Catalina State Park - Tucson, Arizona

Tamera Frederick

This is a beautiful state park! The trails are nice and you can climb up for great scenic views! it is definitely more comfortable to hike in the winter. Hiking at 6 AM in the summer works too! As with any Arizona hike, bring plenty of water. If you don’t have a park pass, then you can get a day pass for parking for seven dollars. If you come before it is open there is a self-serve kiosk to pay and pick up your parking pass. There was plenty of parking on the days that I have been there for hiking.

Amy Watkins Barnard

We were here for 3 nights of camping in 105+ degree weather in June. We decided at the last minute to add a day to our stay and come in a day early. Our site was available and the process of adding the day was efficient. We stayed in Campground B site 70. It was a large back on site with a hill full of saguaro behind our site. It included water and 30/50 amp service which was totally necessary is the heat. The bathrooms in this loop are fairly new and were very clean. The showers were spacious. Been on the road a month and these bathrooms are the best we encountered. The hot water was a little slow to warm up, but got hot enough to mix in the cold and the pressure was good.

We show quite a bit of wildlife. Prairie dogs are all around. I saw a jack rabbit, lizards, and even a coyote. The loop provided a great place to walk your dog although with these hot temps, we had to purchase dog boots to protect the paws in the middle of the day.

My only disappointment was that the evening hike advertised the literature provided when checking in was closed to registrations despite being able to count the number of people camping on one hand in our loop. I was told you have to register for the things months in advance. I guess these are not for campers coming through.

Chris Furphy

Wonderful place to go. We enjoyed the area and the park itself. This place was so relaxing and comfortable. I am making reservations to come down here again. The park itself was clean and quiet.

Hayden Sofie

This is a sweet state park! Lots of hikes to do, I did not have much time in the park so I stuck to the shorter nature and birding trails but the views were still stunning! I will definitely want to spend more time here and do the longer trails!

I got here around 9am on a Tuesday and the parking lot was decently full already. I would anticipate that this park gets quite busy on the weekends and becomes difficult to find a parking spot.

I knocked one star off because the bathrooms were alright. They were a bit smelly and did not seem overly clean.

There is not a place to fill water but there is a little shop where water and other drinks can be purchased.

Overall I would recommend this state park, it made for a very enjoyable day trip and made it fun to get a feel for the desert environment around Tucson!

Jayden

Very nice state park. Mountains are so beautiful with the Saguaros and other desert plants making an ecosystem throughout them. Campsites are very well spaced out with trees for shade and privacy.

Euphony88

Absolutely loved this park! Tucson is just an amazing city with so much to experience! This park takes you into rugged and beautiful landscape that you would just not expect in such a large city… The solitude you experience in these parks is worth every minute.

PNWQUEERHIPPIE (PNW Queer Hippie)

Beautiful place to camp or just go for an evening walk in the sand. Not too far from Tucson and tucked up against beautiful mountains that give great views for the sunset. As the park grows quiet you can hear all the sounds of nature coming alive for the night. Great trails for kids and adults alike. Perfect spot for a photographer for both landscapes and as a background for people. Plenty of picnic spots. Bathrooms are clean and stocked vaulted toilets. They even have nature programs on weekends.
This is the perfect park for anyone in the family.
Always remember leave no trace.

Steven Marks

Love to hike here. A variety of trails from easy to hard. Plenty of parking. Occasionally, we get lucky and see wildlife.