Looking Down Toward Tucson From Gates Pass 1940

Gates Pass is a mountain pass along the crest of the

Tucson Mountains The Tucson Mountains (O'odham: Cuk Doʼag) are a minor mountain range west of Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Mountains, including Wasson Peak, are one of four notable mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson Basin. The Santa Catalina Mountains lie ...

. The road through the pass is a

scenic route A scenic route, tourist road, tourist route, tourist drive, holiday route, theme route, or scenic byway is a specially designated road or waterway that travels through an area of natural or cultural beauty. It often passes by scenic viewpoints ...

west of

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. The road from the east is West Anklam Road which merges with West Speedway Boulevard in the city just east of North Camino De Oeste. West of the pass the road is known as Saguaro Road and continues until it reaches Kinney Road just north of

Old Tucson Old Tucson (formerly Old Tucson Studios) is an American movie studio and theme park just west of Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to the Tucson Mountains and close to the western portion of Saguaro National Park. Built in 1939 for the movie ''Arizona'' ...

.''Cat Mountain, Arizona,'' 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1996 The elevation of the pass is . The road is lined with

scenic overlook A scenic viewpoint – also called an observation point, viewpoint, viewing point, vista point, lookout, scenic overlook,These terms are more commonly used in North America. etc. – is an elevated location where people can view scenery (often w ...

s, and is an area where locals and tourists come to watch the sunset.

History

The road through Gates Pass was started in 1883 by Thomas Gates, in a search for a shortcut through the

; Gates was a local pioneer, and a saloon and ranch keeper. He purchased the land in order to build this road. Currently, the road carries approximately 3100 cars daily. Gates Pass was featured in David Leighton's popular series, "Street Smarts," in the Arizona Daily Star on Jan. 1, 2013.

Safety

Gates Pass has been considered an extremely dangerous road due to a slope that occurs midway through the route, with 58 wrecks reported between 1996 and 2001. In 2006, a project was undertaken to improve the safety of the road, which included widening and a temporary closure. This project was named the third best road project in the country for the year 2006 in '' Roads and Bridges Magazine''.

References

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External links

Gates Pass on Google Maps with Street View mode

YouTube video of ride along Gates Pass

Gates Pass Area Neighborhood Association

Roads in Arizona Transportation in Tucson, Arizona Hiking trails in Arizona Landmarks in Tucson, Arizona Parks in Arizona Tourist attractions in Pima County, Arizona Protected areas of Arizona Mountain passes of Arizona Landforms of Pima County, Arizona