No Mirage

There is no Prada in Tucson. Trust me, this is a good thing.

Tucson is perhaps the last of the Southwest vacation hubs to stave off the acres of upscalia that all but defines Phoenix, Scottsdale, Palm Springs, Vegas, and Santa Fe.

But Tucson is not untouched, mind you. After observing its gridlock along its wide arterial streets with forty-miles-per-hour speed limits, which only get met after 9 p.m., I’d argue that freeways have been good for Phoenix. There’s the requisite smog, and, truth be told, the area lacks a world-class resort. To make matters worse, try to fly there nonstop in season for less than $500. I dare you.

So why bother? Because Tucson’s the real deal. It’s not a made-up place designed to fulfill a developer’s fantasy. It’s a slightly hardscrabble town on the fringe of a stunningly great desert. And it’s perhaps the last place in America where you can still have a reasonably priced desert vacation without giving up any of the comforts of home (January snow notwithstanding).

Nothing embodies Tucson and its desert environs better than its crowning glory, the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. Part zoo, part botanical garden, the ASDM embraces the desert and shows it off to great effect. The fifty-three-year-old nonprofit educational foundation is an open-air playground of cacti, hummingbirds, javalinas, prairie dogs, owls, and coati. There are no bars or cages, just paths and trails through various outdoor ecosystems, with an ingenious mesh fence to keep the animals from rambling too far. A special kids’ discovery program compelled my son, Holden, then five, to experience every sector of the museum, so he could collect the requisite stamps. More than two hours without an “Are we done yet?” later—mission accomplished. The Desert Museum has a popular and critically acclaimed outdoor restaurant, the Ocotillo Café, which was unfortunately closed during our Thanksgiving weekend visit.

On the long route back into the city (ASDM is on Tucson’s western fringes) is Saguaro National Park, a bifurcated preserve that contains the world’s largest concentration of the region’s signature T-shaped cacti. Native to the Sonoran Desert (which extends south into Mexico), the saguaros, whether pristine and sentinel-like or grizzled and pockmarked, stand in forests among red rocks and ochre soil. The park’s larger eastern unit, on the other side of town, offers hikes through the foothills of the Rincon Mountains.

Saguaros, which take nearly a century to grow their first arm, flower in April and May, which are the best months to view them. My recommendation is to make a day of it, combining an early start at the park, hiking the Petroglyph Trail, and visiting the Red Hills Visitor Center. Follow up with lunch at Ocotillo and a leisurely stroll through the ASDM during the warmer part of the day.

Another natural highlight of the Tucson area is its numerous canyons, which come as a bit of a surprise in such a dry region. The most diverse is Sabino Canyon, on the north side of town, in the Coronado National Forest. A tram distributes visitors at trailheads, picnic spots, and swimming holes. Adjacent Bear Canyon has more strenuous hiking, including a well-trodden trail to Seven Falls.

If you’re willing to leave your resort or cactus outcropping, the urban side of Tucson has its pleasures as well. As a metro area just shy of a million people, Tucson has its share of development and a reasonably lively downtown. The centerpiece is the stunning Pima County Courthouse, a 1927 Spanish Colonial building boasting a mosaic tile dome. Not as well-preserved inside as outside, the structure is still in use as a hub of civil servants.