El Paso and Southwestern Greenway
Nature preserve
7 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Rgper22008 · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in South Tucson
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in South Tucson
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 12 acres are parks and preserves, 2.7 per 1,000 residents. 1% of South Tucson’s land is conserved, about 9 acres.
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns · #108 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
9 acres · of 1.0 sq mi of land
Trails
0.2 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
12 ac
2.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.3 mi
4.8 mi lanes · 1.5 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is South Tucson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South Tucson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Tucson is ahead of 45% of U.S. towns, #108 of 140 in Arizona. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of South Tucson’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical AZ town 14% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · AZ 1.1 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land2.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (12 acres) · AZ 8 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · AZ 56% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 45%
LessMore
Arizona towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 23%
Arizona towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so South Tucson’s 1% is ahead of 17% of Arizona towns, while its trails per square mile lead 6% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is El Paso and Southwestern Greenway, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Carmelin Castro Ítom Usím Children's Park
Park
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
9 conserved acres
1% of South Tucson’s land. Who manages South Tucson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city6 ac
County3 ac
Local Recreation Area · 7 acLocal Park · 3 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso and Southwestern Greenway Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Julian Wash Greenway Local Park | County | 3 | Open |
| John A. Valenzuela Community Center Local Recreation Area | County | 1 | Open |
Things to do
16 places to go in South Tucson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in South Tucson
13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in South Tucson
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Biking & sports
6.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Basketball
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in South Tucson
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.3 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.2 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.5 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 67 | 70 | 77 | 84 | 93 | 102 | 101 | 100 | 96 | 87 | 76 | 66 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
June is the driest month (0.2 in) and the warmest (highs of 102 °F). 2.3 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 102 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in South Tucson →
Questions about parks and trails in South Tucson
Where can I hike in South Tucson?
The longest trail networks: El Paso and Southwestern Greenway, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Tucson is conserved land?
1% of its land, against a typical 14% for an Arizona town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on South Tucson’s trails?
El Paso and Southwestern Greenway and Carmelin Castro Ítom Usím Children's Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in South Tucson?
6.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.8 of painted or protected lanes and 1.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near South Tucson?
22,717 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Tucson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 12 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does South Tucson have?
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #108 of 140 in Arizona. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from South Tucson neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →