What a wonderful oasis of calm and beauty in the Tucson Mts. There are ample opportunities to feel…read morethe 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.

I had a great time. I went during the week, so I was the only one there which was a bit creepy and…read moregave the hills have eyes, LOL. I put my pride aside and completed the trail that lead to the church & the prayer section. Very peaceful. I which it had more signs & labeled the assigned parking lot. I don't think it's a must see in Tucson, but I do think that it's a nice spot to check out if you're in the neighborhood.

I like this mountain range. If it weren't a two-hour drive from Sierra Vista, I'd hike here more…read moreoften. I've done all the trails in the past five years. Because this is a low-elevation range dominated by saguaros, hiking here is best done in the cooler months. The trails are maintained by local volunteers. To get to the ample parking lot, you must drive toward the resort. Just tell the guard you are here to hike and s/he'll let you through. Ask for a map, as there aren't always maps available at the parking lot. There are flush bathrooms by the trail head. One does not need a high clearance vehicle to get to the parking lot. All trails start here by the wash. The trails are color-coordinated and well-marked. My favorite trails are the ridge trails, where views in all directions surround you. The Wild Mustang trail is perhaps my favorite, with views toward the north at Mount Lemmon. The northern part of this range was recently expanded. I've seen a few crested saguaros here. There is also an old corral there that has water in the rainy season. Trails are dog-friendly, but many dog owners just leave their bagged feces along the trail. Please take that crap with you! This is my only complaint about this park.

Tortolita Mountain Park is a local gem with 12 trails of varying lengths and difficulty. 8 may be…read moreused for mountain biking and 2 for horseback riding. The trail system also is used for the annual Move Across 2 Ranges hosted by Marana (Tortolita Mountain Park) and Oro Valley (Catalina State Park), which always sells out. My partner and I enjoy the long-distance views of Picacho Peak from Upper Javelina Trail and views Of the Santa Ritas from Alamo Springs Trail. All of the trails are well-groomed. We always use poles and bring plenty of water so we can cover more ground.

I have been to this park at least three times before, hiking short loops in the afternoon…read more Yesterday I visited the park again to hike a larger loop and to finish at dusk. It was Sunday, 19 January, at 3pm. The large parking lot was full and people were still getting started, cycling or hiking with small children and/or dogs. There was quite a bit of dog poop in the parking lot. I bagged my dog's poop and a few other dogs' poop before starting. None of the trails are difficult or long. I used six trails to create an 8- mile loop that took us three hours. I was interested in the Black rock loop. The namesake rock should be called called Butt crack rock. This park is free to use from dawn to dusk and is dog friendly. There are two porta pots but no water station. And no matter how far away from the trailhead you go, you will always see homes in the area. A sign in the parking lot warns users to lock vehicles and to secure valuables

Can't believe I've never been to this trail. It was a perfect day to be outside so we took…read moreadvantage. The highlight of our walk was seeing a desert tortoise and rattlesnake. Very cool! Easy trails for walking or mountain biking. We will be back soon!

I can't believe this is 2 miles from my house and I've never been here! This was a nice half mile…read moreloop around the water with lookouts where you can sit down on a bench and enjoy! It's run by the City of Tucson water department, and open from dawn to dusk. We saw egrets, ducks, turtles, and even a coyote! We brought the binoculars and really enjoyed relaxing here this morning!

Magical place to visit that is accessible to the City of Tucson and UAZ campus. It is a wetland…read morewith a well maintained trail that is accessible. It has facilities and parking. The wetlands - being 2 small bodies of water and surrounding vegetation- attract waterfowl, birds, hummingbirds, hawks, lizards, insects and bobcats. The loop around the wetlands is about .6 miles. Very peaceful.

I love Gates Pass. There is such a nice energy here. I didn't get to hike too much, but the views…read morefor sunset are amazing. I have great memories visiting with my dad and coworkers. I will definitely be back to visit. The desert has such a special place in my heart and gates pass is definitely a great place to stop and take it all in.

Visited Gates Pass in Tucson, AZ and specifically the Gates Pass Scenic Lookout for sunset and it…read morewas breathtaking! As you look around, there are 360 views of different colors and hues illuminating the sky, and making for a spectacular sunset! There is plenty of parking and if you hike up maybe .2 miles you can get to the top of the mountain where the views are even better! Coming up here on a weekday, it wasn't too busy and you can get wonderful, Instagram worthy, unobstructed photos! There are lots of hiking trails and walking paths all around which is also a huge plus! I am obsessed with this spot and can't wait to visit again! Highly recommend to visitors and locals near and far!

First Impressions:…read more Very clean, fun, and breathtaking in terms of views! Interactions: We had a few interactions in the shop up there, and they were very friendly and welcoming. Service: Can't speak to this as we didn't buy anything, but again want to emphasize how nice everyone was in the shops up there. Value: This was an amazing experience. I don't think I've ever been up a ski lift before, and I think the total time you get going up and down is roughly anywhere 10-18 mins up and same length back down. It moves very slow and I don't hate that. When you get to the top, you can get off and just walk around up there and get some amazing views. I believe we paid for two $34/35ish bucks. Well worth it! Recommendation: If your looking to do something for fun the weekend and want some amazing views, you should definitely check out the ski valley lift. It's fun and can be pretty relaxing going up and down! Will be back next time!

Mount Lemmon and the Catalina Highway, AZ. Early Dec, 2025. Mount Lemmon, the highest peak…read more(9,175') in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, is managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service as part of the Coronado National Forest. (Fun Fact: Mt. Lemmon is named after Sara Plummer Lemmon, an amateur botanist and the first white woman to climb to the summit in 1881. It is one of the few peaks in the U.S. named after a woman). Our objective was to drive the Catalina Highway Scenic Drive (27 miles) to the Mount Lemmon summit. This is the only paved road that leads to the upper reaches of the Santa Catalina Range, and is one of the most scenic highways in the southwest. Because the road starts in the lower Sonoran vegetative life zone and climbs to high forests, it offers the biological equivalent of driving from the deserts of Mexico to the forests of Canada in only 27 miles. Before proceeding on the drive, we downloaded a free app entitled "Mt. Lemmon Science Tour" by the University of Arizona, which provided excellent commentary on the Sky islands, rocks, life zones, water, forest, and fire, that was well-synced with our drive up the mountain as it evolved. This is a windy, slow drive with the posted speed limit of 35 MPH or less on most sections. Plus, you're sharing the road with bicyclists riding in both directions. The road is paved, and is well-designed with frequent pull-offs and stops that allow for vista views or just to take a rest. A few of our favorite and recommended stops include: *Babad Do'ag for its excellent vistas of the desert environment and saguaros. *Gordon Hirabayashi Campground (and Historical Recreation Area). I've reviewed this separately on Yelp. *The Palisades Visitor Center, with family-friendly exhibits, brochures and general information, and a small gift shop. *Windy Point Vista, for sweeping views. *High-elevation picnic areas at Box Elder, Alder, Loma Linda, or Inspiration Rock. *Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley, where there is a restaurant and ski lift rides ($). We were disappointed that the entrance road to Rose Canyon Lake was closed on the day that we visited. This is a Forest Service fee area. A day-use pass is $8 per vehicle, and can be purchased on-line or at the Palisades Visitors Center on-route. We didn't have time to hike on the day that we visited but there are miles and miles of trails of varying length and difficulty. While there are restrooms with pit toilets at multiple sites, but there is no potable water nor service stations. I've posted a handout about the area that I picked up at the Visitors Center. Only Spanish-language brochures were available.

