TUCSON’S GREAT OUTDOORS

We like Tucson.  The area is rich with things to do and see.  It’s a good place to live, with all the big city amenities, but also many easy opportunities for getting out into the great outdoors — a perfect combination for us.  Except that there’s no ocean in Arizona and after a while we miss being near the water. 

Apparently it’s too dry here for bugs as well.  I’m sure this means something serious ecologically, but on the short-term, it’s a plus for people living here.  You can sit outside or leave your screen door open during the middle of the day and on into evening (when it’s warm enough) and you get no insects at all.  Nor do you see them much at all when you’re out in the parks walking.

Here are some of our favorite places to explore.

Saguaro National Park  East and West .  The two parts of Saguaro National Park border the east and west city limits.  You can drive straight down Broadway from the main part of the city and end up at a trail-head to Saguaro East. Here are some varied descriptions of the giant saguaro cactus, from literature in the Visitor Center:  “the monarch of the Sonoran desert, a prickly horror, the symbol of the American Southwest, and a plant with personality.”    Their fanciful shapes can seem almost human.  (Except that they can grow up to 50 feet in height.)   

The desert grows on you and after a while and you really start to really appreciate it’s different kind of beauty.  (The Sonoran Desert has the greatest variety of plant and animal life of any North American desert.)  

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On one of our visits to Saguaro East, we saw a whole family of javalinas feasting on cacti. Their feeding habits are kind of harsh.  It’s easy to see where they’ve fed, because you can see bent over, dying plants where they’ve been nibbling.

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The Sky Islands (Sky Island Scenic Drive in the Santa Catalina Mountains)  Sky Islands are isolated mountain ranges rising from the desert the same way that islands rise from the ocean floor.  Driving the 7,000 foot climb from Tucson to the top of the Santa Catalina Mountains takes less than an hour, but is the equivalent of going from the desert to northwestern Canada. You pass giant saguaro cactus, then oak woodlands. Then, about halfway up, there’s the first sign of a cooler climate, with ponderosa pines.  There are plenty of places to get out and take short walks.  You need a jacket by the time you get to the top.

Sabino Canyon.  This oasis is located in the southeastern foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains.  The canyon begins at the top of Mt. Lemmon.  There is a lot of plant-life and birds and even some water (the river does actually have some, unlike most Arizona riverbeds).   

For a small fee, you can board a guided-tour shuttle bus, which takes you into the deep crevice along the winding river.  You can choose to hop off and on at any of several stops, but if you ride straight through to the top and back it is about a 25-minute ride.  The presentation by the guide is informative.  We got off at the top and then walked the 3.8 miles back down.  All down-hill is our idea of a good way to go mountain hiking.  

Madera Canyon, Agua Caliente, and Tohono Chul Parks :  These are three different city or regional parks that are well kept up and have wonderful birding opportunities.    They are easy drives from Voyager.  We like that it is possible to drive to any one of these parks (or Saguaro NP for that matter), walk a little, maybe watch birds or wildlife for a while, and still have time to buy groceries  — or go swimming or visit with friends and neighbors back home at Voyager.