Red Hills Visitor Center - Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park has two districts separated by the city of Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Mountain District is on the west side of town on the western foothills of the Tucson Mountains. While the city has expanded east to the doorstep of the Rincon Mountain District, the mountains have kept development slightly further away from the western district. To reach the western district from Interstate 10 in downtown Tucson, take exit 257 to West Speedway Boulevard. Head west on Speedway for 5 miles until it becomes West Gates Pass Road. Continue west across the mountain to the end of Gates Pass in about 5 more miles. Drive north on Kinney Road for about 5 more miles to the Red Hills Visitor Center on the right.

The Red Hills Visitor Center is newer and larger than the Rincon Visitor Center in the east district. The larger facility has a large information desk, exhibit area, expanded bookstore and a theater that can seat nearly 100 people. The excellent 15-minute narrated slide show "Voices of a Desert" is shown every half hour. At the conclusion of the show, the screen retracts into the ceiling and curtains open revealing a wonderful vista of the Red Hills by way of the floor to ceiling windows. Restrooms are located in an attached building at the complex. A garden trail with signs identifying plants winds through some of the grounds. In addition, there is a large patio for viewing the landscape.

Red Hills Visitor Center

Garden between the visitor center and restrooms

Entrance

Exhibit area

Information desk

The clothing section of the bookstore

Another section of the bookstore

View from the theater after the slide show

View from the patio

Another view from the patio

Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains  (6877' 31 miles)

View from the garden

An entrance fee of $5 per person or $10 per private vehicle is required to enter Saguaro National Park. The fee is valid for seven days and allows entrance to both the Tucson Mountain District (West) and the Rincon Mountain District (East). Other options include a Saguaro National Park Annual Pass for $25, an Interagency Annual Pass providing access to most national park, national forest and BLM fee areas for $80 and a lifetime Interagency Senior Pass for those age 62 and older for $10.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm.