Tucson is such a wonderful surprise! It’s 10 times the size of Manhattan, surrounded by 5 mountain chains, and boasts a lively art and music scene. Its sunny skies and desert make it a wonderful place to visit in February to escape the brutality of winter.
Below is a suggested itinerary.
- Day 1: Tucson Mountain Park
- Day 2: Sabino Canyon
- Things to note:
- Day 3: Explore Tucson
- Day 4: Mt. Lemmon
- Day 5: Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum & Saguaro National Park West
- Southern Loop: Tucson to the Mexican Border
- Day 6: Bisbee via Coronado National Monument
- Day 7: Jesus Hike and Gold Mine Tour
- Day 8: Tombstone
- Day 9: Chiracauhua National Monument
Day 1: Tucson Mountain Park
Arrive Tucson and settle in. Watch the 360 degree sunset of the desert with tall saguaro cacti silhouettes haunting the landscape at Tucson Mountain Park, just outside of Tucson.
Day 2: Sabino Canyon
Head to Sabino Canyon, just 20 minutes north of Tucson. Arrive at 10:30, buy open air tram tickets. Take a picnic lunch and snacks and definitely water with you on the tram to end, which is stop 9. Take a few pics, then hop the tram back to stop 8 for bathroom and viewing area of striped gneiss, perhaps doing a bit of an explore. Then walk down toward stop 7 for Historic Sabino Canyon trail to Sabino Canyon Trail – very scenic – about 1.5 hours with stops for breath and enjoying the vistas. The trailhead will be on your left is you’re walking down the road, and isn’t marked from the road – see your park map. If you hike this trail in the opposite direction, it’s more scenic and downhill, so take your hiking poles. I prefer hiking uphill because it’s a good workout and easier on my knees.
Things to note:
- Bring your National Park Pass because this canyon is in the Coronado National Forest.
- Bring lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, camera, hiking boots and poles (although at the age of 59 with somewhat painful knees I did ok on the Historic trail without poles because we climbed up, rather than down the trail.)
- This is a popular park, so if it’s a weekend or prime season, arriving early will be helpful.
- The tram road is 3.7 miles one way. Save your hiking time for the trails if you want to be surrounded by the canyon walls.
- The tram runs on the hour and returns from stop 9 on the half hour. In February the last tram leaves the visitor center at 4:00 p.m. As of February 2021 the cost of an adult ticket was $12.00. See their website for more info: https://sabinocanyoncrawler.com/sabino-canyon-tours/
Day 3: Explore Tucson
Tucson has an old town you where you can walk a few blocks and hear some music. We even found blues music on a Sunday afternoon at the historic Congress Hotel with a back patio near the armory. Note that the bar was a cash bar. They had some good craft beer. Other places to walk and explore include:
- University of Arizona – nice campus
- Tucson Center for Creative Photography
- Tucson Art museum – small, yet spacious with a variety of art, a small outdoor sculpture courtyard, and a good restaurant
Day 4: Mt. Lemmon
Drive about 1 hour to the beginning of the 27 mile Mt. Lemmon Scenic Byway and stop at each vista. Take a picnic lunch or eat at the restaurant at Sky View (but with Covid, you just never know, so I highly recommend packing the picnic!) or Summerhaven at the top of the mountain. Mile 13 has a cool place to explore the rocks and view of the hoodoos, so don’t miss this stop.
Enjoy a dinner in historic downtown Tucson, catch some music at an outside patio at historic Congress Hotel or catch music on select nights at Catalina Pizza. With Covid still ravaging the music scene (February 2021), Catalina Pizza had their band play on the sidewalk and we hung out with other music lovers in the parking lot and ate our takeout dinner from Catalina Pizza. Always have stadium chairs ready!
Day 5: Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum & Saguaro National Park West
The Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum is really more of a zoo and nature trail. If you stop for a cocktail and lunch, plan to spend about 3.5 hours here.
My favorite was the hummingbird aviary and the ocelot and the river otter’s antics. And the coyote was much cuter than in the mythical stories I’ve read.
Then head over to Saguaro National Park, which is only 1.5 miles away. The visitor center closed at 3:00 p.m., but there are nice views from the visitor center with benches outside, plus maps and suggestions on a big board outside, as well as a trail map and the National Park pamphlet. We simply drove the 5 mile dirt road (doable for most cars, but not for trailer-towing) loop called Bajada Loop Drive, since we were tired from the pace and activities of the last few days. People suggest doing Signal Hill trail. The views getting to and from the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum & Saguaro National Park West were also spectacular, as they take you through the Tucson Mountain Park. If you have time and energy, try a hike in Tucson Mountain Park.
Southern Loop: Tucson to the Mexican Border
Day 6: Bisbee via Coronado National Monument
Drive to Bisbee via Ramsey Canyon Preserve and Coronado National Monument (2.5 hours).
Stop at Ramsey Canyon Preserve if the road is open (closed Feb 2021). Ramsey Canyon Preserve offers tours March through November, but not on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
For a cool view, check out Coronado National Monument and see if you can figure out where the border wall is that demarks Mexico.
You’ll need binoculars to see it. After you drive up a narrow dirt road to Montezuma’s Pass, there’s a short hike from the parking lot to the very top with a rewarding buena vista. Enjoy Mexican fare at Contessa’s Cantina in Bisbee.
Day 7: Jesus Hike and Gold Mine Tour
Hike to top of Jesus trail in town of Bisbee. Take in the vista of the mountains in Bisbee, then go down into a mountain by touring the gold mine.
Day 8: Tombstone
Enjoy the Old West history in this tourist mecca. Tombstone is just a 30 minute drive from Bisbee.
See the Shootout at OK Corral re-enactment (check the schedule). Look for bullet holes in the walls at the Bird Cage Theatre and take the short tour (admission required). We found 3 book stores with local history books about the old west – books you’ll likely never see in many other places.
Day 9: Chiracauhua National Monument
Chiracauhua National Monument was one of our favorite adventure hikes. We did the Echo Canyon hike to Heart of Rocks.
We explored and played among the crevices and enjoy vistas of hoodoos, then headed back the way we hiked in. That evening drive just 2 hours to get back to Tucson.