Tucson Hiking Guide

Let us give thanks to our park rangers keeping us safe, and heed their excellent advice! But sometimes, these things happen. Take care out there!

For any life-threatening emergency, CALL 911! Only after contact with emergency services has been made, and if you are able, then call the park visitor center to inform the desk staff. 911 and local emergency services are able to use GPS and other technologies to better track hikers and find them quicker. The phones at the visitor center cannot do that. For all emergencies, 911 first, every minute counts!

A reminder from your friendly neighborhood rangers to keep safety in mind when planning for a hike! We strongly recommend staying off the trails from 10am – 4pm during the hotter months. If you are going to go for a hike plan to start early, bring plenty of water and salty snacks, and always tell a friend where you’re going and what time you expect to be done. This time of year, during our summer monsoon season, we also recommend keeping a close eye on the weather forecast. If you see approaching storm clouds, avoid walking in dry riverbeds (flash floods can become deadly fast), and avoid ridge trails (tall cacti and lightning don’t mix well).

For non-emergency dispatch, call 520-351-4900.

We love hiking in the mountains around Tucson, but sometimes we venture elsewhere, in this case the John Muir Trail in California. It was beautiful.

A beautiful hike on the Aqua Caliente trail east of Tucson. About 9 miles round-trip, and an elevation gain of 2,900 feet. This hike definitely deserves a "hard" rating, but the scenery and views are spectacular.