Southern Arizona
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Southern Arizona - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge
Bird-watchers consider Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge unique because it's the only place in the United States where they can see a "grand slam" (four species) of quail: Montezuma quail, Gambel's quail, scaled quail, and masked bobwhite. If it rains, the 100-acre Aguirre Lake, 1½ miles north of the headquarters, attracts wading birds, shorebirds, and waterfowl—in all, more than 320 avian species have been spotted here. The quail share the turf with deer, coati, badgers, bobcats, and mountain lions. Touring options include a 10-mile auto tour; nature trails; a 3¾-mile guided hike in Brown Canyon (second and fourth Saturdays, November–April, or call to arrange other dates for private groups); a boardwalk through the marshes at Arivaca Cienega; and guided bird walks, also at Arivaca Cienega (November–April, first Saturday at 8). Admission and guided bird walks are free; Brown Canyon hikes cost $5. Pick up maps at the visitor center.
AZ 286, Sasabe, Arizona, 85633, USA520-823–4251Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Visitor center open limited hours Apr.–Oct. (call ahead), Refuge daily 24 hrs. Visitor center: Nov.–Apr., Tues.–Sun. 9–4 -
2. Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge
This 860,000-acre national wildlife refuge, about 5 miles (a 10-minute drive) from Ajo, was established in 1939 as a preserve for endangered bighorn sheep and other Sonoran Desert wildlife, including the long-nosed bat and the Sonoran pronghorn deer, the fastest mammal in North America. People come here for hiking, photography, and primitive desert camping. A free permit, essentially a "hold-harmless" agreement, is required to enter, and only those with four-wheel drive, high-clearance vehicles, or all-terrain vehicles—needed to traverse the rugged terrain—can obtain one. Pick up a permit from the refuge's visitor center in Ajo, about a mile north of the downtown plaza.
1611 N. 2nd Ave., Ajo, Arizona, 85321, USA520-387–6483Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Visitor center weekdays 8–4, refuge daily dawn–dusk -
3. Colorado River State Historic Park
On the other side of the river from Fort Yuma, the Civil War–period quartermaster depot resupplied army posts to the north and east and served as a distribution point for steamboat freight headed overland to Arizona forts. The 1853 home of riverboat captain G. A. Johnson is the depot's earliest building and the centerpiece of this park. The residence also served as a weather bureau and home for customs agents, among other functions, and the self-guided tour through the house provides a complete history. Also on display are antique surreys and more "modern" modes of transportation like a 1931 Model A Ford pickup. You can visit a re-creation of the Commanding Officer's Quarters, complete with period furnishings. The Yuma Visitor Center and a pie shop are also here.
201 N. 4th Ave., Yuma, Arizona, 85365, USA928-783–0071Sight Details
Rate Includes: $6, Closed Mon. June–Sept., Nov.–Apr., daily 9–4:30; May–Oct., Tues.–Sun. 9–4:30 -
4. Imperial National Wildlife Refuge
A guided, volunteer-led tour is a good way to visit this wildlife refuge and birder's paradise. The peak seasons for bird-watching are spring and fall, when you can expect to see everything from pelicans and cormorants to Canada geese, snowy egrets, and some rarer species. Mid-October through May is the most pleasant time to visit, as it's cooler and the ever-present mosquitoes are least active. Kids especially enjoy the 1¼-mile Painted Desert Trail, which winds through the different levels of the Sonoran Desert. From an observation tower at the visitor center, you can see the river as well as the fields where migrating birds like to feed. You can sign up for guided walks from November through March.
12812 Wildlife Way, Yuma, Arizona, 85365, USA928-783–3371Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Visitor center closed weekdays Apr.–mid-Nov., Visitor center: Nov.–Mar., weekdays 8–4:30, weekends 9–4; Apr.–Oct., weekdays only if volunteers are available (though the refuge is open) -
5. Kitt Peak National Observatory
After much discussion back in the late 1950s, tribal leaders of the Tohono O'odham nation agreed to share a small section of their 4,400-square-mile reservation with the National Science Foundation to house sophisticated research telescopes. Among these is the McMath-Pierce, the world's largest solar telescope, which uses piped-in liquid coolant. From the visitors' gallery you can see into the telescope's light-path tunnel, which goes down hundreds of feet into the mountain. The visitor center has exhibits on astronomy, information about the telescopes, and hour-long guided tours ($11 per person) that depart daily at 10, 11:30, and 1:30. Complimentary brochures enable you to take self-guided tours of the grounds, and there are picnic areas outside and below the observatory. The observatory sells snacks and drinks, which is good to know, because there are no restaurants (or gas stations, for that matter) within 20 miles of Kitt Peak. The observatory offers an outstanding nightly program for ages eight and older ($55 per person); reservations are necessary.
