Hiking and Nature Study opportunitiues in the Tucson area are nearly unlimited. These opportunities are the direct result of access to thousands of acres of both Federal, State, County and Municiple lands.
In additon to vast areas of lowland desert and grasslands there are no less than 6 mountain ranges in the Tucson area which provide miles of canyon and mountain hiking.
These ranges: The Tortalitas, Santa Catalinas, Rincons, Santa Ritas, Whetstones, and Tucsons are all within a 1 hour drive from downtown Tucson. Many trailheads are only a 15-25 minute drive.
Tucson is centrally located to explore and enjoy the four great North American Deserts - the Great Basin, Sonoran and Chihuahuan.
Cowgill, Pete, and Eber Glendering. The Santa Catalina Mountains: A Guide to the Trails and Routes, Fourth Edition. Rainbow Expeditions, Tucson, Arizona, 1997.
This small yellow book was extensively revised and expanded in the 1997 and now it is not only a comprehensive guide to all of the trails of the Santa Catalina Mountains, but it seems to also cover every possible cross country route also. The trail descriptions are not very detailed, but there are precise distances, directions, and elevations for every last trail in the range. As of September 2004 this book is out of print. You may be able to find it used on Amazon or other used book sites.
Leavengood, Betty. Tucson Hiking Guide, Second Edition. Pruett Publishing Company, Boulder Colorado, 1997.
This excellent book is very popular, and most everyone who hikes in the Tucson area has a copy. Although the book only covers a sampling of the Tucson area trails, Leavengood's trail descriptions are more detailed than mine, and she includes bits of relevant natural history and human history. She also describes more hikes in the B and C difficulty range than I do. Definitely purchase this book to learn more about some of the most popular trails. As of September 2004 this book appears to be out of print, though I can't beleive they won't reissue it soon.
Leavengood, Betty, and Mike Liebert. Hiker's Guide to the Santa Rita Mountains. Pruett Publishing Company, Boulder Colorado, 1994.
This book is a guide to all of the trails in the Santa Rita Mountains, and once again Leavengood provides well-written and detailed descriptions. Since the initial focus of this website is the Santa Catalina Mountains, you should definitely get this book to learn about the trails of the Santa Rita range.
Molvar, Erik. Hiking Arizona's Cactus Country. Falcon Press Publishing Company, Helena and Billings Montana, 1995.
This book covers all of southern Arizona, but it describes quite a few hikes in the Tucson area, and seems well written.
Above info from Arizona Sierra Club