Reid Park Zoo
You'll meet wildlife from the far corners of the world
here (Randolph Way, 520/791-4022 recording or 520/791-5064,
www.reidparkzoo.org, Oct.-May: 9 a.m.-4
p.m. daily, June-Sept.: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, $10.50 adults, $8.50 seniors 62+, $6.50
children 2-14). Landscaping and plants add beauty and provide a natural setting
for the different habitats. Tigers from Asia prowl their territory just inside the
entrance on the left. Beyond lie many of the famous African animals, such as a white
rhino, a pair of lions, mandrills, giraffes, and zebras. A polar bear seems quite
content as its insulating fur protects it from Tucson's heat, and there's a big
swimming pool at hand (with an underwater viewing window). The South American loop
winds through jungle foliage past piranhas, a spectacled bear, llamas, fat capybaras
(world's largest rodent), sleek jaguars, long-limbed gibbons, and other wonderful
creatures. Many of the zoo's birds, some in two walk-in aviaries, display spectacular
plumage and colors. Zoo staff breed anteaters and other rare animals and participate
in a species survival plan. Reid Park, which also has picnic and ball fields, lies
3.5 miles east of downtown. Turn north on Randolph Way at the light on 22nd St.,
midway between Country Club Road and Alvernon Way.
Pima Air & Space Museum
You'll experience dramatic advances in
aviation technology at the nation's largest private collection (6000 E. Valencia
Rd., 520/574-0462, www.pimaair.org, 9 a.m.-5
p.m. daily, with slightly shorter hours for some exhibits, $15.50 adults, $12.75
seniors 62 and older and active military, $9 ages 7-12); two-day admission tickets
cost just a bit more. More than 300 historic aircraft—and extensive exhibits
about the people who flew them—fill six large buildings and spread outside
across the museum's more than 80 acres. The first hangar that you enter has a full-scale
replica of the Wright brothers' 1903 Wright Flyer along with some unique planes
and helicopters. A motion simulator "takes off" for exciting rides. Presidents
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson flew on the VC-118A/DC-6A plane on display.
A handful of civilian airliners are on display, but it's the military planes that
will most impress you with their history, size, and diversity. Fighters show developments
from World War II models to early jets, through the F-100 series, to some current
models; there's also a lineup of MiGs. Huge transports, three B-52 bombers, many
helicopters, and a speedy SR-71 Blackbird stand at rest. The Space Gallery traces
the journey into outer space with full-size mockups of Robert Goddard's 1926 liquid-fuel
rocket, an X-15, and Mercury and Apollo capsules along with models, rocket engines,
planetary spacecraft, and a space video; school kids participate in space missions,
which staff explain on free tours. The Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame next door recounts
the contributions of state aviators; in the back you can marvel at the complexity
of piston, jet, and rocket engines in "Thrust: the Engine Gallery." Famous
aircraft of WW II fill three hangars, where you'll see gleaming B-24, B-26, and
B-29 bombers, plus many other famous planes and a few early helicopters. The 390th
Memorial Museum, home of the B-17G, displays photos of crews along with some of
their stories; a diorama and video show aerial dramas.
Free
walking tours take you around to some of the most famous exhibits. Tram tours ($6)
provide a great introduction to the museum and save shoe leather. A gift shop sells
aircraft models, books, and posters. There's also a snack bar. Researchers can make
an appointment to use the library. The museum is about 12 miles southeast of downtown.
Take I-10 southeast to Valencia Road Exit 267, then drive east two miles
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and AMARG Tours
Charles Lindbergh dedicated
Davis-Monthan in 1927 as the country's first municipal airport. Crews of B-17 bombers
and other aircraft trained here during World War II. Today, pilots learn to fly
combat and electronic reconnaissance aircraft. A tenant at the base, AMARG (Aerospace
Maintenance And Regeneration Group), stores a staggering number of surplus planes—more
than 5,000. The great variety of fighters, transports, and bombers extends across
2,600 acres. You can see them on scheduled bus tours ($7) that depart Mon.-Fri.
from Pima Air & Space Museum; reservations are recommended in the cooler months.
Saguaro National Park East
Many huge saguaros grow here in the foothills
of the Rincon Mountains, about 16 miles east of downtown. Just inside the park entrance,
the visitor center (3693 S. Old Spanish Trail, 520/733-5153,
www.nps.gov/sagu, 9a.m.-5 p.m. daily, $6/vehicle,
$3 bicyclists or foot travelers) exhibits describe desert geology, ecology, flora,
and fauna. A 15-minute program shown every half-hour illustrates the biotic communities
of the park and the influence of the encroaching city. Naturalists offer special
programs and walks, especially during the cooler months. Staff have books, maps,
and hiking information. Outside, the Cactus Garden displays a variety of labeled
desert plants.
Cactus Forest Drive, an eight-mile paved
road open from 7 a.m. to sunset, begins near the visitor center and winds through
the foothills of the Rincon Mountains with many fine views. After you've driven
about 2.2 miles along this one-way route, you'll come to the turnoff for Mica View
Picnic Area on the left. Another 0.3 mile past the turnoff, look for the Desert
Ecology Trail. On this paved quarter-mile trail, you'll learn how plants and
animals cope with the environment.
