Active Pursuits

Bicycling

Tucson is one of the best bicycling cities in the country, and the dirt roads and trails of the surrounding national forest and desert are perfect for mountain biking. Rentals at Fair Wheel Bikes, 1110 E. Sixth St. (tel. 520/884-9018; www.fairwheelbikes.com), go for $45 per day for road bikes and $45 to $65 per day for mountain bikes.

If you'd rather confine your pedaling to paved surfaces, there are some great options around town. The number-one choice in town for cyclists in halfway decent shape is the road up Sabino Canyon. Keep in mind, however, that bicycles are allowed on this road only 5 days a week and then only before 9am and after 5pm (the road is closed to bikes all day Wed and Sat). For a much easier ride, try the Rillito River Park path, which has a 1-mile paved section between Swan and Craycroft roads and a 6-mile paved section between Campbell Avenue and I-10. The trail parallels River Road and the usually dry bed of the Rillito River, and if you've got knobby tires, you can link the two paved sections or continue west past La Cholla Road after the pavement ends. Another option close to downtown is the 7-mile Santa Cruz River Park path, which runs along both sides of the usually dry Santa Cruz River and extends from West Grant Road to Irvington Road.

There are lots of great mountain bike rides in the Tucson area, too. For an easy and very scenic dirt-road loop through forests of saguaros, head to the west unit of Saguaro National Park and ride the 6-mile Bajada Loop Drive. You can turn this into a 12-mile ride (half on paved road) by starting at the Red Hills Visitor Center.

Bird-Watching

Southern Arizona has some of the best bird-watching in the country, and although the best spots are south of Tucson, there are a few places around the city that birders will enjoy seeking out. Call the Tucson Audubon Society's Rare Bird Alert (tel. 520/798-1005; www.tucsonaudubon.org) to find out which birds have been spotted in the area lately.

The city's premier birding spot is the Sweetwater Wetland, a man-made wetland just west of I-10 and north of Prince Road. These wetlands were created as part of a wastewater treatment facility and now have an extensive network of trails that wind past numerous ponds and canals. There are several viewing platforms and enough different types of wildlife habitat that the area attracts a wide variety of bird species. To find the wetlands, take I-10 south to the Prince Road exit, and at the end of the exit ramp, turn right onto Sweetwater Drive. If you're driving west on Prince Road, go to the end of the road, turn right on Business Center Drive, turn left on River Park Road (which becomes Commerce Dr.), take the first left (probably unmarked), and then turn left again on Sweetwater Drive. Note that the wetlands are closed on Monday mornings from late March to mid-November.

Roy P. Drachman Agua Caliente Park, 12325 E. Roger Rd. (off N. Soldier Trail), in the northeast corner of the city, is another great place to do some birding. The year-round warm springs here are a magnet for dozens of species, including waterfowl, great blue herons, black phoebes, soras, and vermilion flycatchers. To find the park, follow Tanque Verde Road east 6 miles from the intersection with Sabino Canyon Road and turn left onto Soldier Trail. Watch for signs.

Other good places include Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, the path to the waterfall at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, and the Rillito River path between Craycroft and Swan roads.

The best bird-watching anywhere in the immediate Tucson area is at Madera Canyon National Forest Recreation Area (tel. 520/281-2296; www.fs.fed.us/r3/coronado), about 40 miles south of the city in the Coronado National Forest. Because of the year-round water here, Madera Canyon attracts a surprising variety of bird life. Avid birders from around the country flock to this canyon in hopes of spotting more than a dozen species of hummingbirds and an equal number of flycatchers, warblers, tanagers, buntings, grosbeaks, and many rare birds not found in any other state. However, before birding became a hot activity, this canyon was popular with families looking to escape the heat down in Tucson, and the shady picnic areas and trails still get a lot of use by those who don't carry binoculars. If you're heading out for the day, arrive early -- parking is very limited. To reach Madera Canyon, take the Continental Road/Madera Canyon exit off I-19; from the exit, it's another 12 miles southeast. The canyon is open daily from dawn to dusk for day use; there is a $5 day-use fee. There's also a campground (Bog Springs Campground; $10 per night; reservations not accepted).

