia will impress you with their size. Wild sheep and goats from many lands
pose on the steep slopes of a 30-foot mountain. Arizona creatures "inhabit"
both nocturnal and daytime settings. And finally, daunting recreations of an Irish
elk and a woolly mammoth show prehistoric life.
A theater
screens wildlife movies on the hour. Kids can feel horns, furs, teeth, and skulls
and try the interactive computers and other projects. The gift shop will interest
small folks too. A snack bar is open most days. From I-10 or downtown Tucson, head
west five miles on Speedway Boulevard and look for the large fort-like building
on your right. This section of road is fine for large vehicles and trailers.
Tucson Mountain Park
Rugged mountains in this park just eight miles
west of town cover over 17,000 acres. Attractions include the Arizona-Sonora Desert
Museum, Old Tucson Studios, picnic areas, hiking trails, and Gilbert Ray Campground.
Saguaro National Park provides additional scenic backcountry just to the north.
The campground and area attractions may have a map of the park. Unless you're driving
a big rig, the best route in is Gates Pass Road, reached from Tucson by driving
west on Speedway Boulevard. Gates Pass has a great view and is a fine place to watch
the sunset. RVs over 25 feet or vehicles with trailers should take Ajo Way and Kinney
Road from I-19 Exit 99.
Old Tucson Studios
The West has been won many, many times at Old Tucson
(12 miles west of Tucson in Tucson Mountain Park, 520/883-0100,
www.oldtucson.com, open at 10 a.m. daily,
with closing times depending on the season, $15.79 adults, $14.20 seniors and Pima
County residents, $9.98 children ages 4-11)! This famous movie location re-creates
Tucson of the 1860s with weathered adobe or frontier buildings, board sidewalks,
and dusty streets. It began back in 1939 as the setting for the Columbia Pictures
film Arizona. Since then, more than 350 movies and video projects have been
filmed here, including Dirty Dingus Magee, Rio Lobo, Death of a Gunfighter,
and Young Guns II. Directors have shot such well-known TV shows as Gunsmoke
and Little House on the Prairie here as well.
Today,
adults and kids enjoy a wide variety of shows and rides. A miniature train chugs
around Old Tucson on a narrated excursion, providing a good introduction. Stunt
people wearing period clothing stage blazing gunfights at several locations. Step
into the Grand Palace Saloon for uproarious entertainment. Rosa's plays movie clips
of past cowboy action filmed here. The Iron Door Mine, stagecoach, carousel, old-time
car, and trail rides provide additional excitement. You'll find food at several
eateries, a sweet shop, and an ice cream parlor. You may bring a picnic (no alcohol).
Pets on leash are welcome. Drive west on Speedway Boulevard/Gates Pass Road (not
suited for large rigs) or take Ajo Way and Kinney Road. Admission includes all activities
and shows except for gold panning, which is $1 extra.
You
can also visit Mescal, a late 1800's movie set 40 miles southeast of Tucson, on
some days; call Old Tucson or check its website for details.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
This world-famous living museum (14 miles
west of downtown in Tucson Mountain Park, 520/883-2702,
www.desertmuseum.org, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
daily Oct.-Feb. and 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily March-Sept., $12 adults, $4 ages 6-12,
rates drop May-Oct. to $9 adult, $2 ages 6-12) gives you a look into the life of
animals and plants native to the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, the Mexican state of
Sonora, and the Gulf of California region. Mountain lions, bighorn sheep, javelinas,
and over 300 other types of animals as well as 1,200 species of plants live in nearly
natural surroundings. The superb setting looks across the Avra Valley to Baboquivari
Peak (7,730 feet), sacred to the O'odham tribe, and Kitt Peak (6,875 feet), site
of important astronomical observatories.
You could begin with
a quick stop at the orientation area to see the day's event schedule, tour times,
and what flowers are in bloom. The path into the Earth Sciences section leads underground
through a realistic limestone cave, then opens up to a gallery with exhibits that
illustrate the formation of the Earth and how it has changed up to the present time.
A mineral room displays exquisite specimens. Back outside, you can visit the realms
of the mountain lion, black bear, and Mexican wolf. Cat Canyon has several elusive
species, which you should be able to spot from one of the vantage points above and
below. A detour down the half-mile Desert Loop Trail winds past the homes of javelina
and coyote. The Riparian Corridor contains a desert oasis with pools inhabited by
frolicking otters, beavers, and endangered fish, all of which you can observe through
underwater panels. Nearby, desert bighorn sheep stand majestically in their mountainside
habitat. Try to spot the birds in the walk-in aviaries—not as easy as you'd
expect, as many desert birds blend in well with their surroundings. The Life Underground
exhibit takes you below the surface to observe wildlife in their burrows. Other
exhibits let you meet rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, scorpions, and other desert dwellers
face to face. You'll find desert flora well represented and labeled throughout the
museum grounds. Side paths lead to cactus and pollination gardens.
Bring a sun hat and good walking shoes—there's a lot to see. Animals tend
to more active in the morning, which is a good time to visit. You'll have many opportunities
to meet docents and see their presentations. Try to take in the Raptor Free Flight
program (Nov.-April), when trainers demonstrate behavior and flying skills of raptors
such as owls and hawks.
An art gallery offers visiting shows. The excellent gift
shop sells Native American arts, natural history books, and Southwestern crafts.
