City Lifestyle

Want to start a publication?

Learn More
Deep in Ramsey Canyon, a true bird paradise

Featured Article

Choose Your Own Adventure

Looking for a Quick Day Trip? Check Out These Great Places Across Southern Arizona

This little checklist might be helpful when you find yourself soaking up the Spring sunshine, yearning to wander across our glorious Sonoran landscape. Here are a few Southern Arizona destinations to explore:

Tucson Area

Saguaro National Park (East and West)

  • Location: Two districts — East and West of Tucson
  • Distance: 15-20 miles from downtown Tucson
  • Fee: $25 per vehicle (valid for seven days), $20 for motorcycles
  • Notable features: Home to the nation's most enormous cacti, some more than 150 years old
  • Wildlife: Gila woodpeckers, cactus wrens, great horned owls, and Harris hawks
  • Best time to visit: March-May for wildflower blooms, including saguaros

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

  • Location: West of Tucson over the Tucson Mountains
  • Distance: 14 miles west of downtown
  • Fee: $29.95 adults, $19.95 children (3-12)
  • Features: Living museum with 97% outdoor experience
  • Wildlife: Mountain lions, Mexican wolves, thick-billed parrots, desert tortoises
  • Special note: Free flight raptor demonstrations seasonally

Mission San Xavier del Bac

  • Location: South of Tucson
  • Distance: 10 miles south of downtown
  • Fee: Free (donations appreciated)
  • Features: Finest example of Spanish colonial architecture in the U.S.
  • Built: Late 1700s, known as "White Dove of the Desert"
  • Note: Active church with regular services

Sabino Canyon Recreation Area

  • Location: Northeast Tucson
  • Distance: 12 miles from downtown
  • Fee: $8 per vehicle, tram rides $15 for adults, $8 for children
  • Features: Dramatic desert canyon with seasonal streams
  • Wildlife: Black bears, coatimundi, elegant trogon (rare)
  • Best for: Hiking, swimming (seasonal), tram rides

Gates Pass

  • Location: Tucson Mountains (on the way to the Desert Museum!)
  • Distance: 8 miles from downtown
  • Fee: Free
  • Features: Most dramatic sunset viewing spot in Tucson
  • Wildlife: Harris's hawks, desert bighorn sheep
  • Note: Limited parking, arrive early for sunset

Southeast Arizona

Chiricahua National Monument

  • Location: Willcox area
  • Distance: 120 miles southeast of Tucson
  • Fee: $10 per vehicle
  • Features: "Wonderland of Rocks" with unique, towering rock formations
  • Wildlife: Mexican chickadees, bridled titmouse, elegant trogon
  • Note: Dark sky viewing site

Kartchner Caverns State Park

  • Location: Benson area
  • Distance: 50 miles southeast of Tucson
  • Fee: $7 park entrance, cave tours $23-28
  • Features: Living limestone cave system
  • Wildlife: Cave-dwelling bats (seasonal)
  • Note: Reservations recommended for cave tours

Ramsey Canyon Preserve

  • Location: Sierra Vista area
  • Distance: 85 miles southeast of Tucson
  • Fee: $8 adults, free for Nature Conservancy members
  • Features: "Hummingbird Capital" of the U.S.
  • Wildlife: 15 hummingbird species, elegant trogon, spotted owls
  • Best time: April-September for hummingbirds

Coronado National Memorial

  • Location: Sierra Vista area
  • Distance: 90 miles southeast of Tucson
  • Fee: Free
  • Features: Commemorates Coronado's expedition, cave system
  • Wildlife: Coatimundi, mountain lions, various raptors
  • Note: Cave requires flashlights and sturdy shoes

Tombstone

  • Distance: 70 miles southeast of Tucson
  • Fee: Various for attractions ($10-20 for most)
  • Features: Historic "Town Too Tough to Die"
  • Notable: OK Corral, Bird Cage Theatre
  • Note: Many buildings from 1880s still standing

Southwest Arizona

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

  • Location: Ajo area
  • Distance: 150 miles southwest of Tucson
  • Fee: $25 per vehicle
  • Features: Only place in U.S. where organ pipe cacti grow wild
  • Wildlife: Sonoran pronghorn, lesser long-nosed bats
  • Note: Some areas require guided tours

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge

  • Location: Sasabe area
  • Distance: 60 miles southwest of Tucson
  • Fee: Free
  • Features: 118,000 acres of grassland
  • Wildlife: Masked bobwhite quail, pronghorn antelope
  • Best time: October-April for birding

Arivaca Cienega

  • Location: Arivaca
  • Distance: 60 miles southwest of Tucson
  • Fee: Free
  • Features: Rare desert wetland (a cienega) with seven springs
  • Wildlife: Over 300 bird species, including vermilion flycatchers
  • Note: Best visited early morning

Sky Islands and More!