AZ 386, Pan Tak, Arizona, 85634, USA520-318–8726Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free; tours and observatory programs extra, Visitor center daily 9–4 -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. New Cornelia Open Pit Mine Lookout Point
You get an expansive view of Ajo's ugly gash of an open-pit mine, almost 2 miles wide, from the New Cornelia Open Pit Mine Lookout Point. Some of the abandoned equipment remains in the pit, and mining operations are diagrammed at the volunteer-run visitor center, where there's a 30-minute film about mining. The lookout point is always "open," but the visitor center's hours are sporadic. The mine is about a mile southwest of the plaza; take La Mina Road or Estrella Road to Indian Village Road.
Indian Village Rd., Ajo, Arizona, 85321, USA520-387–7742Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Typically Wed.–Sat. 11–3, but call ahead -
7. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
This designated part of the Sonoran Desert preserves more than two dozen species of cacti, including the park's namesake, as well as other desert plants and animals. Because organ pipe cactus tend to grow on the warmer, usually south-facing slopes, you'll get the best views by taking either the 21-mile scenic loop Ajo Mountain Drive (a one-way, partly dirt road) or Puerto Blanco Drive, a 45-mile loop road (4-wheel drive vehicles are recommended). Ranger-led talks and guided van tours are offered January through April. Check with rangers for the schedule of "trailhead drops," which enable hikers to leave their cars in more populated areas.
10 Organ Pipe Dr., Ajo, Arizona, 85321, USA520-387–6849Sight Details
Rate Includes: $25 per vehicle, Visitor center daily 8–5 -
8. Sanguinetti House Museum
This adobe-style museum, run by the Arizona Historical Society, was built around 1870 by merchant E. F. Sanguinetti; it exhibits artifacts from Yuma's territorial days and details the military presence in the area. If you're dining at the Garden Café this makes for an interesting stop, but it's not worth a visit on its own, especially if you plan on visiting the more popular Colorado River State Historic Park.
240 S. Madison Ave., Yuma, Arizona, 85364, USA928-782–1841Sight Details
Rate Includes: $7, Closed June–Sept. Closed Sun., Tues.–Sat. 10–4 -
9. Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park
The most notorious tourist sight in town is now an Arizona state historic park, but it was built for the most part by the convicts who were incarcerated here from 1876 until 1909, when the prison outgrew its location. The hilly site on the Colorado River, chosen for security purposes, precluded further expansion. Visitors gazing today at the tiny cells that held six inmates each, often in 115°F heat, are likely to be appalled, but the prison—dubbed "the Country Club of the Colorado" by locals—was considered a model of enlightenment by turn-of-the-20th-century standards: in an era when beatings were common, the only punishments meted out here were solitary confinement and assignment to a dark cell. The complex housed a hospital as well as Yuma's only public library, where the 25¢ that visitors paid for a prison tour financed the acquisition of new books. The 3,069 prisoners who served time at what was then the territory's only prison included men and women from 21 different countries. They came from all social classes and were sent up for everything from armed robbery and murder to polygamy. R. L. McDonald, incarcerated for forgery, had been the superintendent of the Phoenix public school system. Chosen as the prison bookkeeper, he absconded with $130 of the inmates' money when he was released. The mess hall opened as a museum in 1940, and the entire prison complex was designated a state historic park in 1961.
220 N. Prison Hill Rd., Yuma, Arizona, 85365, USA928-783–4771Sight Details
Rate Includes: $8, Closed Tues. and Wed. June–Sept., Oct.–May, daily 9–5; June–Sept., Thurs.–Mon. 9–5
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