Freeman Homestead Nature
Trail begins on the right, 200 yards down the spur road to Javelina Picnic Area.
The trail makes a one-mile loop past huge saguaro and along a wash filled with mesquite;
interpretive signs describe homesteading in the desert. Javelina Picnic Area has
some shaded picnic tables.
Cactus Forest Trail System
offers about 40 miles of interconnecting trails with many loop possibilities in
the desert hills; ask for a trail brochure at the visitor center. Mountain bikers
particularly enjoy the system's namesake, the 2.5-mile-one-way Cactus Forest
Trail through the heart of the cactus forest between the north and south sides
of the drive; it's wide and heavily used, shared by hikers, cyclists, and equestrians.
Hiking trails north of Cactus Forest Drive follow gentle terrain and can be reached
from several trailheads on the north side of the drive. For more rugged and scenic
country, try the trails east of Garwood Trail. Douglas Spring Trailhead at the east
end of Speedway Boulevard is the closest access point for this area. Bridal Wreath
Falls is a good destination during runoff; follow Douglas Spring Trail 2.5 miles
in, then turn right 0.3 mile at the sign to the falls. Hikers must keep to the trails
if below an elevation of 4,500 feet to protect fragile desert soils and vegetation.
Backpackers can explore more of the park's 128 miles of trails. Tanque Verde
Ridge Trail begins near the Javelina Picnic Area and climbs into the rugged
Saguaro Wilderness of the Rincon Mountains. The trail continues with lots of ups
and downs to Mica Mountain, at 8,666 feet the highest peak in the wilderness and
17.5 miles one way. Several other trailheads provide access to Mica Mountain, though
hiking distances are also too far for day trips. Spring and autumn are the best
seasons for a visit as the wilderness is especially dry and unforgiving in the heat
of summer, and winter can bring snow. A permit ($6/site/night) from the visitor
center is needed for backcountry camping, which is permitted only at designated
sites. Carry water (one gallon per day) and topo maps.
Colossal Cave Mountain Park
Tour guides lead you deep underground to
the large formations in this dry limestone cave (520/647-7275 cave tours or 520/647-7121
ranch, www.colossalcave.com, cave tours
cost $7.50 adults, $4 children ages 6-10, there's also a park entry fee of $3/car,
$2/motorcycle, or $1/bicycle). The park is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (until 6 p.m. Sun.
and holidays) daily mid-Sept.-mid-March, then 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (until 7 p.m. Sun. and
holidays) daily mid-March-mid-September. You'll learn about the cave's history and
geology, but not where outlaws hid their $60,000 in gold! The tour covers a half-mile
and requires a great deal of stair climbing—a total of 363 steps—at
a leisurely pace. The cave stays a comfortable 70ºF year-round. Tours last 45-55
minutes and leave frequently; you can usually get in within a half hour. Ladder
Tours operate some days by reservation; you'll don a hard hat and follow the guide
to areas off the normal tour route. A snack bar and gift shop await outside the
entrance. Civilian Conservation Corps workers laid the cave's flagstone pathways
and constructed the buildings outside in the mid-1930s.
Other
caves lie within the 2,400-acres park too. La Tetera, Spanish for "tea kettle"
because of the plume of steam that first gave away its location, contained bones
of extinct camels and horses. Further exploration revealed a large room filled with
richly colored features and a dazzling crystal-covered floor, which blocked progress,
as the discoverers didn't wish to trample it. The cave will be reserved for scientific
research in the future, but you may see photos of it.
While
in the park, you can visit La Posta Quemada, a working ranch that dates back
to the 1870s. It offers a museum, hiking, horseback riding (520/647-3450), a research
library, and a cafe. Exhibits illustrate the cave's formation, animals, and prehistoric
artifacts. Historical displays relate the ranch's history. The park also offers
picnic areas and a playground. You can camp one night only in the picnic areas at
no extra charge, but you'll need to arrive in the park before closing time.
Colossal Cave Mountain Park lies 22 miles southeast of downtown Tucson. Take I-10
east to Vail-Wentworth Exit 279, then go seven miles north; or take the Old Spanish
Trail to Saguaro National Monument East, then go 12 miles south.
Redington Pass
The bumpy unpaved Redington Road offers a scenic "back
door" to the eastern Tucson Valley. You'll enjoy panoramas of Tucson as the
road winds up to the high-desert Redington Pass, which connects the Santa Catalinas
and the Rincons; side roads lead to trailheads for the Arizona Trail and other paths
into the mountain ranges.
From Tucson, head east on Tanque
Verde Road; pavement runs out 2.7 miles past the Wentworth Road junction, then it's
9 miles to the pass via Redington Road. On the east side, the road gradually descends
17.5 miles from the pass into the San Pedro Valley, where you can turn north to
San Manuel (17 miles) or south to Gammon's Gulch (30 miles) and Benson (42 miles)
on partly paved roads.