At lunch time you have a choice of self-serve or fine dining restaurants, both with
indoor and patio tables. A coffee bar and a snack bar provide refreshment too. The
museum has a picnic area near the southwest side of the parking lot, and you'll
see signs for two picnic areas just to the east in Tucson Mountain Park.
On "Summer Saturdays," the museum stays open until 9 or 10 p.m. so visitors
can enjoy the evenings. Take Speedway Boulevard west across Gates Pass or, if you
have a large RV or trailer-rig, come via Ajo Way and Kinney Road. No pets permitted.
Saguaro National Park West
The Tucson Mountains District of Saguaro
National Park contains vigorous stands of saguaro cactus, as well as an abundance
of other desert life. Stop at the Red Hills Visitor Center (520/733-5158,
www.nps.gov/sagu, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily) to
view exhibits and a video about the Sonoran Desert. Staff answer questions and provide
handouts on the park and its hiking trails. A bookstore has a fine selection of
regional and natural history titles. Naturalists offer walks and talks daily Oct.-April.
To get here from Tucson, continue two miles past the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
If coming from Phoenix, take I-10 Avra Valley Road Exit 242 and follow signs 13
miles.
The five-mile Bajada Loop Drive winds through
scenic countryside with two picnic areas and several trailheads along the way; it's
a graded dirt road with a one-way section. The drive and other unpaved roads in
the park close from sunset to 6 a.m. The visitor center sells an interpretive guide.
The park has about 40 miles of trails with many interesting
loop possibilities. A map available at the visitor center shows trails, trailheads,
and distances. The short paved Cactus Garden Trail beside the visitor center
introduces the unique saguaro and other plants of the Sonoran Desert. Javelina
Wash Trail makes a short loop behind the visitor center. Desert Discovery
Nature Trail interprets desert ecology, plants, and wildlife on an easy paved
half-mile loop; the trailhead is 0.9 mile northwest of the visitor center. Valley
View Overlook Trail begins 0.2 mile past the start of the one-way section of
the Bajada Loop Drive and climbs to a fine panorama; signs tell of plant and animal
life on the 0.8 mile roundtrip. Farther along the loop drive, you can take a short
detour to Signal Hill picnic area, then climb the easy half-mile roundtrip Signal
Hill Petroglyphs Trail. You'll see intriguing spirals and other rock art from
the trail and at the summit. Interpretive signs tell of the peoples who have come
through this land. Desert varnish wears off easily, so it's important not to touch
the petroglyphs or let kids climb on the boulders.
Hikers
climb the summit of Wasson Peak (elev. 4,687 feet), the highest in the Tucson
Mountains, from several trailheads. King Canyon Trail provides the shortest
way to the top in 7 miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of about 1,900 feet.
It begins across Kinney Road from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and goes northeast
in a gradual 0.9-mile climb to Mam-a-Gah picnic area; the path steepens to a moderate
grade for the next 1.4 miles to a ridge with views of the Catalinas, then switchbacks
0.9 mile to the Hugh Norris Trail, on which you turn right 0.3 mile to the
summit. Coming down, you can make a loop by following the Hugh Norris Trail 1.9
miles past the King Canyon Trail junction, down a set of switchbacks, and along
a ridge, left one mile down the Sendero Esperanza Trail to the workings of
the abandoned Gould Mine, then right 1.1 miles on the Gould Mine Trail back to the
King Canyon Trailhead.
Ironwood Forest National Monument
This beautiful area of the Sonoran
Desert northwest of Tucson will appeal to nature lovers who shun blacktop and other
developments. You won't find any marked trails, visitor center, or campgrounds here.
The monument's 129,000 acres protects bighorn sheep, saguaro, ironwood, and other
desert life. You can find many cross-country hiking and some four-wheeling adventures.
Little has been published on this relatively new monument, which is administered
by the BLM office in Tucson (520/258-7200,
www.blm.gov/visit/ironwood).
High-clearance vehicles work best on the main roads; you'll need 4WD on some side
roads. Three routes lead into the monument, so you can make a loop. From Tucson
and the south, take paved Avra Valley Road (I-10 Exit 242) 19.9 miles, then turn
left on unpaved Silverbell Road before the entrance to a large mine. On the northeast
side of the monument, a road from Marana (I-10 Exit 236) passes north of aptly named
Ragged Top (elev. 3,907 ft.), whose lower slopes make a fine area to explore; bighorn
sheep inhabit the steep upper reaches. Farther north, you can take Sasco Road (I-10
Red Rock Exit 226); pavement ends after 3.6 miles and you'll see ruins of Sasco
ghost town in another 3.2 miles. All three roads meet near Ragged Top at a junction
13 miles from Avra Valley Road, 17 miles from Marana, and 13 miles from Red Rock.
West Silver Bell Mountains offer another fine place to explore;
turn west at the unsigned four-way junction on Silverbell Road, 5.4 miles south
of the three-way junction or 7.5 miles from the Avra Valley Road turnoff. You'll
know you're on the correct road as Silverbell Cemetery should appear after 100 yards;
it's one of the few remnants of Silverbell and Silver Bell ghost towns. Curve left
just beyond the cemetery and take a right turn after 0.5 miles; this road makes
a loop of about two miles (keep left at road forks); you can explore side roads
along the way or head off on cross-country hikes.