Links and Resources

Weather

Take care with the weather! The heat in Tucson – especially with a general lack of shade, water and relief from the sun – should be taken very seriously, hikers do die from the heat. As you go up the Santa Catalina Mountains be careful to be aware of the change in temperature and conditions, as unlikely as snow storms and snow covered trails might seem in Tucson both happen every year on the mountain and winter storms can drop the temperatures to dangerously cold VERY quickly!

Because of weather, rockfall and construction the General Hitchcock Highway (sometimes referred to both as the Catalina Highway and the Mount Lemmon Highway) is sometimes closed at the base of the mountain. For current conditions you can try calling (520) 547-7510 (often recommended and has been around for years), Pima Sheriff (see the Community Bulletin section) or Pima County Sheriff on Facebook and Pima Country Road Closures, although please take note that in quickly changing weather conditions none of these may be 100% ‘up to the minute’…

Pima County Regional Flood Control District ALERT System – This is an interesting resource for seeing precipitation data from weather stations in and around the Santa Catalina Mountains – the Pima County Website says “This network provides information to county personnel and other agencies about precipitation, stormwater runoff, and weather conditions affecting our regional watersheds.”

 

Resources

Blogs
Hiking Sites
Arizona Trail
  • The Arizona Trail Association – This recently completed, inspiring and amazing route spanning Arizona runs thru the Santa Catalina Mountains.
State Parks

The Santa Catalina Mountains are home to two state parks – Catalina State Park and Oracle State Park.

  • Catalina State Park – A very popular park located on the west side of the Santa Catalina Mountains – this is a wonderful area and a great gateway into the mountains.
  • Oracle State Park – On the north side of the Santa Catalina Mountains this park is one of the easiest ways to see the landscape on the north side of the Santa Catalina Mountains.

Both state parks have supporting organizations that are worth supporting!

Organizations
Climbing

Climbing is huge in Tucson! This site is mainly about hiking, but some of the destinations are the same:

Hiking Clubs/Groups
Running
  • Tucson Trail Runners – A long running group and an amazing group of endurance athletes – if you are looking for some good run (or hike!) ideas their list of routes is not to be missed!
History
Turkeys in the Santa Catalina Mountains

This page is not meant to be a comprehensive resource – but seeing Turkeys several times in the Santa Catalina Mountains and reading about their history of Turkeys in the range I thought it would be worthwhile to link to a couple of interesting documents about these awesome birds!

Guides
Search and Rescue