West Tucson Area Attractions
Kinney Village is ideally situated for near scenic
driving, biking, and hiking trails. For the outdoor enthusiast, the proximity of
the Saguaro National Park and the Tucson Mountains provides a wonderful
opportunity to photograph indigenous cacti and picturesque sunsets. For
the driving enthusiast, nearby is the scenic Gates Pass road, the Ironwood
Forest and Picture Rocks road which offers a chance to get away from
the hustle and bustle of city living and enjoy the great outdoors!
Kinney Village offers families’ convenient access to the highly
regarded Arizona Sonora Desert Museum as well as the International Wildlife
Museum. The Double V Scout Camp is near our community and so is
Old Tucson Movie Studio. Great family entertainment and educational
opportunities are within reach!
The sports enthusiast will find of interest the Archery
Range and Pistol Shooting Range located a few miles away from Kinney
Village.
Tucson has a longstanding tradition with aviation. The Metro
Tucson area has several airfields and several miles away from Kinney
Village are the well-established Ryan Airfield.
Still not enough area attractions? Casino
Del Sol is located on the Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation and is a few
miles away. The Casino restaurants offer affordable meals and give
folks a chance to relax after a long day.
Saguaro National Park
West Side Tucson
Attractions |
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Head into the area from one of three roads, Ajo
Way on the south, Gates Pass in the middle and Picture
Rocks Road on the north
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Tucson Mountain
Park |
Sign at the north end of Tucson Mountian
Park |
The sign at the south end of Tucson Mountain Park
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Tucson
Mountain Park / Gates Pass Scenic Overlook
Ajo
Way to Kinney
Road, turn
right on
Gates Pass
Rd.
Tucson Mountain Park is a
20,000 - acre Sonoran Desert natural preserve located a
few miles west of Tucson. Tucson Mountain Park contains
one of the most magnificent saguaro forests in the world.
Hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, picnicking, and camping
are some of the recreational opportunities within this
desert park. Park hours are 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Horseback riding trails, bicycling,
hiking/walking, picnic areas, target shooting range, archery
range, overnight camping area, scenic views, Gates Pass,
wildlife viewing opportunities, visitors' center, restrooms,
drinking water.
www.Pima.gov |
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The sports enthusiast will find of interest the Archery Range
and Pistol Shooting Range located a few miles away from Kinney
Village.
Tucson Mountain
Park Shooting Range
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Tucson Mountain Park Shooting Range
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Tucson Mountain Park Shooting Range
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Rifle and
Pistol Range
The
rifle
and pistol
range
is for
target
practice
only.
Targets
are available
for purchase.
Automatic
weapons
and shotguns
are prohibited.
Range
distances
are 5,
10, 25,
and 50
yards.
A range
attendant
is on
site,
and paper
targets
are available
for sale.
In the
event
that
there
is a
question
regarding
a weapon
or its
use,
the rangemaster's
decision
is final.
For your
safety
and service,
a rangemaster
is on
duty
whenever
the range
is open.
All person
must
register
prior
to shooting.
Fees
are $4.00
per shooter,
per day.
There
is no
water
at this
site.
Range hours:
Friday - Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Rules:
Rules are posted at the ranges. To receive a complete copy
of the rules contact the office at (520) 877-6036. The
range is located at the south entrance of the park along
Kinney Road.
www.Pima.gov
www.TucsonShooting.org |
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Tucson Mountain
Park Archery Range |
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Tucson Mountain Park Archery Range
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Archery Range
The
Pima County
archery range
is located
in Tucson Mountain
Park, one mile
north of Old
Tucson Studios
on Kinney Road.
A self-guided
facility consisting
of a stationary
marked target
range and three
delineated
archery courses
winding through
the desert.
Water and rest
rooms are available
for your convenience.
Daily use fee
is $3.00 per
person, per
day. Open daily
7:30 a.m. until
dusk.
www.Pima.gov
www.TucsonShooting.org |
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Drexel
Heights Fire
Department |
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Drexel Heights Fire Department is located just south of
the southern entrance to the Mountain Park
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This is a new facility with modern equipment
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Kinney Village offers families’ convenient
access to the highly regarded Arizona Sonora Desert Museum as well
as the International Wildlife Museum. The Double V Scout
Camp is near our community and so is Old Tucson Movie Studio. Great
family entertainment and educational opportunities are within reach!
Saguaro National
Park
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Saguaro National Park entrance sign
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Signs at the Red Hills visitor center
at the Saguaro National Park West
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The red hills visitor center is built into the desert,
it doesn't stand out against the scenery, so enjoy your
views of the desert
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Saguaro around the visitor centerat Saguaro Nat. Park
 
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Saguaro cover the hills in Tucson Mountain park and the Saguaro
National Park
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Saguaro National Park
Enormous cacti, silhouetted
by the setting sun, for most of us the Giant Saguaro is
the universal symbol of the American West. And yet, these
majestic plants are only found in a small portion of the
United States. Saguaro National Park protects some of the
most impressive forests of these sub-tropical giants, on
the edge of the modern City of Tucson.
www.NPS.gov |
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Arizona
Sonora Desert Museum |
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The Desert Museum
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Arizona-Sonora
Desert Museum
The
Arizona-Sonora
Desert Museum
is a world-renowned
zoo, natural
history museum
and botanical
garden, all
in one place
The mission of the Arizona-Sonora
Desert Museum is to inspire people to live in harmony
with the natural world by fostering love, appreciation,
and understanding of the Sonoran Desert.
www.DesertMuseum.org |
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Old Tucson Studios |
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Old Tucson Studios
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Old Tucson Studios:
Arizona's
Hollywood
in the
Desert!
