Tubac
 

Is is worth trying to book a room here? Could anyone tell me how many days we should set aside to visit Tumacacori, take the road through Patagonia to Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Douglas (side-trip to Aqua Prieta?) and back to Phoenix via Safford? We like to hike for several hours a day. We shall be in Tucson over Christmas Day and fly out on New Year's Eve. Should we hire a 4-wheel drive in case of snow?

I don't think you need a four wheel drive. I haven't seen a good snow storm here since 1987. However, if you travel up Mt. Lemmon you might need one. I'm not sure what areas would be open because of the summer fires.

all the driving could be done in one long day, two comfortable days. Just add in the days you want to hike.

You might want to check out the American Volkssport Association website (AVA.org) and look up Year-Round events. The club in Sierra Vista has several volksmarches in Southern Arizona. The Tucson club also has walks described.

Tubac is one of our very favorite places and I would definitely recommend staying there...we always stay at Tubac Inn, nice rooms, dining room, bar and meals. That area is gorgeous...I love the drive thru the San Rafael Valley from Patagonia to Sonoita...you will be well situated to see that area...you could move to another location closer to Bisbee if you wanted to.

Sounds like a great trip, and I concur with the above advice regarding timing. You shouldn't need a 4WD at all. Snow is highly unlikely that early, even at higher elevations,and you'll encounter unpaved roads only at trailheads and the like, and these will be flat and dry. Happy Trails!

Can anyone describe what shopping opportunities to expect in Tubac or Bisbee?

Shopping in Tubac is mostly tourist stuff as well as lots of shops selling pots, ornaments for your yard, wrought iron and possibly an "antique" or two. There are also some art galleries, native art primarily featured. It's a small town, does not take long to browse the shops at all, a pleasant way to kill a couple of hrs. Bisbee has alot of "antique" shops and the usual tourist stuff. Again, it is a small town, do not expect a great deal and you will not be disappointed. These two towns are fun to visit (I live in Tucson) but I would not plan a trip around them. If you are staying in Tucson a day trip to Bisbee is good(stop in Tombstone, another tourist mecca) along the way. Tubac can be combined with Tumacacori Mission, and also San Xavier mission just outside of Tucson on the interstate heading toward Tubac. Both are very interesting missions and worth a visit.

For the first poster - No you do not need a 4 wheel drive unless you plan on driving on a lot of dirt roads, then you need it for the road itself, not snow. Really, there is not much in the way of snow to worry about at these elevations.

A quick note about shopping in Tubac: a lot of the things in the shops are not from the American Southwest or Mexico at all, but from Central America, Asia, etc. This isn't a problem, of course, I just want shoppers to be aware and not pay too much for mass-produced stuff. (I have found that items are generally honestly labelled, and shop owners will tell you the origin of an item if not.)