Golf

Although there aren't quite as many golf courses in Tucson as in Phoenix, this is still a golfer's town. For last-minute tee-time reservations, contact Standby Golf (tel. 800/655-5345; www.discountteetimes.com). No fee is charged for this service.

In addition to public and municipal links, numerous resort courses allow nonguests to play. Perhaps the most famous of these are the two 18-hole courses at Ventana Canyon Golf and Racquet Club, 6200 N. Clubhouse Lane (tel. 520/577-4015). These Tom Fazio-designed courses offer challenging desert target-style play that is nearly legendary. The 3rd hole on the Mountain Course is one of the most photographed holes in the West. In winter, greens fees are $115 to $195 (slightly less if you are staying at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort or the Lodge at Ventana Canyon).

As famous as the Ventana Canyon courses is the 27-hole Omni Tucson National Resort, 2727 W. Club Dr. (tel. 520/575-7540 or 297-2271; www.tucsonnational.com), a traditional course that is perhaps more familiar to golfers due to the fact that it was for many years the site of the annual Tucson Open. One of the 9-hole courses here is a desert-style target course, which makes this a good place for an introduction to desert golfing. If you are not staying at the resort, greens fees are $185 in winter, $70 in summer.

El Conquistador Country Club, 10555 N. La Cañada Dr., Oro Valley (tel. 520/544-1800; www.elconquistadorcc.com), with two 18-hole courses and a 9-hole course, offers stunning (and very distracting) views of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Greens fees are $59 to $129 in winter.

At the 27-hole Starr Pass Country Club & Spa, 3645 W. Starr Pass Blvd. (tel. 520/670-0400; www.starrpass.com), the fairways play up to the narrow Starr Pass, which was once a stagecoach route. Greens fees are $205 in winter.

There are many public courses around town. The Arizona National, 9777 E. Sabino Greens Dr. (tel. 520/749-3636; www.arizonanationalgolfclub.com), incorporates stands of cacti and rocky outcroppings into the course layout. Greens fees are $145 to $175 in winter. The Golf Club at Vistoso, 955 W. Vistoso Highlands Dr. (tel. 877/548-1110 or 520/797-9900; www.vistosogolf.com), has a championship desert course, with fees of $100 to $140 in winter. Heritage Highlands at Dove Mountain, 4949 W. Heritage Club Blvd., Marana (tel. 520/579-7000; www.heritagehighlands.com), is a championship desert course at the foot of the Tortolita Mountains; greens fees are $89 in winter.

Tucson Parks and Recreation operates five municipal golf courses, of which the Randolph and Dell Urich, 600 S. Alvernon Way (tel. 520/791-4161), are the premier courses. The former has been the site of Tucson's LPGA tournament. Greens fees for 18 holes at these two courses are $42 to $56 in winter. Other municipal courses include El Rio, 1400 W. Speedway Blvd. (tel. 520/791-4229); Silverbell, 3600 N. Silverbell Rd. (tel. 520/791-5235); and Fred Enke, 8251 E. Irvington Rd. (tel. 520/791-2539). This last of these courses is the city's only desert-style golf course. Greens fees for 18 holes at these three courses are $36 to $50 in winter. For general information and tee-time reservations for any of the municipal courses, visit www.tucsoncitygolf.com.

Hiking

Tucson is nearly surrounded by mountains, most of which are protected as city and state parks, national forest, or national park, and within these public areas are hundreds of miles of hiking trails.

Saguaro National Park (tel. 520/733-5153; www.nps.gov/sagu) flanks Tucson on both the east and the west, with units accessible off Old Spanish Trail east of Tucson and past the end of Speedway Boulevard west of the city. In these areas, you can observe Sonoran Desert vegetation and wildlife, and hike among the huge saguaro cacti for which the park is named. For saguaro-spotting, the west unit is the better choice.

Tucson Mountain Park, at the west end of Speedway Boulevard, is adjacent to Saguaro National Park and preserves a similar landscape. The parking area at Gates Pass, on Speedway, is a favorite sunset spot.

