In and Around Tucson, Arizona
December 2024

Interesting facts about saguaro cactus:

  1. Saguaro cactus routinely live 150 to 200 yrs. The oldest ever recorded lived about 300 yrs.
  2. They are the largest cactus in the U.S. with an average height of 40 feet and the tallest measuring over 78 feet.
  3. They are very slow-growing, from 1 to 1.5 inches in the first eight years of life.
  4. Branches normally begin to appear when a saguaro reaches 50 to 70 years. In areas of lower precipitation, it may take up to 100 years before arms appear.

Tucson is a great place to visit, even more so for my husband and I since we have a daughter living there! There are a lot of great hiking trails, where you are likely see the majestic saguaro cactus that are native to the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona. Though we didn't go this trip, my favorite hiking spot is Madera Canyon, which is at a higher elevation than Tucson and is therefore cooler and has shade, creeks and waterfalls.

The photos on this page are all from our visit during New Year's week 2024. Besides spending time in Tucson, we went on an overnight trip southeast to visit Bisbee, Tombstone and Lowell.

Some suggestions of places we've enjoyed on previous trips (and not shown here) include the beautiful scenic drive up Mt. Lemmon where we did some camping, and which I highly recommend. I would also suggest a trip to the Sonora Desert Museum which includes live animals, gardens and hiking trails. We even went to Tucson one year during the heat of August just so we could experience a monsoon!

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Downtown Tucson

It was fun to walk around downtown Tucson, see all the murals, and pop into a shop here and there. And of course indulging in a macaron or two was a nice treat! Definitely click on any photo to browse through the gallery and read the captions.

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Gates Pass

Gates Pass is a scenic route and mountain pass through the Tucson Mountain Community Park. It is a popular area for hiking and biking. Wear good hiking shoes since there are likely to be cactus spikes scattered on the path!

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Tombstone

Tombstone is known as the “Town too Tough to Die”, and is the home of the infamous Gunfight at the OK Corral.  There are actors in period garb wandering around, stagecoaches, saloons that throw you back in time, gunfight shows on the street and museums where you can learn more of the town's history.

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Bisbee

Bisbee is a historic mining town in the Mule Mountains southeast of Tucson. In the late 1800s, the discovery of rich copper deposits in the area led to a mining boom, attracting thousands of miners and their families to the region. This charming town still has the Old World architecture with its Victorian homes and narrow hilly streets. We enjoyed the art galleries, shops, plus some live music & beer on an outdoor patio.

The art was interesting and everywhere.
Walls covered with pictures, painted staircases and more.
Click on a photo to enlarge.

And then some bizarre sightings such as two musicians playing in a store window and a skeleton welcoming us into a shop!

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Lowell

Lowell was originally a copper mining town, and was incorporated into the town of Bisbee in the early 1900s. This area was once a thriving part of Southern Arizona. Then with the expansion of the open-pit copper mine, many homes were lost and the residents moved out of town.

The main street of Lowell now feels like a ghost town. It is lined with vintage cars, antique signs and old buildings.
We did not see another soul during our visit!

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Thanks for visiting!

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