Old Tucson Studios: Hollywood
in the Desert since 1939! From western movie heroes like
John Wayne to current box-office stars such as Leonardo
DiCaprio, many of Hollywood's legends have walked these
rugged streets, the setting for hundreds of major motion
pictures. You're invited to retrace the bootsteps of your
favorite stars and spend a day in the life of an 1880's
Western town. To complete your Western experience, take
a trail ride along scenic desert mountain trails!
Old Tucson Studios, an active
film set whose credits include some of Hollywood's biggest
Westerns, features film and television shoots throughout
the year and a full array of daily live entertainment and
attractions including high-flying stunt shows, blazing gunfights
and rip-roaring saloon musicals. Plus trail rides, historical
studio tours, unique shopping, rides for the whole family
and the famous Reno locomotive on display.
Take a break from all the action to enjoy a delicious meal
from a menu prepared by Chef Patrick Fahey, or grab a snack
and a cold drink before heading to the next show. For the
safety of our guests, pets are not allowed in the park. Thank
you
www.OldTucson.com |
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Double V Scout Ranch |
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Double V Scout Ranch Scout Camp
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Double V Scout Ranch
Hidden
with in
the beautiful
saguaro
cactus
and palo
verde trees
of western
Pima County
is the
Double
V Scout
Ranch. With
reservations
from the
Council
Service
Center,
a troop
or pack
may use
its many
facilities
for a small
fee.
- Olympic Size Swimming Pool
- Ramada Grande for large gathering activities
- Public Address System
- Volleyball court
- Horseshoe pit
- Sports Ramada
- Volleyball court
- Horseshoe pit
- Frisbee Golf course
- Obstacle Course
- Ball Field
- Campfire Bowl
www.CatalinaCouncil.org
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Tucson
has a longstanding tradition with aviation. The Metro Tucson
area has several airfields and several miles away from Kinney Village
are the well-established Ryan Airfield.
Ryan Airfield |
Ryan Airfield
Ryan Airfield is a general aviation
reliever airport located 12 miles west of Tucson International
Airport at the intersection of Ajo Way and Valencia Road.
The field was created in the 1940s as a training camp for
the Army Air Corps.
After the war, the state of Arizona approached the Tucson
Airport Authority, who also manages Tucson International,
about operating the airfield. The Authority and the state
entered into a long-term lease agreement and over the years
Ryan Airfield has become a busy and popular airfield.
World
War II set the stage for the birth of Ryan Airfield.
With the outbreak of war there was a need for aircraft
and trained pilots to fly them. Under U.S. Army supervision,
nine civilian flight schools became the new "West Points of the Air." One
of these was the San Diego-based Ryan School of Aeronautics.
The U.S. feared a coastal invasion following the attack
on Pearl Harbor, so the Ryan school sought an inland
training sight. Arizona's clear blue skies were perfect.
 On
June 13, 1942, ground was broken in a field 13 miles west
of Tucson and in three months the desert was transformed
into an Army base with paved runways, aprons, hangars,
barracks, mess hall, classrooms and recreational facilities.
The San Diego operation closed and in one weekend planes,
personnel and equipment were transferred to Tucson's new
Ryan School of Aeronautics.
The PT-22 planes used for training stood up well to heat,
wind, and dust storms. They were so rugged they went
through the first 7,200 air hours with only one engine
failure. Morale was high and contributed to the speedy
execution of Ryan's purpose.  A
full course of flight instruction normally required four
months, but at Ryan it was compressed into just nine
weeks.
At war's end, demand for pilots dropped and Tucson's
Ryan School closed in September 1944--two years and 6,000
pilots after it first opened. The State of Arizona and
a three year old Tucson Airport Authority executed a
10-year lease for the 906 acre facility in 1951. To make
development opportunities more attractive to tenants,
a 99-year lease was drafted and signed in 1954.
 Today
Ryan has its own restaurant, aircraft refueling and service
facility, lighted and paved runways, and manned six story
control tower. More than 20 tenants--ranging from aircraft
maintenance shops to charters and flight instruction facilities,
as well as 220 based aircraft--call Ryan home.
In 2005 Ryan recorded over 160,000 general aviation operations.
Ryan is growing steadily and the spirit of aviation remains
strong in the hearts of the many pilots who fly Ryan's
skies today. The Authority's commitment to Ryan's future
assures that many will continue to be "flyin' Ryan" tomorrow.
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Gates Pass |
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Driving over Gates Pass west of Tucson, AZ.
This is a
great drive through the desert
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Ironwood National
Monument |
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The monument is about a half hour drive from the west edge of
Tucson through desert like this.
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The south end of the monument. On the monument the roads are
dirt.
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Saguaro cactus
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Picture Rocks
Road |
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Driving back into Tucson through Picture Rocks, another scenic
drive around Tucson, AZ
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Up and over the pass and looking down into Tucson from the Northwest
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Still not enough area attractions?
Casino Del Sol
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Casino Del Sol
5655 West Valencia Road
Tucson, Arizona
1-800-344-9435
www.CasinoDelSol.com
Casino
Del Sol is located on the Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation and
is a few miles away. The Casino restaurants offer affordable
meals and give folks a chance to relax after a long day. |
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