Mount Lemmon

  • Location: Santa Catalina Mountains
  • Distance: 30 miles from downtown Tucson
  • Fee: $5 parking fee at some sites
  • Features: Sky island ecosystem, skiing in winter (sometimes!)
  • Wildlife: Black bears, Mount Graham red squirrels
  • Note: 30-degree temperature drop from Tucson

Madera Canyon

  • Location: Santa Rita Mountains
  • Distance: 45 miles south of Tucson
  • Fee: $5 parking fee
  • Features: Premier birding site
  • Wildlife: More than 250 bird species, including 15 hummingbird species
  • Best time: April-September for birds. Lots and lots of birds.

Carr Canyon

  • Location: Huachuca Mountains
  • Distance: 85 miles southeast of Tucson
  • Fee: Free
  • Features: High-elevation forest
  • Wildlife: Red-faced warblers, painted redstarts, coatimundi
  • Note: Rough dirt road access

Fort Bowie National Historic Site

  • Location: Bowie area
  • Distance: 120 miles southeast of Tucson
  • Fee: Free
  • Features: Apache Wars historic site
  • Wildlife: Scaled quail, curved-bill thrashers
  • Note: 1.5-mile hike required to reach ruins

San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area

  • Location: Sierra Vista area
  • Distance: 75 miles southeast of Tucson
  • Fee: Free
  • Features: Desert river ecosystem
  • Wildlife: Yellow-billed cuckoos, southwestern willow flycatchers
  • Best time: Spring and fall migrations

Sonoita Creek State Natural Area

  • Location: Patagonia area
  • Distance: 65 miles southeast of Tucson
  • Fee: $15 per vehicle
  • Features: Rare permanent desert stream
  • Wildlife: Gray hawks, common black hawks
  • Best time: March-October

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area

  • Location: Sonoita area
  • Distance: 45 miles southeast of Tucson
  • Fee: Free
  • Features: Historic ranch and grasslands
  • Wildlife: Pronghorn, grassland sparrows
  • Note: Some roads require high clearance

Willcox Playa Wildlife Area

  • Location: Willcox
  • Distance: 80 miles east of Tucson
  • Fee: Free
  • Features: Seasonal lake bed
  • Wildlife: Sandhill cranes (winter), shorebirds
  • Best time: November-February

Catalina State Park

  • Location: Oro Valley
  • Distance: 15 miles north of Tucson
  • Fee: $7 per vehicle
  • Features: Desert foothills and canyons
  • Wildlife: Desert bighorn sheep, Cooper's hawks
  • Best for: Spring wildflowers

Bog Springs Campground

  • Location: Santa Rita Mountains
  • Distance: 50 miles southeast of Tucson
  • Fee: $20 camping fee
  • Features: High-elevation springs
  • Wildlife: Sulphur-bellied flycatchers, Arizona woodpeckers
  • Note: First-come, first-served camping

Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area

  • Location: McNeal area
  • Distance: 100 miles southeast of Tucson
  • Fee: Free
  • Features: Seasonal wetland
  • Wildlife: 20,000+ sandhill cranes (winter), waterfowl
  • Best time: November-February

Garden Canyon

  • Location: Fort Huachuca
  • Distance: 85 miles southeast of Tucson
  • Fee: Free (military base access required)
  • Features: Native American pictographs
  • Wildlife: Elegant trogon, spotted owls
  • Note: Must obtain base access permit

General Tips...

  • Best visiting seasons: October-April for most sites
  • Bring plenty of water year-round
  • Many sites require high-clearance vehicles
  • Check road conditions before remote visits
  • Early morning and evening are best for wildlife viewing
  • Some locations require advance permits or reservations
  • Always check current conditions and fees before visiting

A handy list for visitors seeking a spontaneous road trip in southern Arizona.