Sabino Canyon, off Sabino Canyon Road, is one of Tucson's best hiking areas, but is also the city's most popular recreation area. A cold mountain stream here cascades over waterfalls and forms pools that make great swimming holes. The 5-mile round-trip Seven Falls Trail, which follows Bear Canyon deep into the mountains, is the most popular hike in the recreation area. You can take a tram to the trailhead or add extra miles by hiking from the main parking lot.

With the city limits pushing right to the boundary of the Coronado National Forest, there are some convenient hiking options in Tucson's northern foothills. The Ventana Canyon Trail begins at a parking area adjacent to the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort (off Sunrise Dr. west of Sabino Canyon Rd.) and leads into the Ventana Canyon Wilderness. A few miles west, there's the Finger Rock Trail, which starts at the top of the section of Alvernon Road accessed from Skyline Drive. There are actually a couple of trails starting here, so you can hike for miles into the desert. Over near the Westward Look Resort is the Pima Canyon Trail, which leads into the Ventana Canyon Wilderness and is reached off Ina Road just east of Oracle Road. Both of these trails provide classic desert canyon hikes of whatever length you feel like (a dam at 3 miles on the latter trail makes a good turnaround point). Just south of the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort, you'll find the Linda Vista Trail, which begins just off Oracle Road on Linda Vista Boulevard. This trail lies at the foot of Pusch Ridge and winds up through dense stands of prickly-pear cactus. Higher up on the trail, there are some large saguaros. Because this trail is shaded by Pusch Ridge in the morning, it's a good choice for a morning hike on a day that's going to be hot.

Catalina State Park, 11570 N. Oracle Rd. (tel. 520/628-5798; www.azparks.gov/Parks/parkhtml/catalina.html), is on the rugged northwest face of the Santa Catalina Mountains, between 2,500 and 3,000 feet in elevation. Hiking trails here lead into the Pusch Ridge Wilderness; however, the park's best day hike is the 5.5-mile round-trip to Romero Pools, where small natural pools of water set amid the rocks are a refreshing destination on a hot day (expect plenty of other people on a weekend). This hike involves about 1,000 feet of elevation gain. Admission to the park is $6 per vehicle ($3 between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend). Adjacent to the park are horseback-riding stables, and within the park is an Hohokam ruin.

One of the reasons Tucson is such a livable city is the presence of the cool (and, in winter, snow-covered) pine forests of 8,250-foot Mount Lemmon. Within the Mount Lemmon Recreation Area, at the end of the Catalina Highway, are many miles of trails, and the hearty hiker can even set out from down in the lowland desert and hike up into the alpine forests (although it's easier to hike from the top down). For a more leisurely excursion, drive up onto the mountain to start your hike. However, be aware that in winter, there can be snow atop Mount Lemmon. There is a $5-per-vehicle charge to use any of the sites within this recreation area. Even if you plan to only pull off at a roadside parking spot and ogle the view of the desert far below, you'll need to stop at the roadside ticket kiosk at the base of the mountain and pay your fee. For more information, contact the Coronado National Forest Santa Catalina Ranger District, 5700 N. Sabino Canyon Rd. (tel. 520/749-8700; www.fs.fed.us/r3/coronado).

Horseback Riding

If you want to play cowboy or just go for a leisurely ride through the desert, there are plenty of stables around Tucson where you can saddle up. In addition to renting horses and providing guided trail rides, some of the stables below offer sunset rides with cookouts. Although reservations are not always required, they're a good idea. You can also opt to stay at a guest ranch and do as much riding as your muscles can stand.

Pusch Ridge Stables, 13700 N. Oracle Rd. (tel. 520/825-1664; www.puschridgestables.com), is adjacent to Catalina State Park and Coronado National Forest. Rates are $35 for 1 hour, $55 for 2 hours, and $45 for a sunset ride.

Over on the east side of Tucson, there's Spanish Trail Outfitters (tel. 520/749-0167; www.spanishtrailoutfitters.com), which leads rides into the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains off Sabino Canyon Road. Rates are $35 for a 1-hour ride, $55 for a 2-hour or sunset ride.

