For more information please contact:
Kimberly Schmitz, Director of Communications & Public Relations
Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau
1-800-638-8350, ext.143 or 520-770-2143
TUCSON AND ENVIRONS: NATURE TOURISM AT ITS BEST
The dramatic scenery surrounding Tucson attracts packs of hikers and other nature lovers. Avians also take to this area, ranked one of the five best for bird watching in the United States.
Local Desert Denizens
Those accustomed to crowded urban landscapes may be astonished by Tucson's wide-open vistas. The city sits in the Sonoran Desert -- but don't start thinking Lawrence of Arabia. This is high desert, which gets enough rain (about 11 inches annually) to sustain an amazing array of vegetation, from cactus and scrubby bushes to low-lying trees. The subtle shades of green that reign year round are set off in spring by brilliant orange, yellow and fuschia cactus blossoms, as well as vivid blue and purple wildflowers. The desert is also home to a thriving animal population, including lizards, snakes, jackrabbits, coyotes, javelinas, mountain lions, and a mind-boggling variety of birds.
The enjoyably educational Arizona Sonora Desert Museum puts the local desert into the context of arid regions around the world. Prairie dogs and hummingbirds are among the multitude of critters that keep visitors entertained. Just down the road, Saguaro (suh-WAR-oh) National Park explains everything there is to know about the towering cactus for which it is named: For example, it takes 50 years for a saguaro to produce its first arm. The saguaro grows only in the Sonoran Desert, so if you see it in a film that's supposed to be set in, say, Wyoming, you know Hollywood has got it wrong.
On the other side of town, the eastern portion of Saguaro National Park offers a striking reminder that Tucson rests in a valley at the southern reaches of the Rocky Mountains and the northernmost edge of Mexico's Sierra Madre Mountains. Here visitors can gaze at miles of cactus while hiking through the foothills of the Rincon Mountains. Catalina State Park embraces some of the Santa Catalina Mountains, the highest of the five major ranges surrounding the city, as does Sabino Canyon, which also includes part of the Coronado National Forest. The road that winds its way to the top of Mount Lemmon, another of the Santa Catalinas, takes visitors through five distinct ecosystems, trailing off at an elevation of 9,157 feet in a pine forest that's typical of Southern Canada.
Farther Afield (or Is That "Adesert"?)
Tohono Chul Park takes its name from the Tohono O'odham language. Tohono Chul means "desert corner," and indeed this park is a treasured piece of the desert in the middle of the city. Tohono Chul Park is a 49-acre desert preserve dedicated to increasing visitors' appreciation of the Sonoran Desert, its history and culture. As you walk down the winding nature trail through various gardens; tour through the Exhibit Hall in a renovated historic home; enjoy breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea in the Tea Room and shop in the Greenhouse and Museum Shops; you begin to understand why the desert is so cherished in Tucson. Tucson Botanical Gardens features arid landscaping, herbs, irises, a tropical greenhouse, wildflowers, gardening classes and Native American crops in beautiful historic gardens.
