From Spirit, February 2008
Your Adventure In: Tucson
The Pima Indians called the area chukeson, or ‘spring at the base of black mountain.’ Locals nicknamed the town Old Pueblo. We call it a late-winter hotspot. But Tucson has more adventures than names. Take our quiz below to find the perfect one for you. By Melinda Mahaffey
IF YOU ANSWERED MOSTLY A, YOU ARE A: Links Lover
With 38 golf courses in Tucson, you could tee off from sunrise to sunset for your entire vacation—and blow thousands of dollars. Or you could save a bundle at the town’s best-kept secrets: the five excellent municipal golf courses (tucsongolf.com).
Conveniently spread throughout the city, these courses charge no more than $70 a round in the winter high season. (Greens fees at courses created by golf starchitects range from $100 to almost $200.) Going municipal doesn’t limit your options, either; you can opt for a traditional layout or a desert design. No matter which course you choose, you’ll get great views of the scenic mountain ranges buttressing the town.
For a traditional atmosphere, check out El Rio and Silverbell Golf Courses on the west side. Shorter and with moderate terrain, this pair can serve as a warm-up to Tucson—or a rusty golf game. Next, head to the Randolph Park complex in the heart of the town. The William P. Bell–designed Randolph North course features flat terrain with tree-lined fairways that run 7,000 yards from the championship tees. The Dell Ulrich course, the beneficiary of a 1996 makeover, keeps the trees but also offers dramatic elevation changes.
End your golf tour at Fred Enke Golf Course on the east side, just north of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. This limited-turf course brings the desert into the design, using grass only on tees, greens, and fairways. With the Santa Catalina Mountains glowing in the late-afternoon light, you’ll experience the best of Tucson’s attractions.
Go Clubbing
Ask for a room at the Doubletree Hotel at Reid Park overlooking the Randolph Park courses for a leg up on tomorrow’s game. doubletree1.hilton.com
Wind down with a glass of wine from The Grill’s award-winning list. Sunset views of the Westin La Paloma’s fairways are just a bonus. haciendadelsol.com
Avoid the two giant saguaro on hole No. 11 when playing a round at the acclaimed Golf Club at Vistoso. vistosogolf.com
IF YOU ANSWERED MOSTLY B, YOU ARE A: Star Searcher
Despite a population of more than 1 million, the Tucson area boasts some of the best skies in the nation for stargazing, thanks to a thinner atmosphere and an innovative city ordinance passed in the ’70s that cuts artificial-light pollution. “It’s the best in the United States, but it’s not just because of the conditions,” says Mike Terenzoni, astronomy coordinator at Flandrau, the University of Arizona Science Center. “It’s the weather. There’s no point having crystal-clear skies if you’re freezing trying to observe them.”
For the best views, head to the Astronomers Inn (astronomersinn.com), 50 miles southeast of Tucson near the town of Benson. Your adventure begins at sundown. Sign up for a private astronomy session (starting at $160 for up to four people) using the computerized 20-inch Maksutov Cassegrain telescope in the inn’s domed observatory. You’ll spend the next four hours picking out individual celestial objects from the dazzling wash of twinkling stars overhead. You might see the rings of Saturn or two distinct eyes in Cassiopeia’s Owl Cluster or Betelgeuse, a supergiant star in Orion that may already have exploded. (We can’t tell yet, since its rays take about 500 light years to reach us.)
The stars align for stargazing in February and March. “You’ll see the best of the winter and spring skies: open clusters and lots of galaxies,” says inn astro-guide Dean Salman. Translated from astronomy-speak, that means you should start packing now for Tucson.
Scope Out
Fuel up for the drive to Benson with the carne seca at El Charro Café in Tucson. elcharrocafe.com
Gaze through the 16-inch telescope at Flandrau, the University of Arizona Science Center in Tucson. gotuasciencecenter.org
Shop for telescopes, accessories, and gifts at Stellar-Vision Astronomy and Science Shop in Tucson. stellarvisiontucson.com
IF YOU ANSWERED MOSTLY C, YOU ARE A: Cactus Craver
You can hardly move in Tucson without running into a saguaro cactus, though we don’t recommend it. Judging from the hundreds of thousands of “armed” cacti dotting the landscape, you wouldn’t call this Old West icon rare. But the saguaro lives only here in the Sonoran Desert, a tract of land that occupies a small part of Arizona and California, and extends into Mexico.
Though you could take in the cacti on the scenic driving loops that run through Saguaro National Park (nps.gov/sagu), the best way to see the park’s 1.6 million Carnegiea gigantea is on foot. Both parts of the park—one to the east of town and the other to the west—offer excellent cacti-crammed hikes.
Along the flat Desert Discovery Trail on the western side of the park, learn about the locals, such as rattlesnakes and the tiny elf owls that shelter inside the saguaro. Move on to the Signal Hill Trail, an easy uphill path that takes you to 800-year-old petroglyphs left by the Hohokam Indians. Head to the eastern side of the park for a more strenuous hike. The 5.2-mile Douglas Spring Trail takes you through a landscape of saguaro and prickly pears before giving way to desert grasslands.
While the park stays open from 7 a.m. until sunset, cozy up to cacti after hours through March by joining a ranger for a sunset hike. (Reserve a spot now.) Climb up to 700 feet on a ridgeline to watch the sky go Technicolor over the Tucson Mountains, then walk back to the Visitors Center by moonlight. Just try not to bump into the prickly star attraction on the way down.
Trail Mix
Meet raptors, coyotes, and other desert creatures at the zoo-like Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. desertmuseum.org
Pack a to-go Bob’s BLT from local bakery Beyond Bread. beyondbread.com
Enjoy stunning views of the Santa Catalina Mountains from your room at the Hilton El Conquistador Golf and Tennis Resort. hiltonelconquistador.com
IF YOU ANSWERED MOSTLY D, YOU ARE A: Flying Leatherneck
In the 1987 movie Can’t Buy Me Love, Patrick Dempsey’s character woos his crush amid the old airplanes at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. The characters sneak through a fence—frowned upon by military officials—but you can get an up-close view by reserving a spot on one of the twice-daily weekday bus tours from nearby Pima Air and Space Museum (pimaair.org).
Formerly known as AMARC and now called AMARG, the site also goes by the nickname the “Boneyard.” That’s a little strong. As the official name implies, the Group takes care of more than 4,400 military aircraft. And while most will never leave these 2,600 acres, about 20 percent of the planes have left to fly again over the last 25 years. Some of the permanent residents also donate their parts.
The one-hour bus tour—unfortunately, you have to stay aboard—spends about half the time with the more famous planes on Display Row. There you’ll see an LC-130F Hercules plane that was buried in Antarctic ice for 17 years, rehabbed, and flown again.
If you want a still closer look, drive along Kolb and Irvington Roads. Park on the large dirt area along Irvington and climb the embankment along Kolb and look through the chain-link fence. (Watch out for traffic.) If you need help in the romance department, bring along your sweetheart. If the Boneyard worked for Patrick Dempsey—and it did—it can work for you. Just don’t break in.
Flight Plan
Admire original wood furniture built by World War I veterans during your stay at the Arizona Inn in Tucson. arizonainn.org
Snack on a hot dog at Thunderbird’s Grill at the Pima Air and Space Museum before your tour heads out. pimaair.org
Fly a chopper over Tucson with Voyager Flight Services. flyvoyager.com
Lay of the Land
GET THERE
Fly In Tucson International Airport (tucsonairport.org) is about 10 miles south of the center of town.
Get Around
Contact Arizona Stagecoach (azstagecoach.com) for transportation to and from the airport. Downtown fares run $20 one-way (or $23 for two people), but a trip to hotels in Tucson’s foothills will cost you $41 (or $47 for two).
Get Away
You’ll need a car to reach outlying areas, such as Saguaro National Park. Rent one at the airport.
TAKE THERE
Weathering It
Only 60 miles from the Mexican border, Tucson boasts a warm winter, with average highs of 70 degrees and lows of 45 degrees.
In Your Suitcase Tucson sees less than an inch of rain in February. Pack sunscreen and sunglasses to ward off the sun’s rays, and moisturizer to keep dry skin at bay.
Out and About If you plan to go to any of the four surrounding mountain ranges, pack for colder weather; the temps up there can drop by 30 degrees.
DO THERE
Feb. 14–17
Dazzle yourself at the annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show—the largest in the country—at the Convention Center. tgms.org
Feb. 28–March 29 Catch the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Chicago White Sox, and the Colorado Rockies in spring training. mlb.com
March 8–9 Relive three battles fought in Arizona and New Mexico at Civil War in the Southwest, 40 miles north of Tucson at Picacho State Park. azstateparks.com
FOUR FACTS ABOUT TUCSON
Speed Devils
Arizona is one of 13 states that has the nation’s highest rural highway speed of 75 mph.
Capital History
Tucson was the territorial capital of Arizona from 1867 to 1877. The government eventually wound up in Phoenix.
Desert Schuss Tucson’s Mount Lemmon Ski Valley is the southernmost ski area in the United States.
Time Change
Along with Hawaii, Arizona—with the exception of the Navajo Nation within the state—does not observe Daylight Savings Time.