Linda Vista has all the great views…read more Our first hike during this vacation at Honey Bee Canyon Park had a few difficulties that we didn't anticipate, so we made sure to plan for this hike a little better. It helped that Emily had been here before and knew the area from previous hikes here. We found an easy-to-access parking lot and were able to immediately hop on a trail and start hiking. The prior hike was mostly flat, so, it was nice that the loop that we took was mostly going up and down with some switchbacks here and there. It really gets your heart rate going. There really isn't much to say about the hiking when you are left speechless from the views. Maybe seeing the mountains every day gets old but for someone who lives in Central Illinois, the change in landscape and scenery was a welcoming change. If you need or want a challenge, this trail will get you sweaty. We saw a lot of people out here running the paths. While I don't have any links or addresses to post below, you'll have no problem finding it via Apple or Google Maps. Hiking stats: -Trek: Duo -Time: 1.25 hours -Distance: 2.15 miles

Nice trail with different trail options and a nice city view. Would recommend using alltrails for…read morethe short and longer loop, it can be a bit confusing which path to take, even with this not being my first time doing the trail. If doing in the morning, it's nice to start the trail clockwise (go to the left path at the trailhead) because most of the sun will be towards your back. There really is no shade throughout. Also, very nice sunset view but wouldn't recommend doing during sunset time as it gets too dark even with a light and it's a bit scary to navigate. I'd also highly recommend having thicker hiking boots since it's very rocky. There is a trailhead with some parking, but also plenty parking in different lots not too far away more towards Oracle RD.

Honeybee Canyon Loop Trail. Oro Valley, AZ. Late Nov, 2025. We wanted to do an easy morning hike,…read moreand the Honeybee Canyon Park was close to our resort. This family-friendly park offers about three miles of hiking trails, and we decided to do the Honeybee Canyon Loop Trail. Being mostly flat, most of the trails are rated "easy", but there are a few short areas where the slope is a bit steep and you need to ascend/descend on slippery sand or gravel. Entrance to the park and parking are free; there are about 20 parking spaces. Per my AllTrails app, we walked about 1.6 miles on a route that included the rock dam, but turned back without completing the loop as it was starting to get hot, there was limited shade in the desert, and, most importantly, there's limited signage on the trail (or anywhere in the park for that matter) so we kept going off-trail. This would've been a 5-star review if the signage was better to keep us on trail.

Lovely trail and park. Open low bush shrubs for popular backyard birding. And a paved path to…read morerestrooms, but hard packed gravel the rest of the trails.

Beautiful park with great trails. Loved the Alamo Loop…read more They need to train their campground hosts better. They drove passed a family with a live wood fire several times, which are prohibited. They didn't say anything to the grandparents constantly driving the UTV in circles around the campground for 3 days (wrong direction sometimes) and letting the grandkids steer. Then, at the dump station, there were 3 of us in line and the last guy who pulled out of the site closest to the dump blocked road exiting our loop and rather than making him go around and come back parked on the side, he made me move (middle vehicles) so the guy blocking the road could pull forward. If it's a flat area, we usually multi-task (hook up the tow car at the dump while rooting and rinsing the black tank) and we're done hooking up well before we're done emptying and rinsing the black tank. Not today. The Barney Fife campground host played the I'm in charge roll. Then after I moved he told me to move to a different spot that would have had me park off the asphalt in the dirt, which isn't allowed. What a putz.

I have been to Catalina State Park to hike Romero Pools twice now. There is a $20 parking fee for a…read morecar of 2-4 people, which is a bit pricey, but the hike is worth it! There are bathrooms that are kept relatively clean and stocked with toilet paper and hand sanitizer at the trailhead. The hike to Romero Pools is about 6 miles out and back, and it is hard to get lost on the trail. After the first mile, there are not any more trails intersecting with the Romero Pools trail. The trail is rocky but very rewarding, as you are able to see your progress of climbing the mountain almost the whole time. Last fall there was not any water in the pools, but this year with all the rain, we saw plenty of waterfalls, streams, and pools. It is very peaceful to sit by the water at the end, and some people I was with even went in the water. While I cannot speak much on the other trails in this park, I do recommend giving Romero Pools a try if you are up for morning adventure!