Visiting Tucson? Welcome to the Sonoran Desert! You've landed in a region that encompasses all of the world's biomes. In the Sonoran Desert region, you can find tundra (in the mountains near Flagstaff), coniferous and temperate deciduous forests (in the mountains and foothills), grassland, chaparral, thornscrub, tropical forest (if you travel into Baja California), and, of course, desert.

Before you start exploring any of this region, be sure that you have stocked your RV with plenty of water, sunscreen, and hats for everyone. Additionally, before you plan your trip, be aware that many Arizona state parks will take online RV reservations. You may want to stay at Catalina State Park, which is ideally located and even offers the Pusche Ridge Stables for those who are interested in riding. But, if you plan to stay at Catalina (or any Arizona state park) this summer, keep an eye on weather conditions in the Tucson area. When there is a fire risk in the Santa Catalina mountains, Catalina State Park will be closed. Another option is Kartchner Caverns State Park in Benson, which is less than an hour away (and a wonderful destination in its own right), but you will have to keep an eye on the fire risk there as well.

Day 1

• Plan to be up early your first day in Tucson, so that you can make it to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum early, while the animals are still active before the sun gets too hot. To get there from Tucson, take I-19 to the Ajo Exit, and follow Ajo Way west for about eight miles until you reach Kinney Road. Turn right onto Kinney and follow it to the Desert Museum, which will be on your left. The Desert Museum is a natural habitat zoo, botanical garden and museum of natural history. To see the whole museum, you'll have to hike through almost two miles of paths across 21 acres of desert. To really get the most out of your Desert Museum experience, plan to be there when the museum opens (7 a.m. in the hottest months of the summer). You'll not only get to see gila monsters, prairie dogs, mountain lions and javelinas in their native habitats, but you'll also have a chance to climb thro ugh a cave (save the cave for later in the day, when you are ready to cool off!). If you are bringing along toddlers who love to grab and touch things, you may want to have a stroller with you – the Desert Museum paths are lined with cacti.
• Toward mid-afternoon, as you drive back toward Tucson along Kinney Road, stop at Old Tucson, an old Western movie set. You can see mock gunfights, stunts, and watch musicals. Kids will enjoy having the chance to drive miniature antique cars, ride a train, and pan for gold. If you are here in April, you can enjoy Old Tucson's Wild West Days, a festival focused on the movie Tombstone, which was partially filmed at Old Tucson.
• When you get back onto Ajo Way, start watching for Junction 386, the Kitt Peak turnoff. Highway 386 will take you onto the Tohono Oodham Reservation, through more of the area's beautiful saguaro forest, and up into the mountains, to the Kitt Peak National Observatory Visitor Center & Museum. Find out in advance if the observatory is having a Nightly Observing Program – if so, you will want to make a reservation. If you do have the chance to stay at Kitt Peak (which normally closes at 4 p.m.) into the evening, be sure to bring warm clothes. It is always about 20 degrees cooler at Kitt Peak than it is in Tucson, and at night even the desert temperature will drop significantly. Bring warm hats and gloves.

Day 2

• Take some time this morning to visit the Pima Air & Space Museum, one of the largest aviation museums on the planet. If you can make it here by 10:30 a.m., you can start a walking tour at the Wright Flyer. The Pima Air & Space Museum also operates tours of Davis-Montham Air Force Base's "Boneyard," otherwise known as the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group. One of the unique features about this museum is that pets (on a leash) are welcome to come along (but not on the Boneyard tour bus or tram). The museum's Hangar 1 has several hands-on areas for very young children, who can climb into the cockpit of a plane and work the flight controls, or operate a runway control tower by turning on runway lights and listening to radio transmissions. If you run out of time and want to come back later in the day, you can do so – just get a hand stamp before you leave.
• From the Pima Air & Space Museum, it is a short drive to Colossal Cave Mountain Park, the perfect place to cool off for an afternoon after walking around outside all morning. Just take I-10 east to exit 279 and drive north – you will see the signs for Colossal Cave. Bear in mind that the cave is not handicap accessible or stroller-friendly. The usual guided tour will take you about half a mile into the cave, and takes less than an hour, but if you are feeling adventurous, and are able-bodied and over the age of 18, you can sign up for a "Wild Cave Tour," which will take you on a two- or three-hour long excursion through what the cave website describes as "unlit, unmarked, and rarely seen passageways that extend a quarter mile into the depths of the earth." The park also offers a candlelight tour (for ages 10 and over) after hours (you will need a reservati on). The candlelight tour takes about an hour and a half. But you don't have to spend all your time at Colossal Cave actually IN the cave – you can also visit La Posta Quemada Ranch Museum, which has a gemstone sluice, butterfly garden, and tortoise exhibit, or explore the nearby hiking trails.
• To get to Kartchner Caverns State Park, continue east on I-10 toward Benson, and take exit 302, following the signs for Fort Huachuca/Sierra Vista. Then turn right at Park Srv Rd. If you aren't tired of spelunking (cave exploring) after Colossal, you can get your fill of it at Kartchner, where you can see the longest stalactite in the world. You may want to make reservations in advance for a tour of the caves, as these tours sometimes sell out. Check the website for the dates of Kartchner's Star Night Events, especially if you are thinking of camping at Kartchner.

Day 3

• From Benson, you can follow Arizona Highway 80 southeast to Tombstone (the "Town Too Tough to Die"), where the famous "gunfight at the OK Corral" took place. In Tombstone, you may want to just poke around and see what you discover -- you can have "old time" photos taken, visit a shooting gallery, tour an underground mine, take a spirit walk through Tombstone's old cemeteries or a ghost tour through town, ride an old stage coach, or visit any of Tombstone's small historic museums.
• From Tombstone, take highway 80 west. A two hour drive will get you to the border at Nogales. You may want to take some time to cross the border and explore both sides of Nogales. Otherwise, head north on I-19. About 25 minutes will get you to the 18th century Spanish mission at Tumacacori, where you can still see much of the original church and outbuildings.
• Keep going north on I-19 for another ten minutes, and you will come to Tubac, a former Spanish fort which has become an art colony. You can still see the adobe ruins of the fort at the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. But you will also want to allow time to visit the town's many unique art galleries.
• Completing your tour of southern Arizona's Spanish American colonial history, you will want to stop at the Tohono O'odham reservation on your way back to Tucson (it's just off I-19), to visit the "white dove of the desert," Mission San Xavier del Bac. San Xavier Mission is even older than Tumacacori -- it was founded by Father Kino in 1692 -- and is much better preserved. Mass is still held at San Xavier regularly, so you may want to note the schedule before driving out to the mission.

You'll probably find that there is much more you would like to do in the Tucson area, such as hiking in the mountains, exploring the University of Arizona campus, or just drinking in the beautiful scenery. My advice is, make a list for your next trip -- you'll be back!

Joe Laing is the Marketing Director for El Monte RV Rentals. For other great RV camping vacation ideas see the Monty's Musings RV Camping Blog or the new Monty's RV Vacation Photo / Picture Gallery.

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