HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS / NATURAL HISTORY
Aravaipa Canyon Preserve
Highway 77
Dudleyville 928-828-3443
www.nature.org
Just 50 miles north of Tucson, this spectacular canyon is noted for its desert stream, majestic cliffs, and bighorn sheep. The 10-mile central gorge is a federal wilderness area and access is by permit only from the Bureau of Land Management.
Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Superior 520-689-2723
http://arboretum.ag.arizona.edu/
Nestled at the base of the Picketpost Mountains in southeastern Arizona, the park is a major center for plant research and offers a lush desert garden on 35 scenic acres. Trails, gardens, visitor’s center, greenhouse, Ayer Lake, Queen Creek, picnic tables, and other attractions make this a day’s retreat.
Chiricahua National Monument
Dos Cabezas Route
Willcox 520-824-3560
www.nps.gov/chir
Herbarium; entomological, geological, and herpetological specimen collections; historic furnishings and structures dating from the 1800s to the 1970s. The site also encompasses historic Faraway Ranch homestead, Heart of Rocks Trail, and Echo Canyon.
Cochise Stronghold
Coronado National Forest
Sunsites 520-388-8300
www.cochisestronghold.com
This beautiful woodland area lies in a protective rampart of granite domes and sheer cliffs, once serving as the refuge of the great Apache Chief, Cochise, and his people.
Colossal Cave Mountain Park
16721 E. Old Spanish Trail
Vail 520-647-PARK
www.colossalcave.com
Cavern tours combine with scenic views, stories of history and legends, a museum, opportunities for trail rides, a butterfly garden, and picnic areas.
Coronado National Memorial
4101 E Montezuma Canyon Road
Hereford 520-366-5515
www.nps.gov/coro
Picnicking and hiking are available at this site, where visitors can glimpse part of the route that Coronado followed through the Southwest from 1540 to 1542.
Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve
Pennsylvania Avenue
Patagonia 520-378-4952
www.nature.org
Sonoita Creek protects some of the region’s richest remaining riparian habitat and preserves a rare Fremont cottonwood-Goodding willow riparian forest.
Ramsey Canyon Preserve
Ramsey Canyon Road
Sierra Vista 520-378-2785
www.nature.org
On the eastern flank of the Huachuca Mountains, this canyon is renowned for its outstanding scenic beauty and the diversity of plant and animal live, especially numerous hummingbirds.
Reid Park Zoo
Gene C. Reid Park
1100 S. Randolph Way
Tucson 520-791-4022
www.tucsonzoo.org
More than 500 animals enjoy natural habitats in one of Tucson’s most popular attractions.
Tohono Chul Park
7366 N. Paseo del Norte
Tucson 520-742-6455
www.tohonochulpark.org
Walk the winding nature trail through beautiful gardens and tour the renovated historic home and exhibit hall.
Tucson Botanical Gardens
2150 N. Alvernon Way
Tucson 520-326-9686
www.tucsonbotanical.org
Conveniently located in midtown, the gardens provide an oasis on 5.5 acres featuring native plants, herbs, and flowers in gardens that include low-water use, cactus and succulent, herb, wildflower, sensory, bird, and butterfly.
Tucson Mountain Park
Gates Pass Road
Tucson 520-791-4873
http://webcms.pima.gov/government/natural_resources_parks_and_recreation/
Sprawling over 20,000 acres of panoramic Sonoran desert, the park protects one of the most magnificent saguaro forests in the world.
University of Arizona Arboretum
Campuswide Locations
Tucson 520-621-7074
www.ag.arizona.edu/arboretum
A stroll through the University of Arizona campus reveals a collection of plants from arid and semi-arid climates around the world.
