Tucson Mountain Park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Tucson, Arizona, United States. This park was established in the year 1929 on April. It is a 20,000-acre sonoran desert natural preserve forest situated just few kilometers west of the Tucson through the beautiful Gate Pass.

Tucson Mountain Park or TMP includes one of the most wonderful saguaro forests in the entire world. The C. B. Brown and the Pima County Parks Commission was established in order to manage the park.

The Tuscon Mountain Park has about 62 miles of non-motorized shared- use trails. These trails are open to several people such as mountain bikers, hikers and equestrians and it offers a huge variety of wonderful experiences such as breathtaking views and technical challenges. Gates Pass overlook comprises historic structures and interpretive displays. Wildlife viewing and picnicking opportunities are situated all over the park.

Horseback riding, hiking, bicycling, camping and picnicking are some of the recreational facilities within the Tucson Mountain Park.

"The Pima County" archery range is situated in TMP (Tucson Mountain Park) just one mile on the north side of the Old Tucson Studios on the Kinney Road. It is a self-guided facility which includes a stationary marked shooting range and defined archery courses situated all over the park. Rest rooms and water are available for your convenience. It is open daily from 7:30 Am to until dusk. Daily use fee is five dollars per individual.

Founded in 19296, Tucson Mountain Park is a nice and amazing area 6 miles west of Tucson, Arizona. It covers a 20,000-acre sonoran desert land in Tucson Mountain, and has one of the most magnificent saguaro forests in the world, boasting unbeatable landscapes rarely seen elsewhere. Actually, what really makes this natural resource national-recognized is the 62 miles of non-motorized shared-use trails, inviting and ideal for hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, equestrians and challenge-seekers. The trails rise and fall throughout the exotic desert landscape and offers ultimate fun plus extreme challenges!

Tucson Mountain Park on Google Maps

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Tucson+Mountain+Park

If you are going hiking or biking in Tucson Mountain Park, please keep in mind that the park is open from 7:30 am until 10 pm. To help you fully prepared for a fun-and excitement-filled trip, we are going to offer a brief guide on the trails of the park. Currently, there are 15 trails stretching throughout Tucson Mountain Park. Next we will give an intro to each of them. You can have a check to see which one is suitable for your activities.

Starr Pass - Tucson Mountain Park Trails Map

http://tucsonbiketrails.wikispaces.com/Starr+Pass+-+Tucson+Mountain+Park

Arthropod Trail

This trail is about 20 to 40 minute ride. The difficulty ratings are easy. It is partially dirt road off Gates Pass Road of Tucson Mountain Park, and on the west-end maintained part occasionally has a vehicle. The strong point of this trail is that it is easy to work out and good for novice bikers to conquer. However, the major drawback is that you may eat car dust sometimes.

Avery Bryce Trail

This trail will take you about half an hour one way. It starts from Kinney Road to the west bound of the park. It is a very old jeep track and goes best to biking beginners who want to test their skills on slightly rocky and sandy terrain. However, you may think it is too flat and the views on the way will get old after a few minutes.

Brown Mountain Trail

This trail is seated on the northeast section of the park, south of the Desert Museum. It is really a challenge and quite fit for sophisticated bikers. It climbs across Brown Mountain with a horrendous descent, so not suitable for faint of heart or lungs. The total single track will takes 1 to 2 hours to complete, depending on your biking skills and techniques.

Gates Pass Trail

It is a single track parallel to Gates Pass Road which runs east from Kinney to the Gates Pass parking lot in the park. The beginning of this trail is intermediate, then advanced, and becomes extreme finally in the east end. Most of the track is good for bikers, except for washes during the intermediate sections when the bikers have to walk their way up or down the bank. Moreover, you may get hurt by thorn bushes in a couple of places throughout the journey.

Golden Gate Trail

This single track runs from the base of the prominent boulders to the southwest end of Tucson Mountain Park. It is a fun trail which is frequently seen as a workout. The southwest section of this trail is advanced and finally intermediate, while to the east it gets difficult and even extreme at some sections. Most part of the trail is rocky and requires techniques. In all, it is a great challenge for bikers.

