Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Sanctuary Cove

    3.8 (12 reviews)

    Sanctuary Cove Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Sanctuary Cove

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Entrance to Sanctuary Cove
    Paul M.

    A lovely respite and great place to hike or walk. Adjacent to Saguaro National Park, this land is private property that is open to the public. A trailhead for Safford Peak begins here. There is a non-denominational chapel on the property, as well as a private guest cottage. You can park on the road outside the gate or park inside the gate (where a $5 donation is requested). It's a lovely, peaceful place to visit.

    Sanctuary Labyrinth with Sombrero Peak in the background
    Peg P.

    What a wonderful oasis of calm and beauty in the Tucson Mts. There are ample opportunities to feel the calming presence of the desert as you sit and meditate or take to hiking trails in the nearby area. After enjoying our visit to the Cove, we walked down the Scenic Dr. and crossed into Saguaro National Park and hiked along the Sombrero Trail. Although we didn't make it to the top (and NEVER will!), it was a splendid hike. You can even get married here for $400. Caretakers are on the property...comforting to know it's being watched over. Thanks, Sally, for finding this beautiful place and first posting about it.

    Sanctuary Cove entrance to the trails.

    See all

    2 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    We had our wedding ceremony at the chapel and it was perfect. We had no issues with anything. The staff was very kind and communicative.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    So peaceful and serene. A special place for enjoying nature, healing, and remembering.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Stunningly beautiful, it was an amazing experience. We plan to go back. The chapel, the labirinth and all the hikes.! Amazing.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Paul M.
    0
    16
    10

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sally M.
    4
    28
    583

    15 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Sanctuary Cove

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Hiking 450 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Rillito River Park

    Rillito River Park

    4.6
    (38 reviews)
    12.6 mi

    Perfect place to walk with nice wide paved trails, plenty of parking close to restaurants and…read moreshopping. The smaller loop is just over a mile with longer options for your choosing . Walking under the Campbell overpass note the Bat signage and you can here the bast rustling overhead.Make sure you bring water and wear a hat and sunscreen because it sure heats up fast !

    If you come to Tucson or live in the area, you should definitely take a stroll along the Rillito…read moreRiver path. There is a paved path great for cyclists, runners or walkers. Or if you prefer, you can walk/run/bike along the wild side on the packed sand next to the paved trail weaving your way through the mesa verde trees and mesquite. Bring your dogs too, they'll also enjoy it. Most of the year, the river bed is dry and filled with scrub brush common in the Sonoran desert, but occasionally in the spring when the snow melts in the mountains, or during the summer monsoon season, the river will completely fill and the water will rage. Some have even been known to try riding a raft when the water reaches the banks. (FYI, don't do this! It isn't safe.) There are several city parks like Brandi Fenton where you can park and start your journey. Best to look at maps online to find the closest entry point and parking location convenient to you; as the park does cross over a lot of streets. In the distance, you will be able to enjoy the view of Mt. Lemmon and the rest of the Santa Catalina mountain range as it turns different hues of pink, red, orange, brown depending on the time of day you come. Sunrise in the summer months and sunset in the winter are great times to go in order to stay comfortable temperature wise. The trail was an almost daily staple in our lives when we lived here and walked the dogs along the trail or cycled and ran with friends. Even returning, while driving through town, we couldn't help but stop and take a stroll down memory lane by revisiting this lovely gem in Tucson.

    Photos
    Mountain View from path
    Mountain View from path
    Bat Information
    Bat Information
    Scenery

    See all

    Scenery
    Garden of Gethsemane

    Garden of Gethsemane

    4.8
    (6 reviews)
    13.1 mi

    Scratched, time-worn religious sculptures stand within the shade of the Congress Street Bridge,…read moreforming a lovely, peaceful sculpture garden. Quite miraculously, they've survived decades of floods, droughts, and vandalism. They exist because during World War I, a man named Felix Lucero lay seriously injured on a battlefield in France. Wounded and in agony, he proposed a deal with God: If he survived, he'd use his natural skills as a sculptor to create religious statues. After returning home from the war, Lucero set about making good on his word. In the late 1930s, he lived in Tucson, Arizona, in a shack beneath a bridge. From there, he began creating beautiful works of art. While in Tucson, Lucero spent years crafting detailed statues of religious figures out of sand and debris from the Santa Cruz River, which he then slathered in a protective coat of plaster. He created iconic Biblical scenes, including the Last Supper, Joseph and Mary, and Jesus on the crucifix. Though Lucero died in 1951, his work is still standing--which is amazing, considering the statues weren't built from lasting materials and have faced frequent vandalism over the years. Many are damaged, but they still stand tall. Dedicated locals have worked to salvage and repair the sculptures after each vandalism incident, and in the 1980s moved them to form this sculpture garden near the very bridge Lucero once lived beneath.

    Really cool place! I've never seen anything like it. Lovely to reflect on the life of Jesus here…read moreand see amazing sculpture art.

    Photos
    Garden of Gethsemane
    Garden of Gethsemane
    Garden of Gethsemane

    See all

    Sanctuary Cove - hiking - Updated July 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...