Get new kind and happy camp hosts! We drove 2 1/2 hours. To be yelled at called stupid and have a 5…read moregl bucket water thrown on our fire which hit a member of group who is not physically well! We checked before we left home and fires were fine. He did it to other campers as well. I come from a fire fighting family! Well aware of the danger. The host at the entrance who took our money was his wife she yelled at us all . Including the other 6 campers who were there to complain, said we were all stupid and that she quit. Mind you not one person was being rude or yelling. I deal with people daily. I would never treat any one so harshly. I feel that we were assaulted!

Starting off, I'm going to recognize 'Monica E' as an incredible resource for nearly everything as…read morea great breakdown on the intricate details of Rose Canyon Lake, so I won't capitulate on the details she provides; look up her review! There is one error I'll note with her review which is minor but important; you ARE able to reserve locations at Rose Canyon Lake. It's on numerous websites and even by calling, you can. No worries though, small detail but again, her review is amazingly full of all details that I found across three different websites and she put together for you! On a more simpler context I'll say this about Rose Canyon Lake, It's super tiny, very hilly (which I prefer!) and unfortunately the campsites are not 'near' the water. However with 70 some sites, you'll often hear someone near you because the trees deaden so much surrounding noise, you'll hear your neighbor; warning! In fact, our neighbors had to be reported on our visit in May because they were just obnoxious and atrocious with incredibly foul language - throughout the day and well past the quiet hours. Let's be honest, you come to the forest for some peace and quiet. Had we known there was a Ranger on duty throughout the night, we could've communicated that but we learned this the next day. RCL is small, beautiful with surrounding hiking and about 30 degrees cooler than Tucson. Win. Never saw the little 'Lake Store' open during our May visit but no worries nonetheless. Cell phone signal is absent in all the campsites unless you climb the hills around the lake. For at least the four phones with my group, that was the norm. You can use a canoe, ONLY if you pay extra for this. Not sure what good that is but the extra pay keeps you and other out of the water I suppose? There are also a generous amount of restroom spots throughout and some are unisex ones, most, with water spigots. You never have to go to far for a potty break so that made my daughters feel more comfortable. The wildlife surrounding is filled with humorous crows and tons and I mean TONS of squirrels of different species. The pine smell and the beautiful temps in May are a win... One final note, they make it much safer here by implanting 'bear proof' trash and campsite specific lock boxes to store all your food safely out of reach of Bears at night. This no doubt dramatically reduces interfaces thus, making it safer for continuous use as a campsite. The campsite Rangers where attentive and polite and overall, we highly recommend this location albeit secluded, no cell service and a bit on top of your neighbors. No real negatives per se except that the lake is REALLY tiny but is a reprieve nonetheless! It's a nice break from the heat of Tucson and the fresh pine smell is a win!

Great little spot for some fishing in Tucson. There's not a lot of shade right by the water so you…read moredo need a hat!

Drove by the park signs multiple times and finally decided to check it out. There are multiple…read moreentrances on each side if driving on S La Cholla Blvd; one side leads to picnic tables and play area, the other side leads to the lake. I visited the lake side and was greeted by the welcome committee consisting of pigeons and ducks. It was pretty quiet and peaceful hearing all the bird calls. There's a dirt path that goes around the lake and areas that allows you to get closer to the waters edge. There were multiple groups who had set up their fishing spots. The condition of the park was not too bad. There was a bit of debris scattered around and some areas under construction to be cautious about. If you walk further towards the east of the lake you'll find a playground area, more picnic tables, a couple baseball fields, a big grassy area to let the dogs run around (not fenced in), and the Kennedy pool.

We love Sweetwater Wetlands! Amazing spot for birding, great walking trails, really just a…read morebeautiful spot

I can't believe this is 2 miles from my house and I've never been here! This was a nice half mile…read moreloop around the water with lookouts where you can sit down on a bench and enjoy! It's run by the City of Tucson water department, and open from dawn to dusk. We saw egrets, ducks, turtles, and even a coyote! We brought the binoculars and really enjoyed relaxing here this morning!

This park is free to get into and there's covered parking throughout. There's ponds and a lake…read more Along with ramadas and grills. We did some fishing, paddle boarding, and grilling. There's no swimming or wading, but the paddle boarding was great!! Highly recommend for a day trip.

One of the nicest parks in Tucson. A man made "lake" and a few smaller pond areas. A lot of water!…read moreYou can even kayak in the big one. A lot of waterfowl in the park. Good bird watching. A wonderful area to stroll around and get in some good nature. People can fish here too! There are two dog parks. One area for small dogs and one for larger dogs. Well maintained and both are large especially the large dog park area, it is huge! A lot of agility training like tires to run through and small stair platforms to run up and down. They also have water for the dogs. There are several verandas that you can rent out for events. People often BBQ and have family gatherings. A really nice park to spend the day at.

