Sabino Canyon

Walking on Sabino's packed dirt+sand+pebbles (or something) was far easier and required less effort than walking on loose sand like in Saguaro National Park in Tucson. Plus, my kid and I felt the surface was more stable+packed and had way better traction. We actually hit the trail on our own but you can certainly request a tour guide with a group- but do inquire about tour fees if any. We paid $0 to park. We felt relaxed being here and walking here- especially getting away from NY's winter. The sun, exposure to nature and just being away gave us a calming effect on the mind.

Winter time is a good time to visit with respect to temperature but it is dry with no water during this time. Come back in the spring and there will be water.Just an amazing place. The visitors center has trail information, snacks, drinks, a gift shop, and a museum with the history.Parking is $8 and by day it $10 for a week or you can get an annual parking pass. If you have an Interagency Pass or several of the passes that the NPS offers, you can use that to cover parking as well.Just outside the visitor center is great little coffee and snack cart too.If it's your first time here like mine, take a tram tour which takes you 4 miles up into the beautiful canyon. Make sure to grab the included headphones to listen to the audio portion of the tour in English or Spanish. Note that it is GPS driven. The tram runs every 30 min but fills up quickly so get there early or make a reservation online.Look at both sides as you go up on the tram to enjoy the stunning beauty. Once at the top you can get out and stroll the area for 10 minutes. You will be guaranteed your seats on the tram. You can also choose to either walk back from here, or ride partway and get dropped off at one of the stop you passed on the way up or go all the way back to the visitors center. Bring a water bottle and some snacks with you. You can even have a picnic as some stops have some picnic tables. A couple of stops have a bathroom and water filling stations.If you stop between stops 4-6, it is about 2 to 2.5 miles walk to the visitors center. That's what we did.If you are going off the paved road for awhile, make sure you have hiking poles, good sturdy shoes, water, snacks, a small backpack, first aid kit, sunblock, and a hat.If you don't want to take the tram, there is a small 1/2 mile loop just outside the visitor's center that gives you a look at the vegetation. You also can just hike the paved path the tram goes on to the different stops. A full out and back hike on the paved path is 8 miles.All-in-all a great way to relax and explore the canyon. I'll be back again soon.

One of my favorite places to hike/walk when it's not 90+ outside. It's so beautiful!! So many trials ranging from easy to you better know what you're doing or you might need a helicopter or hope giant eagles come and save you...jk but truly try to know your limits. They have a cute little gift shop and a tram that runs up and back for those who can't or don't want to walk which is a great way to see Sabino. They do have restrooms along the main road and a couple have a drinking fountain to refill your water bottles. Bring water always or a cup of coffee for your short morning walk :) along with a breakfast bagel then find one of the many picnic tables. Breakfast, coffee and beautiful scenery..what's not to like.

This is a beautiful area but extremely crowded on a nice weekend in the winter. We parked in the overflow lot and paid via the envelope in the lock box method. There are a few trails near the lot but many are 3-4 miles or so from the parking lot which means a 6-8 mile walk in addition to whatever hike you're planning. There is a narrated shuttle for $15 a person as an option to avoid the walk to the trailheads but the shuttle was sold out. So...we stuck to the trailheads within a mile or so of the parking lot. The hikes were nice with some pretty views, birds and cacti. My recommendation would be to come during the week vs the weekend and arrive early to avoid crowds. A nice bonus is that if you do buy the week long permit, it is also good at other forest service properties.

A morning walk up The canyon road. Very early and totally quiet here. Not many walkers yet.

This is a Tucson Diamond. A absolute must! If you want to see water in The desert, even in scorching June, this is the place. If you want to hear the canyons history, buy a shuttle pass( in advance ) online. Tip: If you want to go on a Sat\Sun morning book at least a week in advance. There are 9 shuttle stops and each area has its own topography. For exploring the dam stop 1,Exploring the garnets in the creek, stop 6. Swimming in deep pools, stop 8. You can't go wrong (as long as you bring plenty of water) with any beautiful spot. We like to park in the additional parking (all parking $8) hike up to stop 8 and we buy the shuttle pass online for a ride back. Best of everything! This really is the Diamond of Tucson.

Tucson is virtually surrounded by great desert mountain parks: two districts of a national park, the county Tucson Mountain Park and Sabino Canyon. Very cool.Sabino Canyon is well reviewed so I'll add just this thought: it's great they have a car-free access road. Makes walking among the scenery and up the canyon very pleasant.

This is such an a amazing public location offered to the public for sight seeing and hiking, brisk walks and exercise almost ever day of the year. A guided tram ridis available for those hot days that tourists and locals aren't wanting to walk the canyon.

The Mr and I wanted to see and learn about the Sabino Canyon. The tram was a great way to do both since neither of us were dressed or prepared to hike. We took the 9:00 tram ($15 each) and was looking forward to the commentary as well as the ride. It was a somewhat difficult to hear because the audio system was a little weak. It didn't help the people behind us, had no interest in the audio, and talked non-stop. Later we stopped in the well done Visitor's Center, and filled in the gaps we missed on the commentary. We took several pictures along the way and throughly enjoyed the magnificent scenery. I don't think I will ever tire of gazing at the saguaro cactus. It has a beauty all its own. I always love the look and sound of running water and the tram crossed many bridges giving us excellent photo ops. Sabino Canyon is beautiful and we were so glad we got to see it! Highly recommended!

Bicyclists at Sabino Canyon are a real danger. They racing down the road at such high speed that eventually somebody is going to get killed. Volunteers used to tell them to slow down, but apparently they are told by the new district ranger not to interact with bicyclists, who can become quite aggressive. Even on trails walkers, joggers and hikers are not safe from bicyclist anymore. It is illegal to bike off the paved road: "bicycles are not permitted off the paved roadways." fs.usda.govBicyclists are making a hell out of what should be a relaxing walk/hike. Again, a few entitled individuals making life miserable for everyone