Sweetwater Preserve
Nature preserve
892 acres15.4 mi of trail
Desperado LoopBlack Rock LoopRed Tail Ridge TrailSaguaro Vista Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Tucson Mountains
Tucson Mountains has 34 miles of mapped trails, 1.3 for every square mile of land
11% of Tucson Mountains’ land is conserved, about 1,932 acres. 528 acres are parks and preserves, 46 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Sweetwater Preserve (15.4 mi), Painted Hills Trails Park (4.7 mi), Feliz Paseos Park (1.3 mi).
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #38 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
1,932 acres · of 26.3 sq mi of land
Trails
34 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
528 ac
46 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
47%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.1 mi
2.1 mi lanes
Highest peak
2,782 ft
Bactrian Summit
What kind of outdoors town is Tucson Mountains?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Tucson Mountains have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Tucson Mountains is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #38 of 140 in Arizona. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Tucson Mountains’ overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical AZ town 14% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (34 mi) · AZ 1.1 · U.S. 0.4APark land46 acres of park per 1,000 residents (528 acres) · AZ 8 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home47% of residents within a half mile of a park · AZ 56% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 82%
LessMore
Arizona towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 73%
Arizona towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Tucson Mountains’ 11% is ahead of 43% of Arizona towns, while its trails per square mile lead 61% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. 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 Sweetwater Preserve, with 15.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Painted Hills Trails Park
Nature preserve
289 acres4.7 mi of trail
Slingshot TrailMosaic TrailMonsoon LoopSpeedway Link+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Andrada
Nature preserve
157 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Sweetwater Preserve892 acres · 15.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPainted Hills Trails Park289 acres · 4.7 mi of trail
DirectionsFeliz Paseos Park58 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsAndrada157 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Tucson Mountain Park372 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSaguaro National Park - Tucson Mountain District85 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsSaguaro National Park85 acres · National Park Service
Malcolmson Donation64 acres
Desert Station Research Center36 acres · University of Arizona
Mary Henderson Desert Center20 acres
DirectionsAgua Dulce Park4 acres
DirectionsLazy C Ranch Estates3 acres
Who protects it
1,932 conserved acres
11% of Tucson Mountains’ land. Who manages Tucson Mountains’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,899 ac
National Park Service88 ac
Town or city1 ac
Local Conservation Area · 1,408 acLocal Recreation Area · 435 acNational Park · 88 acLocal Park · 57 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 11 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetwater Reserve Local Conservation Area | County | 891 | Unknown |
| Tucson Mountain Park Local Recreation Area | County | 435 | Open |
| Painted Hills - P&F Local Conservation Area | County | 285 | Restricted |
| Andrada Local Conservation Area | County | 156 | Unknown |
| Saguaro National Park National Park | National Park Service | 88 | Open |
| Malcolmson Donation Local Conservation Area | County | 72 | Unknown |
| Tucson Memorial Park Local Park | County | 57 | Open |
| Lazy C Ranch Estates Local Conservation Area | County | 3 | Unknown |
| Open Space - Silverbell (Rp521) Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Dos Picos Local Conservation Area | County | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
21 places to go in Tucson Mountains
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Tucson Mountains
Agua Dulce PoolIn Agua Dulce Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Tucson Mountains
Agua Dulce PlaygroudIn Agua Dulce Park
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Tucson Mountains
Bactrian Summit2,782 ft elevation · In Painted Hills Trails Park
DirectionsRecoil Peak2,750 ft elevation · In Painted Hills Trails Park
DirectionsPlus 13 peaks without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 18.4 miHorses · 14.4 miUnpaved · 21.3 mi
Desperado Loop3.5 mi
Black Rock Loop1.5 mi
Slingshot Trail1.5 mi
Red Tail Ridge Trail1.2 mi
Mosaic Trail1.1 mi
Saguaro Vista Trail1.0 mi
Monsoon Loop1.0 mi
Homestead Trail0.9 mi
Wildflower Ridge Trail0.8 mi
Ocotillo Hill Trail0.8 mi
15 more trails
Lost Arrow Trail
0.7 miPicture Rocks Wash
0.6 miSun Circle Loop
0.6 miThe Spine
0.6 miRed Canyon Trail
0.5 miDe Oeste Link
0.4 miNight Hawk Trail
0.4 miRoller Coaster Trail
0.3 miOxbow Trail
0.3 miYetman Trail
0.2 miWay of the Cross
0.2 miSpeedway Link
0.1 miDe Los Rancheros Link
0.1 miBactrian Summit Trail
0.1 miPainted Hills Trail
0.1 miBiking & sports
2.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
82Equestrian
4Basketball
2Tennis
1Soccer
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
ViewpointBuilding · listed 2021
About itWhen to get out
April is the best month for walking in Tucson Mountains
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) | 10.2 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.5 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 67 | 70 | 76 | 83 | 92 | 102 | 101 | 100 | 96 | 87 | 76 | 66 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.1 |
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 Tucson Mountains →
Next door
Tucson Mountains and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Tucson Mountains
Where can I hike in Tucson Mountains?
The longest trail networks: Sweetwater Preserve, 15.4 miles; Painted Hills Trails Park, 4.7 miles; Feliz Paseos Park, 1.3 miles; Andrada, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Tucson Mountains is conserved land?
11% 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 Tucson Mountains’ trails?
Sweetwater Preserve and Painted Hills Trails Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Tucson Mountains?
2.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.1 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Tucson Mountains?
38,237 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Tucson Mountains or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 528 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Tucson Mountains have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #38 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 Tucson Mountains 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 →