Arizona-Sonora
Desert Museum
By Harold Merton
If you go to the Tucson area and you don't include the Arizona-Sonora
Desert Museum you've wasted your trip!
Wow! that's a bold statement, but after people make a visit to this
fabulous place I doubt any of them would say it was not one of the major
highlights of their visit. This facility is a world-renowned zoo, natural
history museum and botanical garden all in one place - in the desert in
the northwest side of Tucson.
You will see interpretive displays of living animals and plants native
to
the Sonorian Desert region - an area that encompasses parts of Arizona
and California and the states of Sonora and Baja in Mexico.
On the grounds you will see over 300 animal species and 1,200 plants -
if you look closely. All are alive in their natural desert settings.
There are almost two miles of paths raversing 21 acres of beautiful and
exciting desert in this location which is in rural Tucson.
Scope Photos by Harold Merton
The Desert Museum is a natural outdoor experience so you need to bring
hats, sunscreen and walking shoes.
As you enter the trails you notice a lot of guides. They are what they
refer to as docents, specially trained museum volunteer guides who explain
what you want to know and give demonstrations throughout the park. The
Orientation Room near the entrance has a daily events schedule which will
tell you what they are lecturing about and demonstrating that day and
where.
One of the main animal attractions is their mountain lion. It's picture
graces a lot of their advertising and guide books that are available for
sale. The day we were there the mountain lions were sleeping because of the heat but if you wait long enough you will see them move about.
The exhibit we enjoyed most was the Hummingbird Aviary. This exhibit is
world-famous and lets you walk freely among seven spies of native
hummingbirds that may whisk past your head or snatch a thread from your
sweater to help build their nest. Several of the hummingbirds were sitting
on nests when we visited.
At the museum entrance you will find the reptiles and invertebrates indoor
display along with the Mountain House gift shop. There were a lot of unique
things in that shop.
As you walk into the park you reach the Earth Sciences area, a limestone
cave complete with stalagmites, stalactites, pools and salamanders. The
exhibit explains the formation of caves and the earth itself. You may
enjoy the optional loop trail, a true caving experience with 75 feet of
low ceilings, rough footing and tight passages. Here you will find one
of the finest collections of regional minerals and gemstones. You will
find a picture I made to prove I could get into it too.
A little father down the trail you come to Mountain Woodland, home of
their mountain lions. There is a viewing window inside that gets you really close to the mountain lions.
Down the path at bit at Desert Grassland you will learn the importance
of grasslands and see the prairie dog colony. Their antics delight everyone.
At Cat Canyon you can see the region's wild cats including bobcats,
ocelots and jaguarundi from vantage points above and below the exhibit.
At this point there is a newer loop, Desert Loop Trail, that allows you
to get event more intimate with the desert and gives you sweeping views
of the Avra and Alter valleys. There were several new exhibits being built
along the 1/2 mile loop when we visited.
The word "riparian" means stream-side and yes there are places
where
water flows freely in the desert supporting an abundance of wildlife.
A little farther down the path you will see majestic raptors swooping
across the sky. When we arrived the volunteers we demonstrating these
birds skills. It captivated the audience for the period of the demonstration.
You can also see bighorn sheep in a naturalistic environment, dancing
along rock ledges. There's a walk-in aviary with cardinals, gambels, quail, ducks, doves and nearly 40 other species of native birds alive and together in the sanctuary.
In the Desert Garden you can see just how colorful desert plants can be
and of course there are scores of various kinds of cactus throughout the
park with the highlight being the Cactus Garden where there are over 100 species of cactus and other desert plants growing in a landscaped setting.
One item you might not expect to find are fish. There are 35 species of
native fish in Arizona alone and eight are on display inside at the museum.
They have the company of toads, frog and turtles.
At the beginning or end of your trip through the park you can enjoy
breathtaking views from the Overlook. The grey-green sea of the Avra Valley
separates six mountain ranges. You can look west across the Tohono O'odham
Indian Reservation and south beyond the Mexican border, 60 miles distant.
There are washrooms, drinking fountains and shaded patios throughout the
park and wheelchairs, strollers and motorized scooters can be rented.
There is a restaurant and several snack bars along the paths.
This is not a place for pets and only service animals are allowed. Pets
cannot be left unattended outside the park.
Wild animals like lizards, squirrels, coyotes also wander the museum
grounds. I particularly liked the "Do not feed the coyotes"
sign we found in the parking lot. There is plenty of room for RVs there
too. Founded in 1952 the Desert Museum is a private, non-profit organization
with operations and growth financed entirely by admissions, memberships
and contributions.
The board of directors is doing an excellent job of not only preserving
the plants and animals in their natural setting but also in educating
the
visiting population about their plants and animals.
It is a must see when in the area, but if you just can't get there you
can
enjoy their website.
They are open every day of the year from 7:30 a,m, March through September
and 8:30 a.m. October through February. They normally close at 5 p.m.
daily but do extend hours on Saturday evenings through the summer.
If you love nature then you will love this place!
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
2021 N. Kinney Road
Tucson AZ 85743-8918