Things to do / Travel Guide
The land conjures up many iconic images: from lone cowboys galloping past saguaro cacti at sunset, to Apache warriors standing atop blood-red cliffs, to enterprising fortune-hunters searching the canyons for gold. Southern Arizona has scenery to rival any other part of the country combined with great opportunities for hiking, camping, and mountain biking. Once you head towards the cities, you'll be welcomed by the eclectic mix of European, Native American, and Mexican culture that envelopes the region and gives it its special feel.
Of course, there's much more to the region than the era immortalized in Hollywood films. Native Americans such as the Hohokan tribe were setting up irrigation systems and building adobe structures out of mud hundreds of years before Western star John Wayne walked down the dusty streets of the 1880s-era town built at Old Tucson Studios. Real cowboys still exist in this rugged area, you can have your taste at one of the many dude ranches that still operate around Tucson.
The region is bounded by two of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, Phoenix in the north and Tucson in the southeast. In between these two metropolitan areas is the vast expanse of mountain ranges, canyons, and desert valleys that has made southern Arizona one of the most popular places in the U.S. for hiking, mountain biking, and other outdoor activities.
The Native American presence is still strong and a vast portion of the region has been set aside as Indian Reservations. Although the original Hohokan tribe mysteriously disappeared before the Spanish arrived, the Pima and Maricopa tribes that followed now continue their traditions at the Gila River Indian Reservation. The Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, named after the tribe that lives there, is an expansive tract of land that comprises the southwestern border of the southern Arizona region.
Despite the region's fascinating history and promising economic future, the real attraction of southern Arizona remains unchanged. The timeless landscape beckons to anyone who can appreciate the spectacular beauty of a desert sunset. The region's varied history gives the casual tourist access to frontier mining towns, relics of the “Wild West,” Spanish missions, Native American ruins, and unlimited outdoor activities.
Southern Arizona is on Mountain Time, two hours behind Eastern Time and one hour ahead of Pacific Time.
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