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Kitt Peak National Observatory

4.2 (64 reviews)
Open 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

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JP P.

Absolutely one of the BEST experiences here ! Took my family and it was worth every penny . The staff was above and beyond ! It was in fact very cold up there so listen to all the staff members recommendations . They were even able to accommodate my vegan dietary needs as well . Learned so much !

McMath-Pierce solar telescope
Alex K.

Kitt Peak is just over an hour from downtown Tucson on Tohono O'odham Nation land. The drive up to the observatory is breathtaking. There are a few unofficial spots you can pull over and view the area for many, many miles. There isn't any food at the top but you can buy some premade sandwiches and a drink at the visitors center. There are public bathrooms at the top too. If you bring your own food for a picnic, note that the official picnic area, which is about a mile before reaching the visitor center, is closed and has been for the two times I went up in 2024 which were spread out. I suspect it's permanently closed. There are a couple of picnic tables in the parking lot of the visitors center. There is also plenty of parking. You cannot actually see any of 3 options they offer to the public without a ticket. The my ate the 4m, 2.1m, and solar telescope. The other telescopes are not for public viewing. It is best to order the tickets online a day or two ahead. I would not drive all the way there and try to buy them as you risk wasting your time driving and the tours frequently sell out. You can visit the little museum and gift shop for free and there is a little shed with a telescope tracking the sun that you can view for free. You cannot walk the property on your own. You need a tour guide. The tours are informative and you get to go inside and see the telescope from a distance. It's really quite cool if you think about it. You don't get to look through the telescope. There is a night program and another expensive option at night if you want to look through a telescope. I've seen the 2.1m KPNO and the McMath-Pierce Solar telescopes. Tours are $20 for each tour per person + service charge of $1.50. They last about 90 min and you walk about 1/2 mile. The McMath Pierce solar telescope is no longer in use since 2012. It is being transformed into an education center.

Eva S.

Cool place to see. It's a bit of a drive from Tucson like 54 miles one way, but it's a nice drive. It took over an hour to drive to the top via Gates Pass. See Kitt Peak National Observatory with it's over 20 telescopes and take your time and truly enjoy the drive up there. You can see beautiful mountains all around for miles and miles when you get to the top at over 6800 feet elevation. It's a bit windy and much colder up there then Tucson so be prepared for that. Fantastic panoramic views! Pictures don't do justice compared to what you will see with your own eyes! Great day trip!

Leila R.

An absolute must visit for any self-proclaimed astronerd! Some the darkest, clearest skies and great telescopes! You have to make reservations for the special viewing nights, but it is well worth the wait, the price, and the drive! Go a couple of hours before your scheduled time to thoroughly explore the area and the grounds. They have great interactive exhibits and a museum plus a great gift shop. The tour starts at twilight and we were treated to the most gorgeous band of Venus I've ever seen! The delineation of the hues and the curve were just spectacular! The tour is super informative, so whether your a novice or a seasoned space geek, you will learn and most likely see something new. We lucked out with a crystal clear night & no moon, so everything was vibrant, bright, and the images in the scopes crisp, as well as for the blind eye. It was such an incredible experience! The tour and our guide were exemplary and the staff in the visitor center were so nice and will answer any questions you could possibly have! My companion for my visit here is not as into astronomy as I am and they are not easily excitable as they have lived a very exciting and adventurous existence...so when the highlight that actually got a squee out of them was driving down the mountain w/no headlights guided by the ranger truck, I knew it was something special! Whether you live in or near Tucson or visiting AZ, this place has got to be on your hit list!

View from visitors center
Tom S.

Went here with the family on a beautiful winter day. We took the first tour of the day (solar telescope). We were lucky and it was in operation for some scientist. Kind of cool that you get to go inside a working telescope. The views from up top are incredible. We got super lucky and they had a couple of small solar telescopes available and we got to actually view the surface of the sun and see sunspots and other solar features. The docents are know their stuff and are happy to pass on their knowledge. I'd be curious about the night tour and the view at night away from the city lights, but that wasn't in the cards this time.

View from the sunset viewing point
Melissa C.

Get your science on! Kitt Peak National Observatory is a great place for learners of all ages. The first time my partner and I went was before we moved to Arizona. The night was cloudy, but no one called to cancel, and everyone with reservations showed up. The guide asked why we all came, and most of us stated that we were heading back home in the next day or two. While we ate our box dinner, the guide made some quick phone calls and got us a tour of one of the radio telescopes on the mountain. This is not on the normal program, but the operator had a good time showing us how it worked and answering questions. Recently, we trekked to Kitt Peak again for a clear and moonless night. The group was split in half for viewing, and we had a vivacious, knowledgeable student to guide us. We were able to check out 4 different objects with the telescope and 5 more with binoculars. We heard that the other group didn't get to see as much at the telescope, but I'm sure what you see is dependent on the guide and who is in the group. This is a place we'll visit again, and a definite stop for out of town guests.

View from the drive up
Alan L.

Great day-trip when visiting the Tucson area! You'll need to devote a good portion of your day for this trip, but it's completely worth it. The drive out to Kitt Peak takes you through some beautiful Sonoran Desert scenery and it's just gets gets better as you climb to the top of Kitt Peak. Seriously, the drive alone is worth coming out here. Once you reach the observatory you'll find a very informative visitors center as well as a gift shop with numerous Kitt Peak and Astronomy related merchandise. You can take a guided tour or grab a map and show yourself around the facility. Tours are free and well worth the time. The guides were very knowledgeable and were obviously very passionate about Kitt Peak and all the research that is being conducted there. Best Tips- Take your time! You'll want to stop at many of the pull-offs to take in the beautiful views of the Sonoran Desert. Also- Bring a light jacket, at the very least. Temperatures up there are usually ~20 deg. cooler than down on the desert floor.

The drive up to the observatory

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9 days ago

Toured the solar telescope today with Sean and Robert. The tour was AWESOME and so were Sean and Robert. Thank you Kitt Peak and docents!!!

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My wife and I live in Phoenix and made reservations for a Saturday that was unfortunately pretty cloudy during the day.

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Steward Observatory Mirror Lab

Steward Observatory Mirror Lab

4.5(10 reviews)
42.4 mi

Out of this world! Offered daily, the 90-minute tour of the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab begins at…read moreSteward Observatory, where two university hosts meet the group (12 people in ours) and begin with a quick introductory talk and video session, to describe what you'll see in the lab. Our outstanding guides, Adrian and Sage, were friendly, informative, and engaged, encouraging questions and offering interesting insights about the telescope-mirror production process as well as the U of A's astronomy program as a whole. Next, it's a short walk to the lab, housed within the infrastructure of the football stadium. From various catwalk vantages, visitors can photograph the rotating furnace apparatus used to melt the Ohara E-6 borosilicate glass and also view the extensive grinding, cleaning, and polishing processes. The lab is currently in charge of fabricating the seven 8.4-meter spin-cast mirrors that will form the heart of the Giant Magellan Telescope, which will have capabilities up to 200x more powerful than today's best land-based telescopes and is expected to take images 10x sharper than Hubble. It's amazing to hear about the innovation involved in this project that spans decades, and it's even more dazzling and inspiring to see it in person -- a stellar opportunity that will leave you starry-eyed!

Optics geek or not, the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab tour is a fantastic way to spend an…read moreafternoon. Even if the only mirror you've ever seen is the one you look at to fix your hair, the tour guides make it very easy to appreciate the astronomical investment in time, money, effort and sheer brain power that goes into creating each and every one of these massive mirrors. We had ample time to ask questions and the tour guides had good answers for everything we asked.

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Steward Observatory Mirror Lab
Steward Observatory Mirror Lab
Steward Observatory Mirror Lab

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Kitt Peak National Observatory - observatories - Updated May 2026

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