Catalina State Park is located at the base of the

Santa Catalina Mountains The Santa Catalina Mountains, commonly referred to as the Catalina Mountains or the Catalinas, are north and northeast of Tucson in Arizona, United States, on Tucson's north perimeter. The mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area, w ...

. It is home to nearly 5,000

saguaro The saguaro (, ) (''Carnegiea gigantea'') is a tree-like cactus species in the monotypic genus ''Carnegiea'' that can grow to be over tall. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, and the Whipple Mountai ...

s and desert plants. There are 5,500 acres of foothills and canyons that offer opportunities for

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

, and bird watching. The park is home to more than 150 species. At an elevation of nearly 3,000 feet, the park offers miles of trails for recreational use.

Recreation

The park is several minutes by car away from the

Tucson , "(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 ...

metropolitan area. The park is home to trails for activities like birding, biking,

backpacking Backpacking may refer to: * Backpacking (travel), low-cost, independent, international travel * Backpacking (hiking), trekking and camping overnight in the wilderness * Ultralight backpacking, a style of wilderness backpacking with an emphasis on ...

and

, including Romero Ruin Trail, Nature Trail, Romero Canyon Trail, Sutherland Trail, Canyon Loop Trail, 50-Year Trail, Birding Trail, and the Bridle Trail. Certain trails also connect with other trails in Coronado National Forest, continuing to

Mount Lemmon Mount Lemmon, with a summit elevation of , is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It is located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. Mount Lemmon was named for botanist Sara Plummer Lemmon, who ...

, the highest peak in the Santa Catalina Mountains at . The park also features several campgrounds and an

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

center with ample parking for trailers, as specific trails are also open to equestrians.

History

Cultural history

There is evidence that the park and surrounding area have been continuously occupied since about 5000 BCE by the Hohokam people. The Romero Ruin still contains

pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

s built of rock and adobe, as well as a

Mesoamerican ballcourt A Mesoamerican ballcourt ( nah, tlachtli) is a large masonry structure of a type used in Mesoamerica for over 2,700 years to play the Mesoamerican ballgame, particularly the hip-ball version of the ballgame. More than 1,300 ballcourts have been i ...

. The earliest date the pueblo would have lived in the area is between 550–600 CE. The site was widely used for nearly 400 years, estimated around 1000–1450 CE. The namesake of this ruin, Francisco Romero, built a ranch on the site in the 19th century, and most likely used stone from the previous Hohokam structure to build his house, and fortifications to protect him from the Apache.

Establishment of the Park

Bighorn Fire

On June 5, 2020, a lightning strike started the

Bighorn Fire The Bighorn Fire was a wildfire in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, Arizona. It burned until it was finally put out on July 23, 2020. A lightning strike from a storm at 9:46 PM on June 5, 2020 caused the fire. The fire was named aft ...

which burned through the Santa Catalina Mountains until late July. The Bighorn Fire burned parts of Catalina State Park and caused damage to trails and vegetation.

References

External links

* {{authority control 1974 establishments in Arizona Parks in Pima County, Arizona Protected areas established in 1974 Santa Catalina Mountains State parks of Arizona