Nice to take a break from the heat. The views are amazing definitely worth the drive from Tucsonread more

Mount Lemmon and the Catalina Highway, AZ. Early Dec, 2025. Mount Lemmon, the highest peak…read more(9,175') in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, is managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service as part of the Coronado National Forest. (Fun Fact: Mt. Lemmon is named after Sara Plummer Lemmon, an amateur botanist and the first white woman to climb to the summit in 1881. It is one of the few peaks in the U.S. named after a woman). Our objective was to drive the Catalina Highway Scenic Drive (27 miles) to the Mount Lemmon summit. This is the only paved road that leads to the upper reaches of the Santa Catalina Range, and is one of the most scenic highways in the southwest. Because the road starts in the lower Sonoran vegetative life zone and climbs to high forests, it offers the biological equivalent of driving from the deserts of Mexico to the forests of Canada in only 27 miles. Before proceeding on the drive, we downloaded a free app entitled "Mt. Lemmon Science Tour" by the University of Arizona, which provided excellent commentary on the Sky islands, rocks, life zones, water, forest, and fire, that was well-synced with our drive up the mountain as it evolved. This is a windy, slow drive with the posted speed limit of 35 MPH or less on most sections. Plus, you're sharing the road with bicyclists riding in both directions. The road is paved, and is well-designed with frequent pull-offs and stops that allow for vista views or just to take a rest. A few of our favorite and recommended stops include: *Babad Do'ag for its excellent vistas of the desert environment and saguaros. *Gordon Hirabayashi Campground (and Historical Recreation Area). I've reviewed this separately on Yelp. *The Palisades Visitor Center, with family-friendly exhibits, brochures and general information, and a small gift shop. *Windy Point Vista, for sweeping views. *High-elevation picnic areas at Box Elder, Alder, Loma Linda, or Inspiration Rock. *Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley, where there is a restaurant and ski lift rides ($). We were disappointed that the entrance road to Rose Canyon Lake was closed on the day that we visited. This is a Forest Service fee area. A day-use pass is $8 per vehicle, and can be purchased on-line or at the Palisades Visitors Center on-route. We didn't have time to hike on the day that we visited but there are miles and miles of trails of varying length and difficulty. While there are restrooms with pit toilets at multiple sites, but there is no potable water nor service stations. I've posted a handout about the area that I picked up at the Visitors Center. Only Spanish-language brochures were available.

Came here on a night walk early June. The park is well maintained and the guides were amazing. We…read moredid ice breakers to start and really enjoyed that each guide has their own expertise. We learned about the unique wildlife, rock formations, insects and constellations! I highly recommend.

I went here for a night walk in June and had an amazing time with friends! The Rangers were so…read moreknowledgeable and friendly. I thought it was pretty cool the way they reflected pictures onto the ground of the animals they discussed. They taught us not just about the animals of the desert, but also about the rock formations, and constellations as well . They did an introduction before we set out on the trail and an icebreaker, which I also thought was a cool little activity to help us all feel more comfortable. I would definitely do this again, and recommend it for anyone who's never done it. This would be a great activity to bring an out-of-town friend on. FYI- the hell when you first start, the trail is pretty steep.. I was huffing and puffing a bit lol. If you have any knee injuries or struggle with steep land, you might want to sit this one out. The rest of the trail is flat after however the hill is needed to start and end the trail (it probably took like 1-2 minutes to scale it). Also to find the area where the hike starts, you'll want to drive all the way through the park until you get to the parking lot on the left. For some reason, I thought it would be pretty close to when you enter the park, however, it is a little drive.

nice open park with lots of parking. there are plenty of picnic table with lots of shade…read moreavailable. Several paved and unpaved trails available to walk around the pond and park. There are a few ducks. There are restroom facilities available.

Love this park! When I'm missing the ocean this is as close as I can get to a body of water…read more They have a paved path for walking your dog. I've been here for a funeral so they offer that. Lots of people do their prom photos and senior grad photos here. There are ducks and turtles and koi oh my! A lovely spot for a picnic. Free parking.

Great service and selection, Eric and staff can answer any questions you might have. Everything…read moreyou could need for a great fly fishing experience.

Best fly shop in the entire state! Owned and operated by a talented and passionate guy named Eric…read morewho cares about his customers and treats every customer like family. Great selection of rods, reels, lines, flies, gear and just about anything you can think of for a river or a lake. Sage, Orvis, Simms, Fishpond, Winston, Galvan, Rio, Scientific Anglers and more. I've been shopping here for decades and can't say enough great things about this place.

there are several great hikes here: 1. Up and down the tram…read moreroad - great if you want to walk on pavement 2. Phoneline - ride the tram to the top and hike down. Tough on the knees. 3. Blackett's Ridge: scenic shorter & steeper - good option if you ware limited on time. 4. Seven Falls: best waterfall in Southern AZ when there's water. Check before you hike as it's not a great hike if there's no falls. 5. Take the tram to the end and hike up and over to Hutch's Pool. Take the tram down. For the adventurous types. The tram is worth doing if you aren't going to hike up. You'll learn a lot from the headphone lecture. This is a must-see if you are visiting Tucson.

Back again, my Wife is going to do Phone Line Trail at the top of Sabino with 3 friends…read more Tough trail. i ll be back at 2 to pick her up. Starts at 0830. all good.