Everyone who travels has their favorite activities, but for Lee and I our all time favorite is a scenic drive. So we decided to give the one neat Tucson a go even though I didn’t know much about it. Turns out the 27 mile trip was amazing. We traveled from the desert floor to the mountains and up through 5 distinct biomes. It was absolutely amazing and every section was better than the last. The beginning didn’t seem very special though although it was through a beautiful section of Sonoran desert.
There were numerous pullouts along the way and some wonderful places to get out and walk the dog. Jack was going crazy sniffing and it was clear there were many animals in the area.
One thing I wanted to mention was we climbed to 8000 feet on the road and as soon as we hit 4000 the Saguaro cacti were just gone. We checked on the way up and back and I only saw two at the higher elevation, but the cacti were replaced by gorgeous rock formations. When I say gorgeous I mean it and the formations really reminded me of Bryce. It was amazing and if you go don’t miss the large rest area half way through the drive where you can get out and walk along the rocks. Really special.
The best rock is a named one called Goose Head Rock, but I thought it looked like a road runner head when I first saw it. Considering where we were I think they should rename it 🙂
After the rock section we headed into a lush pine forest. We got lucky and were able to go into the Ranger station up in the pines and visited a small ski town near the top.
It was a great day and I loved the entire trip. We even got to see a beautiful sunset when we came down. If you are ever in the area I highly recommend taking the drive, just make sure you grab a coat for when you get to the top!
We very much appreciate your support of our blog.
Camper Chronicles 