Hot-Air Ballooning

The ballooning season in Tucson runs October through April. Balloon America (tel. 520/299-7744; www.balloonridesusa.com) offers flights over the desert ($185) or a more adventurous trip over the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains ($475). Fleur de Tucson Balloon Tours (tel. 520/529-1025; www.fleurdetucson.net) offers rides over the Tucson Mountains, Saguaro National Park, and the Avra Valley. Rates are $225 to $250 per person, including brunch and a champagne toast.

Skiing

Located 35 miles from Tucson (a 1-hr. drive), Mount Lemmon Ski Valley (tel. 520/576-1400) is the southernmost ski area in the United States and offers 21 runs for experienced downhill skiers as well as beginners. The season here isn't very reliable, so be sure to call first to make sure it's open. Locals recommend not using your own skis or snowboard (too many exposed rocks). The ski area often opens only after a new dump of snow, so be sure to call the road-condition information line (tel. 520/547-7510) before driving up. In a good year, the season runs from mid-December to April.

Tennis

The Randolph Tennis Center, 50 S. Alvernon Way (tel. 520/791-4896; www.randolphtenniscenter.com), convenient to downtown, is the Southwest's largest public tennis facility and offers 25 lighted courts. During the day, court time is $2.50 per person for 1 1/2 hours; at night, it's $10 per court. Many of the city's hotels and resorts also provide courts for guest use.

Wildflower Viewing

Bloom time varies from year to year, but April and May are good times to view native wildflowers in the Tucson area. While the crowns of white blossoms worn by saguaro cacti are among the most visible blooms in the area, other cacti are far more colorful. Saguaro National Park and Sabino Canyon are among the best local spots to see saguaros, other cactus species, and various wildflowers in bloom. If you feel like heading farther afield, the wildflower displays at Picacho Peak State Park, between Tucson and Casa Grande, are the most impressive in the state.

Spas

If you'd prefer a massage to a round on the links, consider spending a few hours at a spa. While full-service health spas can cost $400 to $500 or more per day, for under $100 you can avail yourself of a spa treatment or two (massages, facials, seaweed wraps, salt scrubs, and the like) and maybe even get to spend the day lounging by the pool at some exclusive resort. Spas are also great places (for both men and women) to while away an afternoon if you couldn't get a tee time at that golf course you wanted to play or if it happens to be raining.

The Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa, at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, 3666 E. Sunrise Dr. (tel. 520/742-7866; www.reddoorspas.com), focuses on skin-care services, but there are plenty of body wraps and massages available as well. With a 50-minute treatment (mostly $115-$145), you can use the spa's facilities for the day. However, unlike other spas in town, the Red Door is more about relaxation than staying fit, so you won't find aerobics classes or a pool here. Spa packages range in price from $215 to $575.

For a variety of services and a gorgeous location, you just can't beat the Lakeside Spa & Tennis Center at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, 7000 N. Resort Dr. (tel. 520/529-7830; www.loewslakesidespa.com), which is wedged between the rugged Catalinas and manicured fairways of one of the most fabled golf courses in the state. Soothed by the scent of aromatherapy, you can treat yourself to herbal wraps, mud treatments, massage, facials, complete salon services, and much more. Fifty-minute treatments run $100 to $125. With any 50-minute body treatment, you get use of the spa's facilities and pool and can attend any fitness classes being held that day.

With six locations around the Tucson area, Gadabout Salon Spas (www.gadabout.com) offers the opportunity to slip a relaxing visit to a spa into a busy schedule. Mud baths, facials, and massages as well as hair and nail services are available, and body treatments and massages range from about $60 for a 50-minute massage to $400 for a full day at the spa. You'll find Gadabout at the following locations: St. Philip's Plaza, 1990 E. River Rd. (tel. 520/577-2000); 6393 E. Grant Rd. (tel. 520/885-0000); 3207 E. Speedway Blvd. (tel. 520/325-0000); Sunrise-Kolb, 6960 E. Sunrise Dr. (tel. 520/615-9700); and 8303 N. Oracle Rd. (tel. 520/742-0000). There's also Gadabout Man, 2951 N. Swan Rd. (tel. 520/325-3300).