2 days (approx.)
Daily Tour
15 people
English
Get outside of Tucson and explore its surrounding areas with our Self-Guided Tucson Day Trips Driving Tour Bundle. Discover the unique culture and history of this dynamic destination at your own pace with our expertly crafted self-guided tours. This bundle includes two full-day tours: – Saguaro National Park – Mt. Lemmon Scenic Byway From the scenic beauty of Mt. Lemmon Scenic Byway to the historic landmarks of Saguaro National Park, this bundle offers an immersive journey through the heart of the Sonoran Desert. Each tour includes detailed driving directions, offline maps, fascinating stories as well as insights about the area's history, geology, and more. *Download the Shaka Guide app to access your purchased tours.*
Red Hills Visitor Center
This visitor center is a wealth of information about the west side of Saguaro National Park, the TMD. There are also good restrooms, a museum, activities, a gift shop, and a theatre.
Entry to Saguaro National Park is $25 per vehicle.
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
Desert Discovery Nature Trail
An interpretive trail near the park entrance that is paved, flat, and easy for strollers or wheelchairs. The 0.4 mile loop may have flowers and birds, as well as reptiles.
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Valley View Overlook Trail
A 0.8 mile trail that leads to an impressive overlook above a large expanse of virgin Sonoran desert, with mountains in the background.
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic Area
A placid picnic spot with vault toilets and nice desert views.
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Sendero Esperanza Trailhead
This trail offers a stunning route to reach Mt. Wassen, the highest point of the TMD. Along the way one can see saguaros and other desert plants, as well as possibly wildlife as well, reptiles, birds, and possibly mammals, like jackrabbits and javalinas, or even mountain lions.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Signal Hill
Stunning Hohokam culture petroglyphs with a backdrop of desert and mountains behind.
35 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Brown Mountain
Nice 4 mile loop hike that summits Brown Mountain, a lower hill that’s just outside Saguaro National Park.
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Gates Pass Scenic Lookout
A stunning scenic overlook of vast desert, with parking and stone structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Babad Do’ag Trailhead
This lovely overlook gives a sweeping vista of the Sonoran desert plain, Tucson, and the mountains beyond.
Entry to Mt. Lemmon is $8 per vehicle.
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
Molino Canyon Vista
A pretty canyon that makes for a nice view, especially pretty when there’s water down in the creekbed.
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Molino Basin Trailhead
Hike down along an often-dry river and look for ancient grinding holes left by the Hohokam culture, used for turning acorns into flour.
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Seven Cataracts
Take in great views of nearby Thimble Peak as well as view a rushing cascade of waterfalls on the opposite side of the ravine, though they are dry much of the year. Good spot to see wildlife, too.
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Windy Point Vista
Wait for sunset or just marvel at the beauty of the landscape below you.
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Hoodoo Vista
Hoodoos are strange, often otherworldly shapes caused by erosion of wind and rain. The drive has lots of them so they deserve their own pullout, don’t you think?
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
San Pedro Vista
Here you can hike to Barnam Rock and the further Leopold Point, catching great views of the San Pedro valley below.
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Palisades Visitor Center
Useful and informative visitor center with bathrooms.
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Aspen Vista
This peaceful spot was recently ravaged by wildfires. You can view the mountains far across the valley amid charred trunks of trees.
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Loma Linda Picnic Area
Find a picnic table and enjoy a relaxing bite amid tall pines, with chirping birds and views of the San Pedro valley far, far below.
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Mt Lemmon Ski Valley
Visit here if you’ve got some spare time (and some spare skis)!
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Mt. Lemmon Community Center
What this tiny hamlet lacks in size, it makes up for in heart: Grab tasty fudge, enjoy a giant, freshly made cookie, have a sit-down dinner, or find a nice trail to hike. It’s all here in quiet Summerhaven.
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Marshall Gulch Picnic Area
Stop here to find a place to sit, eat, and enjoy nature.
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Rose Canyon Lake
Get in some good views and some good camping here.
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Natural Arch
This massive arch is surprisingly easy to miss as you zip up the highway, but it’s worth the brief stop, and certainly the biggest arch you’ll see on the tour, though there are a few small ones tucked here and there among the other hoodoos.
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Geology Vista Point
This stop offers grand views of the valley and some interesting interpretive signs that detail how this vast area came to be.
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Bug Springs Trail
A fun hike for folks who want one last chance to get out of the car and onto a trail for a while.
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Gordon Hirabayashi Campground
Get in some good camping! Open from October to April, and there are restrooms.
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
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