Ironwood Trail

This trail runs across Tucson Mountain Park along Golden Gate mountain, and takes about 30 minutes to finish one way. It is much easier than Golden Gate Trail yet mostly filled with dirt and mild rockiness. The northeast end of the trail becomes intermediate owning to the sandiness. Therefore, this track is perfect for cyclists who want to ride from easy to intermediate sections. In addition, Ironwood Trail is a wise option when you are too exhausted to take Golden Gate Trail.

Powerline Trail

This trail can be accessed from the parking turnout on the northwest part of Kinney Road. It is named for the fact that it is truly a cleared-out area under a power line which runs through part of the park. In the west section, the trail is easy to navigate with intermediate stretches across the washes. To the west end, it turns somewhat sandy and a bit difficult.

Prospectors Trail

One-way ride on this trail will take 30 to 45 minutes around. Prospectors Trail stretches from Kinney road to the park's gate in the west end, where it merges with a part of Sweet Trail Network. The east section of this trail is advanced, rocky, with plenty of exposed bedrock. While heading to the west area, the trail will become easy after passing a sandy wash. It is just to say that this trail is a hard climb at the beginning and followed by a fun downhill afterwards.

More trails in Tucson Mountain Park include:

- King Canyon Trail

- Orcutt Trail

- Cougar Trail

- Yetman Trail

- Well Road Trail

- Sweet Trail Network

What makes Mountain Park the perfect hiking trail?

-Mountain Park has the beautiful Gilbert ray campground which surrounded by scenic desert beauty and the adjoining mountains is the perfect place for hikers to follow trail.

- It is a an easy thirteen miles from the main city

- The Campground has 130 RV sites

- It is in the middle of the Sonoran Desert Natural preserve

http://gosw.about.com/od/bestdaytr3/a/tmp.htm

What are the other attractions near the Mountain Park trail?

The Sonora Desert Museum-Located on North Kinney Road. This museum located near the park, is home to almost two hundred species of animals and plants that are on display. For a map to find the Sonoran desert follow the link

http://gosw.about.com/od/bestdaytr3/a/tmp.htm

Old Tucson studios-Located on South Kinney Road. These wild-west sets have been used for several film shoots. Movies like Young Guns and El Dorado have been shot here. There are dance halls here and many other kinds of live entertainment.

http://www.planetware.com/tucson/old-tucson-studios-us-az-ots.htm

Where can you stay near the Park?

If you plan on using the Tucson Mountain Park for hiking, it would be a good idea for you to look for Tucson hotel rooms near the park itself. Here is a list of some of the closest hotels where you could spend your vacation in the city. The rates for hotels near the park usually start from $39.

JW Marriott Star Pass Resort-five miles from the park

Star pass Golf Suites-six miles from the Park

Riverpark Inn Hotel-nine miles from the Park

http://www.agoda.com/north_america/united_states/tucson_az/attractions/hotels_near_tucson_mountain_park.html

The Tucson Mountains are minor mountain ranges in Tucson, Arizona making it easy to hike and trial. If you plan to visit the Tucson Mountain Park Trails, visit their main website in http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/parks/tmp/index.htm.

Trailheads: There are a lot of trailheads going to the Mountain Park. To view all of them visit: http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/trails/index.htm. Please note that each trailhead has different hours of operation and parking space may be limited. It is advised that you carpool whenever possible.

Tips:

1. Secure a parking permit at the Pima County Regulatory Board. For more details all them at 877-6158.

2. Obey all positive signage to avoid getting into trouble.

3. Follow rules and regulations on parking and visiting requirements.

Looking for reasonably priced hotel rates? You can try these links where you can find reasonably priced Tucson hotel rates:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocalMaps-g60950-d126852-Tucson_Mountain_Park-Area.html

http://www.trails.com/all-hotels/points-of-interest.aspx?poi=65001

http://www.trails.com/all-hotels/points-of-interest.aspx?poi=63355

Other essentials to keep in mind if you are planning on Tucson Mountain Park Trails:

1. Learn about the park rules! Get it here: http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/geninfo/rules.htm

2. There are great attractions in the Tucson Mountain Park that you shouldn't miss. Get them here: http://www.pimacountyattractions.com/Attractions.html

3. If you consider camping in the mountain park then you must read the rules and directions of the camping sites: http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/camping/index.htm

4. Never forget to enjoy!